《Ancient Battles: The Changed Ones book 3 ongoing (Post-Post Apocalypse LitRPG trilogy)》 Prologue - At the End of the World Douglas Moore dropped in his gaming chair and stretched, popping his shoulders as he checked the computer. Today was the Day. The early access to Planesrunners, the brand-new Action RPG whose trailers had been on all channels for the last few weeks would be open to the public, after a marketing deluge. At least not a boring clone of the many games in the genre, it promised innovative gameplay, because you ran a team of three, instead of a single character as usual, switching focus between the characters, based on need. You needed serious APM ¨C actions per minute ¨C to play well, according to closed beta testers¡¯ leaks, but that was what made it potentially interesting, of course. Dozens of classes to make your roster from ¨C and of course, more would be available from various DLCs or season passes later on, after launch, that much was a given. Moore launched the game store interface and looked at the download bar of his pre-order with a grimace. The window said twenty-eight minutes of waiting. So much for fiber. People were probably hammering the servers. He brought up his usual streaming site, looking to see if people were already in-game, but the only things around were the usual crowd of FPS shooters or strategy gamers. Unless he was interested in hot-tub softcore. So, he refocused on the download, ready to be bored. Light flickered briefly in the room. Which was odd, as it was still daytime, and the setting sun shone through the windows behind him. He did not have his lights turned on, so why should there be any flickering of the room¡¯s light? The wait time jumped up. Over forty minutes. As Moore watched, it started to climb higher. Something had obviously stalled, so he decided to check if there was something wrong with the Internet link. His hand didn¡¯t move the mouse. Moore couldn¡¯t have felt more betrayed. When you decided that your hand moved, it moved; there was no discussion about it. This sudden paralysis was a cheater¡¯s move by the world. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Nothing he tried worked. He couldn¡¯t bring his other hand to the keyboard, he couldn¡¯t turn. He tried to shout, hoping that maybe a neighbor could hear him, but nothing happened. Moore was simply glued on his chair, stuck frozen, looking at a computer screen. The progression bar kept climbing. Two hours¡­ two days? What the fuck was going on? Then the screen dimmed into economy mode, and Moore was facing a black screen, unable to move or act. His first idea was that he¡¯d suffered from some sort of stroke or something, but there was no pain, nothing. In fact, there was a distinct lack of any sensation. His back against the chair was missing. The hand still grasping the mouse was¡­ like it wasn¡¯t there. A puppet¡¯s hand propped on his desk, a convincing fake left placed there. The light outside dimmed again, this time more slowly than the previous flicker. Moore found himself somehow in blackness, the only light visible the red LED of the computer monitor, and the neon lines on his gaming mouse under his frozen grasp. Light came back slowly, Moore still paralyzed in the chair. Suddenly the screen LED became black, and at the same time, the ergonomic mouse under his hand darkened. Did¡­ the computer just shut down? Moore strained to listen to the desktop fan, but there was nothing. Not even the hum of the refrigerator, or the sometimes dance music coming out from a nearby home, or a car passing. Not a noise from the city outside the housing community his shared building belonged to. The room darkened again, leaving him in total blackness this time. Moore waited, and the light came back shortly thereafter, tracing moving rectangles across the wall next to the desk. And for the first time, Moore realized what that meant. That black and light cycling was night and day. It had felt like maybe a half-dozen minutes, but that was an entire day as if time was speeding up. The hand was visibly sagging. Lines stretched across the skin, making creases that slowly expanded as he watched. Fuck, am I decomposing? That¡¯s not just a small stroke, right? I died. I¡¯m just stuck in my own corpse. There¡¯s no paradise or afterlife. You just stay there until it¡¯s all gone. I wonder how long it will take for the neighbors to warn the cops and they find me. I should smell pretty ripe by now. The black and light cycle was still speeding up, but the light was dimmer in each cycle. Moore could only speculate that his eyes were also decomposing, and would soon be gone. Once there was no longer anything to see with, with even the black-and-day cycle gone, he started to speculate on how long it would take him to become mad. 1. An Honorable Profession If honor were profitable, everybody would be honorable. Pre-Fall saying. The hint of potential trouble showed up next to the road. A small cart, barely visible from Johanna Milton¡¯s view. She squinted, trying to make sure she wasn¡¯t mistaken. But no. The boxy shape resolved itself into a small wooden four-wheeled cart, with some kind of tarp thrown over it. A bit smaller than what you¡¯d use for food delivery, but with a reasonable room. The four of them had been traveling parallel to the Ancient road for over two days now. The direction they were using would be a pretty big hint they had little of value besides travel food, but there was no payback in risking getting ambushed and mugged ¨C or worse ¨C on the way. She hadn¡¯t seen any hint of bushwhackers or another outlaw banditry in all her trips, but that didn¡¯t negate all the rumors of a new bandit group operating northeast she¡¯d picked late last year in town. Although how a band of outlaws would fare that long away from the security of a settlement was a pretty big mystery for Johanna. Only the truly crazy lived permanently far from civilization. That¡¯s how you ended up half-naked, using a makeshift bone club to steal goats from a herd. But a cart¡­ That meant people, expecting to carry lots of stuff. And this close to the ruins, it meant one thing. ¡°Competition,¡± she whispered, halting the other three. They all moved as stealthily as they could until they could see better what it was that had attracted Johanna¡¯s attention. From closer, she could see it looked a bit new, without the wear and repairs you¡¯d get from decades of usage. Sturdy steel-bound wheels¡­ two donkeys, tied to a tree not too far. And a single man, seated on the ground with his back to one of the wheels, and twirling what looked like a wooden cube. Johanna recognized it, even from the distance, as one of those toys that had caught a fad a decade ago. Some enterprising crafter had managed to build working replicas of the Ancient device ¨C mental training? puzzle? toy? ¨C and you could find those at decent prices coming from the South. Although¡­ What scavenger worth their salt uses modern knock-offs rather than originals? She gestured silently to the team to go back deeper in the wood, and they moved silently until she felt safe to at least whisper. ¡°You sure it¡¯s scavengers?¡± Tom Welter asked. ¡°Positive. That old road leads nowhere but the ruins, the main eastern road goes well on the other side of the river. So, it can¡¯t be some peddler. It¡¯s probably that new team that Grievar said had started operating recently. I heard they¡¯re coming from up south.¡± ¡°That cart is good-looking. I bet that they can get lots in there,¡± Laura Vogel commented. ¡°They also need to devote at least one person to keep watch over it. Like we saw. Maybe even two, if they want to make sure it¡¯s guarded twenty-four. That¡¯s two less to go in the ruins.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s why you said no to transportation.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not cheap, and it requires a large team. We¡¯re better off doing multiple trips,¡± Johanna said. ¡°So, what now?¡± the fourth member of the team, Peter Donnall, asked. ¡°We go wide. No sense in antagonizing them by showing that competition¡¯s there. Or worse, having them think we¡¯re there to actually steal from them. The ruins are still big enough for everyone.¡± The three others opined, and they started again, going obliquely from the road. Johanna looked down from the hilltop into the ruins. The Ancient city site was an immense expanse of squares, stretching nearly to the horizon, bounded by river and forest. One of the Ancient¡¯s large cities, before the Fall, miles across. She¡¯d heard about the large metropolises, like Bird Meadows, far south where she¡¯d obviously never been. She would bet you could dump all of it in the middle ten times over, and it would still be lost in the sprawl. Most of the legends of Ancient Times sounded like overblown craziness when your nana told you ¡°my gran¡¯ used to say¡­¡± until you saw those ruins for the first time and realized that, yes, the Ancients were the essence of the crazy impossible stuff. And then they Fell, and the world had to keep trudging along, leaving them to find their path. Well, no time to dwell on the distant past. The Ancients might have been like pagan gods doing all kinds of impossible things if you believed the crazy tales, but the modern folks like them had to earn their money the hard way. Tom joined her, putting his hand on her shoulder in his usual casual manner. ¡°Fortune awaits.¡± ¡°Again,¡± Laura added before the last member of the team caught up with the rest. Peter was the smallest person of the entire scavenging party. It had earned him endless teasing back home when it became apparent he¡¯d never get over five foot three. Even Laura had one inch over on her boyfriend. ¡°Well, I sure hope it¡¯s more fortune than the last time. Five days of travel for both ways, one full week of scavenging, and we got gouged from the salvage. ¡®Worthless¡¯. ¡®No market for that¡¯,¡± Johanna complained. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Guy knows nobody else buying bulk,¡± Tom shrugged. Johanna winced. She wasn¡¯t about to admit it, but that was what really bothered her with that new scavenger team. If they both sold their loot at Valetta, then the prices they got for it were going to drop. But if they operated with the west side, from Longlake city, they were unlikely to be coming on that side of the ruins, so the chances of being lucky were slim. They slowly made their way down the hillside. The four of them might be familiar with that Ancient city, whose name had been forgotten by history, but that only meant they knew to be careful. Very careful. The border of the city wasn¡¯t neat. No limit, not truly. And vegetation had grown over decades after the city was deserted during the Fall, making it even fuzzier. Yet, proper trees stopped suddenly, making way for flat ground with shorter growths, huge squares delimitated with remains of passageways, in a weird grid-like format that most of the ruins followed. A distant howl rose, reminding them of the dangers that could pop up at any time. Rival scavenging teams might mean trouble, although they were not likely to meet any by mere chance, even with the wagon spotted earlier confirming at least one operating right now. But things like Feral Canids might haunt those ruins. They were not numerous either ¨C not enough food for those alpha predators ¨C but when you met them, you ran unless you were ready for a serious fight. Or even if you were ready. Canids did not fear puny humans. In any case, fighting was not going to give Johanna and her three teammates any money. The only thing a Canid was good for was teeth for good luck charms. People said you could eat a dog ¨C not that any decent person would ¨C but trying to eat a Canid was a sure way to get sick. In a normal country, you might get prize money for the head of a local threat, but no one was going to pay for removing predators from the ruins. But that¡¯s where we get the big money, she told herself. Most times. Johanna had picked this section of the ruins both for the distance from where the cart had been spotted, and also because it held significant building ruins, rather than the foot-high remnants of walls that comprised most of the outskirts. The multiple-floor structures offered hiding spots, both from humans and beasts alike, even if none of them were ready to risk climbing up unless the location was in extremely good shape. But they also indicated better-preserved areas, and thus, possibly reasonably intact items. Of course, that also meant she didn¡¯t have her usual sense of location. It was hard to get truly lost in that kind of ruin, with its long straight roads, but that didn¡¯t mean you got your bearings easily. ¡°Didn¡¯t we come this way already?¡± ¡°Changestorm? There hasn¡¯t been any big mana storm out there in decades, but we¡¯re in an Ancient city, and there¡¯s always too much mana around,¡± Johanna replied to Tom. ¡°Fuck. Not only can¡¯t we trust what was around, but half the good stuff still there will be wrecked.¡± ¡°Then better be fast. A recent storm might have dropped the mana levels, and while that¡¯s better for the living, that¡¯s bad for preserving Ancient materials,¡± she ordered. ¡°Light stuff only this time. I¡¯m not hauling sheets of metal plating just to get a hundred dollars at the end,¡± Peter said. ¡°We already agreed on that for this run,¡± Johanna reminded him. ¡°Just making sure you don¡¯t forget,¡± he replied. ¡°Tom? Can you hit the small guy for me, please?¡± Tom tried to growl but failed to sound serious enough. The whole team nearly had a laugh but managed to keep the noise in check. Talking in low voices was okay, loud and sudden noises were not. Competition or beasts, both were perilous in their own way. Changestorm or not, the flattened squares that hid underground cellars full of random stuff were making way for half-intact structures. Bricks, metal bars protruding from half-broken walls, and dangerous-looking slightly slanted upper floors. ¡°Better loot there, even if the supposed Changestorm wrecked some,¡± Laura commented. The four kept together as they scouted the sprawling ruins. In some circumstances, it might be better to spread and scout individually, but the area was confusing enough. The place they found seemed to have been a series of multi-floor buildings, interconnected in varied ways. Most of the buildings had crumbled at least in part, but there was little sign of salvagers. Easy places in the Ancient city had been extensively visited in the decades following the Fall, Johanna knew, and there was little to get there. If they could find a way inside, this one promised more opportunities. Laura pointed toward one of the connecting covered walkways that were still standing, and there was something looking like an empty doorframe, offering an easy way in. ¡°Good catch,¡± Johanna said. The room was weird. Half of it had been sliced open by some Changestorm at one point in the past and what looked like a completely different one glued to it. That wasn¡¯t common, but it happened. In the rear of the room, there was a strange seat. It looked like Ancient metal rods stuck together in a five-legged stool type that Johanna had seen often in some other parts of the city. And it was occupied by a skeleton. A blackened skeleton that looked more like it was made of burnt wood rather than old bone. Scratch lines made strange whiteish figures on the skull as if some small predator had tried to claim the skeletal head at one point. There was a lot of rubble on the ground, but the skeleton seemed to lord over the room, as if it was watching the most recent petitioners arrive in its abode. ¡°It looks like someone sitting on a throne,¡± Tom commented. ¡°One weird-ass throne,¡± Johanna replied. ¡°It doesn¡¯t even seem to be able to support bones. Why aren¡¯t they falling,¡± Laura asked. ¡°Who knows. But this room doesn¡¯t feel right,¡± Tom replied. ¡°Magic?¡± Peter queried. ¡°We¡¯re in the middle of an Ancient City, probably full of multiple mana-rich areas. Of course, there¡¯s going to be magic around, Manastorm or not,¡± Johanna remarked. ¡°The big question is: is there anything salvageable?¡± Laura added, bringing everyone¡¯s attention to their main goal. ¡°I tell you what. I¡¯m not going near that Ancient,¡± Tom said. ¡°Fine. There¡¯s probably plenty of small stuff scattered here without trying to disturb the dead,¡± she replied. Despite the bold assumption, the room might have had plenty of trash, but little of that seemed useful. The Ancient materials were typically either perfectly preserved, or utterly trashed by now after more than a century. The room seemed mostly the latter. In fact, the most useful piece Johanna spotted turned out to be a glass. Clear, unmarred Ancient glasses held much value for their weight. More so for slightly fancier pieces with decoration on them. Glassmakers made almost similar products, of course, but at high prices. Even without the mystique a genuine antique brought on some markets, this was an easy choice for some basic and valuable loot. Johanna went and picked the glass. As she rose up she looked briefly at the skeletal figure on its seat. There was a blue light glowing inside the bony chest. Johanna''s huge gasp alerted the rest of the team. As they turned to where she was looking, they saw the light. A steady blue glow was slowly growing inside the ribcage, where lungs and heart would be on a recently dead person. ¡°FUUUU, Magic trap.¡± Johanna turned. The blue glow was already casting shadows and splashes of light across the room¡¯s walls. Which meant that whatever magic inside that skeletal figure was slowly ramping up. ¡°RUN!¡± The four scrambled toward the door, trying to escape what promised a highly dangerous situation. They didn¡¯t make it before the light became blinding, even with their backs toward its source. 2. Screens When there is nothing at all, there is no time passing. And one Douglas Moore realized this truth only now because there was something besides the nothingness in the universe that was his. That deep blue emptiness was seemingly punctuated by neon lines, stretching across infinity. Looking at them, Moore felt they were familiar somehow. He might have been watching them for some undeterminable time. Without anything happening, time had simply lost any meaning, he suddenly realized. He might have been there for five minutes, or it might have been five years. Or more. In a way, that was nicer than becoming mad from sensory deprivation. Which, he remembered now, had been sort of the last thing he had been worried about before ¡°now¡±. But suddenly, there were things happening, which meant Time had dominion over this empty realm. The lines crisscrossed in strange directions, which he wasn¡¯t entirely sure were quite entirely three-dimensional, but they delimitated squares across the abstract-feeling space in which he was located. And four of these squares didn¡¯t simply show the same emptiness, a depth that seemed to stretch to an unfathomable infinity. The squares showed rubble on some dirty floor in half-shadow instead. Moore ¡°moved¡±. Once he did so, he realized there was nothing to move¡­ just a difference in his focused awareness. There was no body, no hands, no eyes to be felt or move. Phantom echoes of remembered limbs refused to move since there was seemingly nothing to move at all, not even an unresponsive hand. Yet, one of the squares now dominated his view. The three others were there, to the side. In a strange way that Moore couldn¡¯t fully articulate, they were as sharp as the one he was ¡°watching¡±, without any of the abbreviated peripheral vision one would expect, but there was still a qualitative difference to his focus. He was looking at one while seeing everything else, he decided. As if direction did not really matter, only attention. The square he was watching was a low-lighted room, with weird shadows cast by a neon-blue light coming from the side of his view, not quite like the blue emptiness, but not entirely different. Just¡­ brighter. It was all very confusing, like the view he had, which was oddly slanted as if his perspective was sideways. There were forms on the ground, which he realized were¡­ people. Three forms, fallen on the ground. Intuition made him ¡°turn¡± to the other squares. One showed the same darkened room¡­ one had one form sprawled amidst rubble¡­ He realized with a start that each square showed the perspective of one of the persons in that same room. The first square that had caught his attention was seemingly associated with a young blonde woman. Someone in her late teens or healthy early twenties, probably nice-looking if only slightly marred by a somewhat squarish jaw. He could deduce from her perspective that she had been looking at the rest of the figures after she fell on the ground. One of the other perspectives allowed him to see that woman and one other man from a different angle. All in all, there seemed to be four of them, two men and two women, one for each of the square views. They wore odd leather and heavy woolen and cloth attire. Something that looked more individually handmade rather than any modern fashion Moore was familiar with. Except that the first woman had a handkerchief with a common sports brand logo. Which struck him as odd. From the brand, he expected running shoes, right. Maybe shirts and tracksuits. But neckcloth? Where did that one come from? Who are these people? Why did he see¡­ not exactly from their eyes, which were shut apparently, but their perspective? As he focused again on the first ¡°window¡±, the view stretched, in a strange and non-Euclidean way, leaving a second square to the side. One that was filled with meaning. Simultaneously new, odd, and yet familiar.
Johanna Marcia Milton Female human, 19 years, 2 months
No specialization (scavenger) Level: 2 (2000 XP needed) 2 unallocated skills points XP: 1011 + 0
STR: 14 AUT: 17
AGI: 15 PER: 14
DEX: 16 EMP: 15
Given that he lacked eyes and thus eyelids, Moore couldn¡¯t blink in surprise. That was¡­ A character sheet? What the??? Concentrating on the other figures brought the same stretching of a character sheet as if bringing his focus on a given person simply called their individual character summaries. The sheets were simple and basic. Not in any font he recognized, and it felt like it wasn¡¯t entirely written, even if that didn¡¯t make sense. But they were proper stats, separating body-oriented and non-physical attributes. Strength, Agility, Dexterity, on one side, Authority, Perception, and Empathy on the other. Although there didn¡¯t seem to be handy tooltips explaining the exact meaning or use of those specific stats. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. He stopped himself with a mental shudder. Before¡­ whatever happened, he¡¯d been waiting to play an RPG. A new ARPG. Did this¡­ character sheet come from that game? Was he stuck in the game? Planesrunners? Or worse, did the game make an impression on him without remembering actually playing it, and he was currently dying, his oxygen-deprived brain falling into strange hallucinations fed by his last memories as consciousness faded? What was that tidbit of wisdom from a book? Trying to second guess yourself, and presuming that reality was fake was the surest way to succumb to madness. Always assume that reality was real, and act like it, risking to be taken as mad, rather than act as if it was all fake, and die because you didn¡¯t take reality seriously. Because reality always took you seriously and didn¡¯t care what you wanted to think. Well, no risk of that. He seemed to be dead already if he remembered correctly. Or some similar state. So¡­ a game-like post-death experience. Gamer heaven. With four persons to watch for. Interesting. Certainly not what everyone promised you for an afterlife. Who are you really, Miss Milton, unspecialized scavenger? An exploration of the various elements of that bizarre user interface finally brought a list of skills. There seemed to be a significant number of those. Quite a few seemed to be locked behind higher pre-requisites, leaving only a handful immediately available. One immediately attracted his attention.
Fire Handling Requires: Authority 17
Effective: N ¡Á Authority + Level (adds mana) Passive: Grant bodily immunity to heat, up to (300 + 10¡ÁEff) ¡ãF Active: Can summon an (Eff/10)-inch flame of the maximum tolerable temperature in either of one¡¯s hands Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds
A focus on the N multiplier for the effective formula brought up a separate list.
Specialization Requires Multiplier
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 2
Discreet DEX 16/Lvl 1 0
That list was extremely short. Only two specializations, presumably because Johanna Milton only had two of her stats at 16 or above. And, well, one would be an obvious choice there. Picking the Shaper specialization would grant her a whopping +34 bonus to that specific skill from having an Authority of 17. A ¡°Discreet¡± would be hobbled at a skill of 2 from her level and nothing else. The flame would require a magnifying glass to see. After finding this, Moore found out that the user interface allowed him to start from the specialization instead, walking down skills. Sorted by multipliers, by requirements, and so on. From that exploration emerged a picture. Shaper-boosted skills seemed to run across the theme of some form of magic. And a weird one. Fire, Earth, Water, he understood. But Wood? Metal? However, attempting to add another Authority-based magic skill to Milton¡¯s list quickly ran into a snag, and looking at the stat itself for a different presentation of the character sheet told him why.
Authority: 17 1000 XP needed
Fire Handling Effective skill 36 (mana)
Next skill: 2pt needed (1 available)
He confirmed quickly that all the other stats on Milton¡¯s sheet required only a single point to pick a skill based on them, even when no skill was immediately useable. A quick selection into the mass of skills available gave him a different and immediately useable skill that felt like it matched the spellcasting theme. That particular stat seemed associated with nature and wood for some reason, but almost all of the actual skills required 16-plus in the stat, unlike this one.
Mana Sight Requires: Mana 30/Level 2
Effective: 2 ¡Á Perception + Level (adds 30 mana) Passive: Detect mana flows & pools of (33) size or greater Triggered: Detect any mana-based skill of 30 skill or below.
After walking the entire specialization, he simply canceled the entire selection, unwilling to jump to conclusions, and started checking the rest of the people in the room. Their own ¡°character sheets¡± behaved in the same way, save for the different values. For instance, the Tom Welter guy seemed to fit a sort of melee specialist with his base Strength score, while the Peter Donnall character had both high AGI and DEX, making Moore hesitate what was implied there. Stealthy rogue, fast scout? Laura Vogel was obvious, she had the highest Empathy, and the skill list he dug up based on that stat seemed to fit a healer-slash-priest archetype. That was the problem. No wiki. No internet guides. It was like being back in the 20th century and trying to play one of the old Gold Box Games with zero spoilers and no Internet forums to ask questions. How the players of that era did it boggled him. And there was also the problem of what exactly was going on. What was this place where Moore seemed to exist ¨C he wasn¡¯t quite going to say ¡°be¡± ¨C and why were there four windows into people. And who were they. Assuming they are real¡­ he quickly buried the thought again. The obvious move was to use the user interface and go full-on role-playing game. Moore didn¡¯t think people without a class or skills survived long in any form of a dangerous situation. He also had no idea how long this setup phase could last. Was time even going at the same speed ¡°here¡± and ¡°there¡±? There were no answers, at least none obvious. The four people were just lying there, immobile on the ground in whatever position they¡¯d been when he''d noticed that reality existed again. Time to commit. Fighter, Rogue, Healer, Caster. Classics always worked. There you go, Miss Milton. You¡¯re going to be the spellcaster. Now, let¡¯s hope this works out.
Johanna Marcia Milton Female human, 19 years, 2 months
Shaper Level: 2 (2000 XP needed) 0/66 mana (+14 per hour) 0 unallocated skills points XP: 1011 + 0
STR: 14 AUT: 17 Fire Handling (36)
AGI: 15 PER: 14 Mana Sight (30)
DEX: 16 EMP: 15
At first, he¡¯d validated just the Fire Handling, making sure he could add further changes. Then the specialization, which enabled adding Mana Sight for the second skill point. He was also now offered the ability to change the specialization to Discreet, albeit at a 1000XP cost. That would be stupid, considering the skills he¡¯d just allocated, but the interface now allowed him that option. His tests with Peter Donnall, who had around 2500 XP available but was only level 1 had shown him that increasing the level added one unallocated skill point. So, he had to choose whether to improve her stats now or wait 1000XP for a level and a new skill point in Dexterity. Or even more XP and a second Authority skill. That will wait until I figure out how fast XP comes. One step at a time. They look like newbies still. He checked all of his choices. They were all validated, and ¡°his¡± team was now ready. He relaxed and, surprisingly, the sensation of time flickered. It seemed that putting all of his attention on the interfaces made time fly fast. Or crawl, depending on one¡¯s perspective. Wait, I probably don¡¯t have neurons anymore, so no slow chemical neurotransmitters? He hoped they would like the choices he¡¯d made. It didn¡¯t seem as if they could make those themselves, or that Donnall fellow would have raised his level already. 3. Wake-Up Call May you live in interesting times. Pre-Fall curse Johanna nearly kicked her friend Laura in the head as she reflexively twitched her legs when she opened her eyes. She had no recollection of what had happened after that flash of blue light, yet she was sprawled on the dusty floor of the room. She¡¯d somehow tripped ¨C maybe ¨C and ended up dazed. She rolled, pushed herself off the ground, not looking behind her, and half-crawled, half-rushed toward the room¡¯s exit. She needed to escape the magical trap. Nothing else mattered right now. As she reached the door, she suddenly realized that there was no more weird blue light reflected on the walls, or anything coming from behind her. She stopped and slowly turned back, peering into the room. The half-darkness that had been there when they came in that section of the ruin seemed to be there again, filling the place with its patchwork of lights and shadows from the two windows and the opening in the ceiling. She could see no trace of the blue light, and the room, on the whole, seemed almost normal again. Save that the skeleton was somehow still bathed in bright-looking light. A light that came from nowhere, colorless, like snaking rivers of shimmer streaming from every corner of the room down into the chair, weaving around the bones. That these strange flows didn¡¯t stop at the walls or illuminated anything else in the room told her that whatever magic permeated the room was still there, active and ongoing, and the threat was not over. No wonder people fear magic. I¡¯m going to hate the stuff now, she thought. ¡°What happened?¡± Tom whispered as he reached her. Laura and Peter were also half-rising, half-crawling toward the exit as well. ¡°You tell me. There was some kind of magic event, that¡¯s a given.¡± ¡°Seems over.¡± ¡°Look at the Ancient¡¯s bones, and tell me that again.¡± Tom looked back and frowned. ¡°Blue light¡¯s gone. Look like it¡¯s all spent.¡± ¡°Uh? What are you talking about¡­ there¡¯s a shit-ton of magic still pouring in, so much you can see it,¡± she replied, incredulous. ¡°You sure you¡¯re okay?¡± he asked, looking back at her. ¡°Yes. Whatever knocked us seems to be done now, but the magic¡­ you can¡¯t see it?¡± Laura and Peter reached the room¡¯s exit door and turned to look at the far end of the room. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to see now, Johanna,¡± the latter confirmed. ¡°Well¡­ there is light coming in. More like¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ like streams of liquid light flowing in the air,¡± Johanna tried to explain. ¡°You seem more affected by that blast than us. We¡¯re leaving, like, now,¡± Tom said. ¡°And I¡¯ll check you for concussion,¡± Laura added. The group found themselves in the bent corridor. As on the way in, Johanna thought again that the place had been scrambled by some Changestorm. The corridor turning suddenly on an oblique wall was the clearest indication that parts of the ruin came from somewhere else, which was the surest indicator of immense magical discharges. And if the encounter in the room was an indication, then magic had pooled there for a long time afterward. Until they came around and stupidly triggered whatever had been nesting in the skeletal¡­ king? On a strange throne? Like those fantasy novels that she always found both funny and stupid, yet always engrossing somehow. She reflexively patted the bag on her back. Already, she was no longer sure about the contents they had pilfered from the room. She pretty much knew nobody would be able to appraise the contents for magical residue. You knew of mana from what it did, not what it was. She¡¯d never seen it ¨C none of them had ¨C until that blue glow, and she now fervently wished she never had. The only sane option was not to mention it. Either they trashed what they¡¯d just salvaged for safety, or they foisted it on their usual buyer. And pleaded ignorance if things ever came back to bite them. She briefly debated with herself about the ethics of bringing mana-loaded stuff back to Valetta. But it wasn¡¯t their fault that salvage had soaked in mana. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Right? ¡°Nothing else seems to be disturbed,¡± Tom noted as they negotiated the last leg of the corridor, before emerging back into the open ruins. ¡°Lucky us,¡± Johanna said drily. ¡°And now, sit, while I check you. Everyone knows that visual hallucinations are a sure sign of concussion.¡± Laura staved Johanna¡¯s protest and pushed on her shoulders, insisting she sat on a piece of old concrete. She started waving her hand, making Johanna count fingers, answer basic questions, watching for signs of mental trouble or difficulties. ¡°I told you. I¡¯m okay,¡± Johanna started to grumble after a while. ¡°You had me kind of worried with that light-not-light speech for a while,¡± her friend finally answered, relaxing slightly. Johanna tried to remember exactly how the room felt back then. ¡°But that¡¯s what it was,¡± she finally said. ¡°Like some light that only lighted the skeleton on that chair and nothing else in the room.¡± ¡°Not like the blue light, then?¡± Tom asked. ¡°No. Different. Weird like magic ought to be, but different.¡± She saw the worried look of her team and hurried to reassure them. ¡°But I am fine. No headache, no nausea. Nothing.¡± ¡°Well, who knows what¡¯s a magical version of a concussion like,¡± Tom said. She reached and squeezed her boyfriend¡¯s hand in reassurance. ¡°I. Do. Not. Have. Concussion. Magical or otherwise.¡± ¡°Allow me to be worried,¡± he replied. ¡°All of us,¡± Peter added, with Laura acquiescing. ¡°Because I see lights in a place where there''s magic? Come on.¡± ¡°We should be going,¡± Tom replied instead. She frowned. ¡°Hmm, where? I agree this is potentially dangerous, but you are not suggesting we return? We¡¯ve barely started.¡± She immediately raised her hand to forestall the protest. ¡°Running away will not make us safer when we come back. And we will come back again, right, guys?¡± Johanna could see the three others internally debating against themselves. ¡°I. Am. Fine.¡± She gestured toward Tom. ¡°Worst thing, the big lug can carry me if I collapse. Which. Will. Not. Happen.¡± She pushed herself upright, straightening her salvage bag. ¡°We move out, find a different area. Then we fill up those,¡± she said, tapping the half-empty leather container on her back. ¡°Aye?¡± Johanna could tell Tom, at least, was not entirely convinced. But she picked a direction, more or less at random, and started. People will say it was going to happen sooner or later¡­ Moore pondered the views. The window squares were silent. He could guess the four were talking among themselves, lips moving, gestures flowing, but he heard nothing at all. No voices, no wind, no noises, just like a silent movie from a century ago without the music. He had just vision, from the perspective of each one of the four. At least, the view did not track eyes or anything. Or maybe he was compensating for the rapid eye movements that anyone constantly did half-consciously. It just showed what they were looking at, mostly. The ruins were sobering. The four persons¡¯ team was in some kind of hellscape of broken concrete walls, jutting reinforcement bars, and the kind of scenery that he was familiar with from dozens of post-apocalyptic FPS games and Z-series movies. All it lacked was some zombies. Or maybe a dragon. What was the name of that old movie with dragons invading the ruins of London or something? The name escaped him. Reign of something¡­ dragons? No, not dragons. It would come back to him, or it would not. It didn¡¯t really matter anyway. For now, he was looking at what the world looked like outside, and he did not like what he was seeing. Not a bit. Ruins of a modern city were filling his limited perspective. His city? He couldn¡¯t even guess. There was nothing like a reasonably recognizable skyline. In the distance ¨C and here he ventured a guess that he might be able to see details that a normal person might not even be aware of, as he had no real retina to limit him ¨C he could see an expanse of aligned squares that suggested a suburban house sprawl, reduced to foot-high rubble. But there were no such suburbs next to his low-rise apartment complex. The city might be an unfamiliar jumble of ruins, but from the crumbled parts, Moore felt like there had been a lot of time elapsed since that apocalypse. The first indication had been when they looked at the room where they¡¯d been when his consciousness restarted somehow. It was a bit weirdly shaped, with two different windows where his old room had only one. But the skeleton sitting on what looked like the remains of a gaming chair had brought a sudden flash-back to his demise. Sure, there didn¡¯t seem to be a desk or computer, although the broken glass and a frame to the side might be coming from a flat monitor. But, given the context¡­ his first thought had been. Is that¡­ me? He remembered vividly how, once he stopped moving, silence had fallen, and then power had failed abruptly, and nothing had happened at all until he suddenly realized he was in some abstraction of space, looking at ¨C through ¨C four people. There had been an apocalypse, and he had missed it. Well, he had missed it because he died immediately just before its beginning, so that wasn¡¯t an entirely bad thing or even a good thing to happen to him. More of an ¡°at least you didn¡¯t suffer¡± thing if that old skeleton was any indication. And now, the whole situation slowly started to make sense to him. The old sports-brand cloth, incongruous-looking against the handmade feel of the rest of the clothing. The reference in the System interfaces to a ¡°scavenger¡± for all of them, until he overwrote it with a ¡°real¡± specialization. Those four were looters, scavenging in the ruins of this destroyed 21st-century metropolis, trying to grab some useful stuff lying around. Certainly not for mere survival, though. The landscape and that ¨C his? ¨C skeleton looked old and worn after all. This was not a few weeks or months after the apocalypse, this was much, much later. Broken-up and overgrown ruins meant many years, decades even. They were not looking for cans of tuna, meds, and guns to last the next week, more like salvaging hard-to-manufacture goods and cheap metals or plastics. Well, maybe guns too. Good guns were always useful after the apocalypse, he knew, no matter when you found them. Well, it wasn¡¯t as if he could give them directions to help. He had no idea where that team was and no way to communicate, at least not using anything he saw in his weird non-space. The surrounding did not entirely match what he¡¯d remembered from when he was alive. The suburb ruins were certainly not there in his memories. And the ruined buildings around that group were no longer fully recognizable. If he still had lungs and mouth, he¡¯d have certainly sighed in frustration. 4. Wolfpack Beware the twice-Changed beasts, for they are more than twice deadly. Northern Proverb There was something to be said for having a narrow encounter with death or at least maiming, and that it focused you on the essentials, or so were Johanna¡¯s thoughts. ¡°This is sparse,¡± Tom complained, as they started to pry yet another cover leading to an underground space. ¡°But still good. The area might be decayed, but the basement spaces are mostly undisturbed,¡± Johanna noted. ¡°But I¡¯m not feeling safe trying to carry those weird chemical things,¡± Tom whined. ¡°We''ve found one single container still filled. And the symbol on it just says it¡¯s acid,¡± Johanna insisted. Peter made a disgusted face before coming to the rescue of his male friend. ¡°There¡¯s acid, and there¡¯s acid. The shit that stings your hand, or the shit that melts your bones,¡± he said. Johanna almost sighed. Oh, in the abstract, she knew where this was heading. The encounter with the skeleton king had broken the momentum of the scavenging expedition. They were spooked. Hell, she was spooked as well, even if she did try to not let it affect her. ¡°You want to head back? You know we still do not have enough to pay the house and starting nest yet, and we certainly won¡¯t have enough before next year. And what is going to pay for some top-notch healer in town to check if I have no concussion? This bag?¡± She almost stopped there, because of course, the bag, even half empty as it was, would go for quite a lot. She looked at her teammates, seeing the concern still written large on their faces. Then she sighed for real, slightly exaggerating the expression. ¡°Honey, that encounter got us all concerned,¡± Tom said. ¡°With me. It¡¯s not about me. What about you? You were all there, right? Anyone else feeling weird?¡± Tom raised his hands defensively, but she pre-empted the discussion. ¡°Okay. We do one more day of salvage, then we head back, even if we have yet to fill the bags. You¡¯re okay with that?¡± She could see her boyfriend¡¯s expression soften. That battle was at least a draw. He could be infuriating and overprotective, maybe, but he was a dear. He would put her welfare above the team¡¯s¡­ even if that was not the right thing to do. She knew what was okay for her. The team turned back to the half-lit basement. She¡¯d brought a torch up ¨C the team had a dozen of the rag and oil contraptions around, and they made sure not to burn them more than necessary. But now that Johanna had agreed to return, they no longer focused on the highest value per volume items. Anything salvageable was fair game now. Or at least, anything good was. Johanna looked at a shelf. It had a series of ruined blocky shapes. Almost certainly some containers that had decomposed decades before she was even born. She carefully swept away the things before looking at the shelf itself. The wood was nothing special, but sometimes, you could rip the shelf support. Most of the time, it was the wonder ancient metal, lighter than anything any modern crafter could make on their own. The various steels you found were nothing special, but Alium was a category of its own. Old descriptions said Alium relied on the magical energies of the Ancient world to make. Without those ¨C and the mana of the world definitively interfered with that process ¨C all you could do is melt the ancient things, and try to shape the metal into useful things. Some books told you how to make the thing out of some ore, but for all she knew, they were worse than popular sorcery recipes. At least, if you had a sorcerer around, some of those magics might work for him or her. The Ancient knowledge was about using lightning to separate ore and other non-sense. Without a thorough understanding of the Ancients, how to interpret all the old books, all she could do with that shelf was look at the many holes drilled in it, dropping the shelf support¡¯s mass-to-volume ratio, and thus worth, by lots. Half an hour later, the team gathered, the torch dimming, the good salvage opportunities of the basement exhausted. Or so they all agreed. ¡°Okay, one additional basement, then it¡¯s camp time. The evening¡¯s coming up, guys,¡± Johanna decided. She was still climbing the stairs when Peter¡¯s hand pressing against her shoulder stopped her. She moved slowly, and her gaze followed the man¡¯s hand, pointing silently across the ruins. Silhouetted against the sky was a furry head. She immediately put her hand behind her back, signaling the other two. They crept slowly out of the basement as she watched the animal carefully. That fur crest was a bad sign. The creature was very obviously, judging from the head shape, some kind of Feral Canid, the plague of all places, with or without people. The basic Canid was a feral descendant of Ancient dogs and wolves that had survived magical influences. Living in the pockets of mana-rich land like the northern forest changed things, and so, Canids ranged from wolf-like critters that had just slightly more mass than any dog had a right to, to monstrous beasts that only had the same similar shape as a common farm dog. Such a prominent fur crest meant more than a mere feral Canid. That was potentially a Changed Canid, one that survived deep magical influences or a mana storm, warping¨C fast or slowly, depending ¨C into something far more dangerous than even a normal Canid. Until today, they¡¯d been able to avoid Canids. The predators were not that common, but they still ranged across all kinds of civilized lands. For the last year and a half, the worst had been hearing howls from afar, and rarely within the Ancient city. Slim pickings, probably. There was nothing good about Canids. The mutated freaks were trouble, no matter how and when you met them. Johanna shushed the two climbing just behind, her warning sign enough to silence them as they reached the exit from the underground room. They all flattened before even spotting the Canid¡¯s shape. Tom slowly crawled next to her, reaching for her calf to squeeze. She thumbed back in acknowledgment. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Now, all they had was to try to avoid attracting attention. Like their domestic unchanged counterparts, all Canids normally had good smell sense, fair hearing, but were nearsighted. As long as the feral creature didn¡¯t spot the traces of their smell¡­ which might be impossible. They¡¯d spent the day working, and that meant sweaty humans. No showering or bathing in the Ancient¡¯s city. She started looking around for an escape path. If they could get away without the feral noticing them¡­ Then she wondered where was Peter? He had been there just a few instants ago, but now he was nowhere to be seen. She sought out her friend, hoping he wasn¡¯t doing something stupid. There. Off to the side. The small man was crawling across the ruins and stacks of bricks and wood, slowly moving. Flattened against the ground, dusty, his movements infinitesimal. If she hadn¡¯t known he was there, if she hadn¡¯t been looking for him, she¡¯d have missed him. He was always good at squeezing through holes and passages where any of the three would be hard-pressed to go, but that one caper was far too risky. If there was no Canid, she¡¯d have yelled at him. But then again, if there had not been a Canid, he wouldn¡¯t have done that, and she would have no reason to yell at him. She kept watching him, alternating between the upright Canid silhouette and his crawling shape. Every time she¡¯d looked away, she had difficulty figuring out again where he was for a few seconds. That was an awesome display of prowess, sure. She just wished he didn¡¯t try it under those circumstances. When this is over, if Laura doesn¡¯t tear him one, I¡¯ll do it for her. Johanna had been looking at the Canid again when she realized Peter was back to less than ten feet from her, and she nearly jumped in fright. He pointed at the silhouette, then raised two additional fingers. Two more Canids then, not visible from their vantage point. Going from bad to worse. Canids were not just dangerous, they also didn¡¯t fear man at all, like many of the Changed species. Individually, a beast was a threat unless you were a guard or a professional hunter. A pack, even a small one like that, meant they were probably in way over their heads. A second large Canid head popped over a small ruined wall. The rest of the pack was closing in. No fur crest, which meant a normal Canid¡­ and confirmed the mutated one, not just some exotic breed pack. And at that moment, that other Canid¡¯s head dropped and she heard a loud sniffing and shuffling noise. Fuck. That little shit has spotted us. He knows something is there. Fleeing was out of the question. In the outdoors, maybe. In the ruins of a city, they would be lucky if they didn¡¯t get into more trouble than they were running from. She paled, realizing there was no choice left to them, but try to get the beasts to run away, making the four of them too much of a problem to bother with. She lifted her hand a bit, to attract notice from the rest of her team, then dropped it to her hunting knife handle to signify she was getting ready for a fight. Better not to kid themselves they were getting out of this one. She¡¯d never much believed in the Jesus God on his cross, even if she went through the motions as everyone expected, but she could use its help. Or whatever god might be watching. She wished she could ask her team, but the creatures would hear. She looked back and then started to slowly slide her knife out of its sheath. The three acknowledged and started to tense. She slowly lifted her hand. The Canid pack leader¡¯s head rose, some feral instinct warning it about the impending attack. Johanna rose from the ground, snarling. The Canid tensed, ready to rush at her, as the rest of her team jumped up and the last Canid¡¯s head popped from where it had been searching for whatever. The Canid howled, jumping over the small ruined wall and aiming for her. As it reached, she readied her knife, but she spotted movement from her peripheral side, and Tom crashed into the dog, half sliding, half braking with his feet, and breaking the charge of the Canid. She had no time to breathe as the Canid rose back and turned toward Tom, just as the man brought his fist holding the knife and slammed it on the head, sending it stumbling and reeling. She spotted the two other Canids rushing and Tom instinctively turned as the first was coming in over the brick barrier, aiming for Laura who was rushing with her knife high. He ran a few steps, then half jumped and butted into the new dog which was starting to jump for Laura¡¯s head, turning it away from its attack. Johanna¡¯s head snapped back at the larger Canid next to her, as the beast shook itself. For a fraction of a second, she saw some weird light gathering around the Canid. Then, bright red lines sprung around the Canid¡¯s skin, tracing a vein-like network, and smoke started to pour out. ¡°Magic Canid! Fuck!¡± she yelled, as she realized those would be the signs of one of the dangerously magical-capable variants she¡¯d heard horror stories about. She had no idea for how long the smoking Canid would keep its burning aspect, but she guessed that it was devastating unless you had a bow or crossbow to fire metal or hardened bolts. Trying to engage one like that in any close-combat was a recipe for disaster. Johanna was already trying to backpedal to keep her distance when the Canid jumped and threw her to the ground. She reflexively tried to get it away from her, but the beast was bending over her, and she could only try to hold it away. The fur was slightly warm under her hand, not burning as she had been expected based on the Fire Canids¡¯ descriptions of old. The glowing lines weren¡¯t particularly dangerous either. At least it didn¡¯t breathe fire or something. She held her own against the growling mass of Canid, as it tried to bite, then brought her knife hand slamming into its side. The blade sank slightly into the mass of doggy menace, which flinched away from the pain. Tom crashed into the dog and screamed as he jerked away. She briefly saw embers dropping from his cuffs as she rose from her prone position. The Fire Canid¡¯s head snapped between the two combatants, before focusing again on her. For whatever reason, the beast considered her the most dangerous of the two. ¡°Go back, help Laura! Fuck!¡± Johanna yelled at him. ¡°But¡­¡± he said before shutting down and obeying, turning away. The Fire Canid smashed into her again, trying to bite, but this time, she was ready for it, as she used her free hand to block it ¨C barely ¨C while stabbing into its side. This time, the knife slid into its neck, hitting a vulnerable spot, and the creature jerked as she pulled the blade back, falling on the ground. Johanna stabbed again at the neck, and the beast stilled. She turned back and spotted the other two beasts. Tom and Laura were engaged with one of them. Tom was slamming his hand holding the knife inverted, while Laura was trying to put her blade into the creature. A few feet from that, Peter was dancing with the dog. The creature was trying to bite, and he moved here and there, trying to avoid the maw, too busy avoiding the attacks to bring his knife into the fight. She ran toward that beast, trying to relieve her childhood friend. At the last second, the beast turned toward her and snapped. She raised her hand and¡­ Fire poured out of the hand, straight into the teeth trying to snap over it. The Canid yelped in pain, trying to jerk away from the flame burning in its maw. Peter didn¡¯t waste the opportunity, pushing his blade into the side of the distracted beast''s skull. The Canid jerked briefly before dropping on the ground, dying from both the burn and blade at the base of his skull. Johanna wasted no time reflecting on the impossible event and turned back, to see Laura pulling her knife from the side of the last dog who crashed on the ground. For a few seconds, they all stood silent, breathing heavily as the adrenaline of combat receded. Then Tom dropped to the ground, starting to yell, and holding his hand. As Johanna reached him, she saw the red and blisters on his left hand, the one he¡¯d used to try to pummel the Fire Canid. ¡°I¡¯m okay,¡± he immediately said in reassurance. ¡°No, you¡¯re not,¡± Laura and Johanna both said simultaneously. Johanna could have laughed if not for the realization that they¡¯d gotten out of the encounter all alive. Barely. With the help of¡­ a flaming hand? Laura was turning over the hand, pulling away the blackened sleeve that had started to smolder from the contact with the mutated Canid. ¡°I¡¯ll live,¡± Tom insisted in a display of machismo before he stopped. The rash was slowly receding, and a few of the blisters were vanishing. Laura¡¯s hand jerked away at the display¡­ and the burn stopped healing. For a few instants, the team stared at the burn. It looked more like a days-old wound rather than a fresh burn, but that was an impossibility. Then Laura gingerly reached again to the wounded hand and passed her thumb slowly over the burn. The red receded further, and the blisters under that thumb disappeared as she moved it over them. Johanna looked at her friend¡¯s hand, then threw a look at her own, before asking. ¡°Okay. What. The. Fuck. Happened. Here?¡± 5. Free XP The fight had provided something akin to emotion for Moore. The disembodied gamer entity had apparently nothing that could fuel adrenaline or any emotional effect, but having the four ¡°characters¡± fighting a full-on battle against feral canine monsters was an extremely¡­ interesting time. For Chinese times version of interesting. The creatures were, at least to him, clearly identified as ¡°Canids¡± when he looked at them as if they had some form of game tag overlaid over them. Two level 2 creatures, and a level 3 ¡°Elite Fire Canid¡±. He could guess the elite was aptly named, judging from its aura or whatever the glowing and smoke aspect it had taken was. Still, his team had won. The fight was a bit chaotic, from his perspective at least, but a win was a win. And very obviously, from the way they acted now ¨C still silently, without any perceivable sound ¨C they were very, very surprised by that outcome. Milton dropping her knife as she saw Ms. Vogel do Close Wounds on Welter was a clear indication that she had not expected that. I did give you those class specializations for something. As he was turning to the character descriptors, he noticed that time wound down. While his attention shifted, the four seemed to slow to a crawl. Curious, he watched carefully, keeping his attention to the side. The fact that he did not seem to have peripheral vision helped. They were moving somewhat, but infinitesimally slowly, he decided after a short while. Like a real-time game with various speed settings but no true pause function. ¡°Discarding¡± the sheet and focusing back only on Milton or any other restored the speed of their movements, bringing it fast to a normal-feeling flow of time. ¡°Looking¡± at her character sheet turned the ratio down. He had no idea by how much. Possibly a factor of thousands, tens of minutes or more of personal time while less than a second elapsed ¡°outside¡±. Or inside. That is too much of a video game. Well, except for the fact that the game itself seems absolutely photorealistic with accurate physics, while my ¡°gaming room¡± is now an abstract artist¡¯s dream on mushrooms. Still, that distortion left him plenty of time to ponder new options. Now he had an opportunity to see firsthand what experience rewards one got from a fight.
Johanna Marcia Milton Female human, 19 years, 2 months
Shaper Level: 2 (2000 XP needed) 54/66 mana (+14 per hour) 0 unallocated skills points XP: 1919 + 850
STR: 14 AUT: 17 (964 XP needed) Fire Handling (36)
AGI: 15 PER: 14 (978 XP needed) Mana Sight (30)
DEX: 16 EMP: 15
The XP needed on the two stats was a surprise. Milton had used her Fire Handling during the fight, and it had given her experience directly invested in the associated statistic. And an amount equal to her skill level, which made sense. The perception he had no idea about. She probably had made use of Mana Sight at one point, but what for, he had no idea, nor why it was worth only 22 points when she had a skill of 30. Still, one thing was now established: no matter what, the stats would finally raise on their own, at least over a long time. The level, however, did not seem to, which meant that, unless he spent XP on it, it wouldn¡¯t increase on its own. Except it had. Only one of the four had not started with a level 2, despite having apparently a bit over the same amount of total XP as the others. So, obviously, someone''s level could increase somehow. In any proper game, that would be some backstory reason, to provide Moore with more control over his party¡¯s setup. Here? There must be a better reason for it. So far, Moore had no clue what it could be. He kept playing with the interfaces of the four. As long as he did not commit the change, he could indeed play a lot. And he quickly figured out some additional interesting details. Firstly, the additional ¡°plus¡± XP was not XP for Johanna Milton. It was XP for the entire group. He could spend either her experience points or the second pool ¨C or rather, a combination of both ¨C but spending anything from that second total reduced the ¡°additional¡± XP listed on everyone else¡¯s descriptor. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! So far, about 20% of the total XP earned had landed on some form of a global pool rather than each individual, and they all seemed to have earned the same basic amount, regardless of how the combat had turned out for them. So, that meant he could reallocate some of the XP earned by individuals to the benefit of the group. But where to do so? At this point, Moore would probably have sold his soul for a build simulator and a full list of skills sorted by tier from S to F. If a soul was not obviously the only thing he still had in his bodiless state. But at least, he could still play with the character sheets without committing the changes. Peter Donnall was the most obvious guinea pig for it. His personal XP was already high enough to raise him now to level 3 without dipping into group XP, leaving him with enough potential points to play further.
Peter Malik Donnall Male human, 18 years, 10 months
Discreet Level: 3 (3000 XP needed) 31/72 stamina (+13 per hour) 1 unallocated skill point XP: 382 + 850
STR: 13 AUT: 14
AGI: 16 (966 XP needed) Deflect (35) PER: 16
DEX: 17 (964 XP needed) Reconnaissance (37) EMP: 15
As he¡¯d expected after seeing the XP cost increase from Donnall¡¯s first leveling, the cost was still climbing, but not as much as he¡¯d feared. At least it wasn¡¯t quadratic or something. He also tested with the Dexterity value and wasn¡¯t surprised to see its cost rise as well to 2000. It did look like the stats followed the same formula as levels, just starting from an arbitrary point rather than level 1. He canceled the allocation completely, reverting to the original level, and pondered his options. There was a compromise to be made there. Those 2000 points spent on a level gave two skill levels and stamina, and potentially one new skill. Or just under 2000 points spent in existing stats would give Donnall four skill increases and stamina to boot, but no new skill opportunity. Decisions, decisions¡­ He was still going blind, using general gaming experience. Given the number of skills, basic and advanced, and the fact that using skills meant getting XP, then grabbing more skills was probably an early priority. Once it was costing him tens of thousands of XP to unlock a new skill because levels were becoming expensive and he needed more than one skill point, sure, it would be time for stats and performance improvement. But stats would raise, or at least become cheaper by themselves anyway¡­ Okay, no second-guessing. Everyone gets to level 3 first. The move left him with only 510 group XP, not enough to do anything else, not even a stat raise for Donnall. Well, not anything else experience-related. His next set of decisions was now about skills. With a new level each, all members of the party had an unallocated skill point. He could either find a new skill in an unused stat, to give them a new ability or he could bank the points to get a second one in what seemed to be their most significant stat with the next level. Or mix the approaches, depending on the characters. If he still had hands and chin, he¡¯d have probably sunk his fingers in his old scraggly goatee, as the various possibilities balanced themselves in his mind. Skill now or skill later? Which reminded him of the elite canid¡¯s fire effect¡­ Did it exist as a skill? It did. Or at least something that definitively looked the same.
Burning Body Requires: Dexterity 19/Authority 18/Level 3
Effective: N ¡Á Dexterity + Level (adds mana) Passive: Grant bodily immunity to fire, up to (300 + 10¡ÁEff) ¡ãF Active: Heat your body to maximum tolerable heat Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) sec
Whelp. No wonder it takes an ¡°Elite¡± mob to have it at level 3. The stats required are quite high. And while it had a multiplier for a Shaper, it wasn¡¯t as good as most of the other skills. Probably because Shaper was about non-bodily skills, and this one was physical and based on Dexterity. After all, the healer¡¯s ¨C Vogel ¨C Dexterity-based First Aid also had a multiplier of 1 while the main-stat Close Wounds skill had a value of 2. In any case, it wasn¡¯t something Johanna Milton would be able to use without spending significant XP in her stats, XP which she wasn¡¯t going to get soon unless she somehow started to grind. And no other specialization had any multiplier for it, so even if someone like Donnall could pick it with pretty much the same XP investment, he wasn¡¯t going to bother just for a tiny fire resistance passive. At least it solved a small mystery for Moore. If you assumed that the Canid had just enough stats for it, that added to a Shaper skill level of 22. She¡¯d probably spotted the skill being used. Stop being sidetracked, Douglas. Even if you are stealing time. Laura Vogel was probably a candidate for getting some direct combat skill. She was the only one who hadn¡¯t used both skills during the fight, and now that he knew skill use led to free XP, he wasn¡¯t going to let them waste experience opportunities. Moore was the kind of guy who did every side quest, no matter what. First Aid was a life-saver skill but left unused if there was no life to save right then. On the other hand, there was no good skill he could see worth giving her right now. When he restricted the list of skills to what a Fixer could pick right now based on her current stats and levels, there were no immediately useful offensive skills, a small set of utility-type ones like Milton¡¯s Mana Sight ¨C for which she had only a 1 multiplier, not 2, curiously enough ¨C and the rest were a couple of healer skills which now required two points to unlock and the same thing for the Dexterity-based one¡­ In theory, he could give her Mana Sight, true. But it was skill duplication, and she wouldn¡¯t be as good as Milton. She wouldn¡¯t have spotted the Canid¡¯s skill, for instance. Or, well, he could also wait. He quickly looked at the other¡¯s available skills for each of their separate stats, but most skill lists remained empty when restricted to what was available right now. Milton did have a skill available for Dexterity, true, but Dark Flame was a utility skill, allowing her to light a fire that would yield no light. Possibly useful for camping purposes, or maybe a trap, but definitively not worth it for fighting. And given the encounter, they definitively needed that boost. In the end, he could only bank the skill point for all, and then see how things unfolded. Jumping the shark with level allocation was good, since it provided them with some immediate benefit, both in skill and earning further XP, and it wasn¡¯t as if he wasn¡¯t going to increase it further when possible. The rest was going to have to wait. He let all the character information sheets fold themselves closed, and focused back on the party, as time started to return to a normal flow. 6. Fireside Chat There are as many paths to power today as there used to be of old. Victor Maistry, Warden of the Montana The group had moved around, finding a square of ruin with several feet of walls still up, reaching just above their heads. Tom had hastily propped some additional sheets of Ancient material, looking like half-rock, half-metal. Rule Nth of scavenging: never make a camp where the light of the fire can be seen from afar. And now, the small campfire was burning in a corner, and Johanna had not even needed her trusty lighter ¨C one of her most prized possessions, a retooled Ancient lighter working with distilled alcohol rather than whatever liquid fuel the original used. No, she just had remembered her state of mind, when she was burning the Canid¡¯s head, and focused on her hand, trying to bring that feeling back. And flame had sprung. She¡¯d nearly yelled in surprise when she did because flame burned, or at least it was supposed to. But the three-four inches flame dancing in her palm merely felt warm. Warm like skin, like placing her hand on Tom¡¯s chest as he curled up to sleep. Not even warm like a pot stove. Lighting a campfire was trivial with that flaming hand, not like the hard work of sparking the old lighter until she had a good tiny and stable flame. And now, they were gathered around the fire, cookpot slowly boiling the ration mix. In awkward silence. The two men were watching the two women with unreadable expressions. No, not entirely unreadable. Johanna knew Tom well enough to recognize this was his ¡°in which mess did I put myself now¡± face. Laura broke the silence first. ¡°Come on guys. It¡¯s us. I feel like you¡¯re going to ask who the hell we are.¡± Both made a grimace. ¡°Who are you?¡± Peter joked. At least, Johanna thought it was an attempt at a joke. She wasn¡¯t so sure now. ¡°A sorceress and a saint,¡± Tom said. ¡°Come on. We¡¯re not that. I¡¯m no saint, that¡¯s sure,¡± Laura replied. Peter barked a small laugh, and even Tom displayed a small smile. ¡°Still. Removing that burn. That¡¯s what the holiest saints can.¡± ¡°Yea, and there¡¯s, what¡­ Saint Malcolm, in Amminvale city? Have you heard about another saint around in the Northwest, besides outrageous claims by charlatans?¡± Laura replied. ¡°Besides, Saint Malcolm is said to cure plague and disease, he doesn¡¯t erase burns,¡± Johanna added. ¡°Maybe, but then there¡¯s you,¡± Tom replied. ¡°Me,¡± she sighed. She raised her hand, looking at the empty palm. She reached into her memories and flame sprung again from her hand. All the eyes of her team turned to the flame burning from nothing, like moths attracted to a lantern. She let the flame subside to nothingness, then reached her hand into the campfire. As before, she felt only a mild warmth, which slowly increased. She pulled out the hand when it started to become noticeable enough to remind her of actual burning, although this was merely hot, not truly burning. Then she swore and blotted out the fringe of her tunic arm, which had started to blacken. Her hand might be entirely untouched by the burning wood, but the leather garment was very obviously not immune to fire. It was already worn out by the constant delving in ruins, and she definitively didn¡¯t need to burn it as well. ¡°Sorcery,¡± Tom said laconically. ¡°But why? You hear of sorcerers, in the employ of mighty kingdoms in the south and east. But the Columbia? Since when is there a sorcerer here?¡± The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Tom grimaced. ¡°Think we can all guess why.¡± Despite herself, Johanna¡¯s head turned to the side, toward the distant and now invisible line of taller ruins. ¡°You think that magic trap is what did it?¡± she asked. ¡°Don¡¯t see what else it can be,¡± Tom replied. ¡°That room and the skeleton and the mana event? Too much of a coincidence with you becoming a sorceress and Laura a saint, both at the same time.¡± ¡°But why us? Why not you?¡± Laura asked. Both Tom and Peter shrugged almost simultaneously. ¡°Maybe the skeleton was female, so only women got affected?¡± Peter offered. Laura snorted, and Johanna almost started to laugh. ¡°Okay. I did not check the hips on that thing,¡± he continued lamely. Johanna laughed at that one, and even Tom shook his head at the humor. You were never entirely sure with Peter if it was unintentional or not. ¡°Okay, maybe you¡¯re also magicians now. You just don¡¯t know what you can do,¡± Johanna finally replied after smothering her laughter. ¡°I don¡¯t feel particularly magical, honey,¡± Tom replied. ¡°Who knows? We shall see.¡± Johanna changed tracks. ¡°I can call up the fire at any time. Laura, can you do¡­ your burn healing on command too?¡± ¡°Well¡­ unless we have a volunteer¡­¡± Vogel grimaced. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s not just burns,¡± Peter said. Both women frowned and he pulled out his knife. ¡°Wait, what?¡± Laura exclaimed. He raised his hand to placate his girlfriend, and before she protested again, made a very shallow cut on top of his arm just, behind the wrist. ¡°Let¡¯s see if you can do that one.¡± Laura shook her head, incredulously, but nevertheless reached with her own hand and moved her thumb across the cut. Peter watched her wiping the blood that had welled up with the gesture, then exhaled slowly. ¡°It¡¯s closed. Not even a line.¡± ¡°So. Not just burns then,¡± Laura said softly. ¡°No. Looks like you heal wounds of all sorts.¡± Laura shook her head, still disbelieving the evidence. ¡°Hey, I got lucky with my girlfriend. She gets the useful supernatural ability,¡± he said, reaching her shoulder. Johanna snorted. ¡°Tom? Can you hit the small guy?¡± Tom Welter laughed. ¡°Sorry, Peter. Not going to say no to someone who can torch me from behind¡­¡± They all started laughing again before Johanna stopped them. ¡°Okay, maybe we shouldn¡¯t make that much noise. There might be no other predators around now that we¡¯ve killed those, but, well, there¡¯s that other group in any case¡­¡± They all watched silently the campfire slowly burning out before it was time to unroll the bags and catch sleep. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll take first watch,¡± Tom said. ¡°Second,¡± Peter added. ¡°And me third,¡± Johanna concluded. ¡°Good for me,¡± Laura said. She was always grumpier in the morning if she did not have at least eight good hours of uninterrupted sleep. She did keep watch at times, to be fair with the rest of them. But she never liked it. They started unrolling their sleeping bags. Separate ones, as usual in the field, to avoid disturbing their partners when they took or ended their watches. Despite everything, Johanna moved to Tom¡¯s figure, before sitting against him. He moved slightly, letting her curl inside his slightly larger frame. After a short while, he let his head rest on her shoulder, cheeks touching, in the comfortable feeling of being together. Against the world. ¡°Pretty sure you were trying to flatter me. Clueless sorcerer, eh,¡± he finally said to her. ¡°We are all changed. I¡¯m sure of it. You were closer to the skeleton than me or Laura,¡± she replied. ¡°But we¡¯re not. No warping, no flesh change. Besides, all the Change happened decades ago, or so my schoolteacher said. Remember any instance of a Mana storm strong enough to be a Changestorm?¡­¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t a Changestorm. That was¡­ localized. Targeted?¡± Tom stayed silent, as they contemplated together the dimming embers of the campfire, in their small hideout. ¡°Get some sleep. Or you¡¯re going to hate him when Peter wakes you up later,¡± he said, kissing her on the head. Johanna snorted a little, but Tom¡¯s advice was good. As usual. Watching people sleep was boring. That was a new activity for one Douglas Moore, disembodied spiritual entity. When he had been alive, or at least incarnate, he¡¯d never done that. When the party wound down, he¡¯d crash on a couch and fall asleep immediately or take a ride home, not keep watch on a bunch of revelers already halfway asleep. But in his new state, it didn¡¯t seem as he had any need to sleep. There was no tiredness of a non-existent body, not sleepiness of the mind. It looked like boredom did exist in his state, at least somewhat. But sleep? No. No dreams as well? Well, at least that means no nightmares. Thank God for small mercies. At least he could definitively rule out seeing only through his charges¡¯ eyes. The three that were asleep still showed the view from their lying forms on the group of their makeshift camp, and they definitively didn¡¯t sleep with their eyes open. With the campfire dulled, it was mostly black, but with just enough light from a starry sky to see hints of shapes, turned sideways by the sleepers¡¯ perspectives. The designated watchman ¨C Welter ¨C had a slightly more interesting view as he looked at the city under the night. From that perspective, Moore could see the night sky and the stars. And the Milky Way ¨C at least he assumed the vast band of light across the night was it. That was a view you never saw in the 21st. Here, there were no street lights, anywhere, and the handful of clouds did not hide a view that was glorious. And the Moon. The familiar, real three-quarter Moon and its many Maria that told him it was truly Earth, at least in some changed way. Moore would have tried to busy himself looking at the interface options, but instead of being a way to pass time, it was going to be a way to massively increase time due to the differential when he was not ¡°looking¡± through his team¡¯s views. So, he tried to remember constellations and stuff. To pass away his first night after he died. 7. The Morning After No one approaches perfection except by stealth. Pre-fall quote Johanna was contemplating the sunrise. The weather had held ¨C there was nothing worse than going about salvaging under rainfall or worse, unexpected snowfall when the temperature plummeted overnight in late fall. Instead, the sky was brightening, the silhouette of the ruins was crowned by the rising sun behind the distant horizon. And, well, that meant it was soon going to be time to light a small fire for a breakfast. In their hideout, they could afford to take a warm breakfast rather than cold rations, just like yesterday¡¯s dinner. She shivered slightly, trying to shake her worries. She¡¯d slept badly until she was woken up abruptly by Peter. She had nightmares of having fire spouting all over her and burning all of her clothes, of having weird lines show up and tie her until she fell down, or, worse, of people not recognizing her. The manifestation of that strange fire made her dread more unseen and unspotted changes. In her own being. That she ¨C and maybe all of them ¨C had been changed by the mana surge. No, not just changed, but truly Changed. She turned back to the campsite and was startled. Both Tom and Laura were sleeping soundly, curled in their sleeping bags. But it wasn¡¯t just her bag that lay empty. Peter¡¯s was, as well. She snapped her head back over the small parapet, looking across the ruins for any sign of the missing person. Nothing. Fuck, what happened to Peter? She stretched out, eyes panning to see anything hinting at what had happened. There were lots of small ruins, places where anything could stay hidden. That was partially why they¡¯d set camp there. But despite all her efforts, she could gather no clue about what had happened behind her back while she was keeping watch. ¡°Fuck.¡± A small laugh answered her, and she turned. Peter was crouched next to the entrance to the camp, maybe four feet away from her. She blinked in surprise. ¡°You were right,¡± he said. ¡°Right about what?¡± ¡°You looked straight at where I was. Twice.¡± ¡°Wait, what? I did not see you!¡± She toned down her voice, unwilling to wake up the other two yet. Let them sleep. Laura, in particular, would be very, very cranky if she was woken up too early for nothing. ¡°I guess not. I was trying not to be seen by you,¡± Peter said. She stopped, remembering yesterday¡¯s conversation about unknown sorceries and other stuff. ¡°And it worked,¡± she concluded. ¡°This time, I was hiding from you, not the Canids,¡± he replied. ¡°Like when we used to play hide and seek in Anasta. Like when you were one of those legendary spies escaping the hunters.¡± ¡°They exist only in those trashy novels you get at Valetta¡¯s bookstore,¡± he shrugged, before adding, ¡°but yes. I think if you had known where exactly I was, you might have been able to spot me. But otherwise?¡± He looked toward the slumbering forms. ¡°And I¡¯m guessing here, but Tom¡¯s combat prowess might really be¡­ more of the same.¡± ¡°You¡¯re sure?¡± ¡°That¡¯s our first fight ever, sure, but he was a real beast. He ran fast, he hit fast. It was¡­ impressive. I sure couldn¡¯t do that, even considering I¡¯m a small guy and he¡¯s a hunk.¡± ¡°Maybe. How does it feel?¡± she asked. ¡°I do not know how it feels. I mean, I¡¯m just trying to hide, to flatten myself against the sides, to¡­ not be seen. You?¡± ¡°I call¡­ the heat. I remember the sensation of fire, the flame. And it comes out.¡± They both stayed silent, meditating on the sudden changes wrought upon their lives. Like yesterday, Johanna¡¯s gaze was irresistibly drawn to the distant but still visible large ruins, where the skeleton sat on its throne-like chair. Where magic came into her ¨C their ¨C lives. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Okay. Breakfast time. It¡¯s better after eating. It¡¯s always better after breakfast,¡± she decided. She gathered a bunch of small planks and other useless wood pieces from the side of the ruin and reflexively reached for her lighter before stopping herself. She looked at her hand, then called the fire. The flame answered, and the campfire started in seconds before she pulled back her hand. Then, Peter handed her a tin and water from their canteen, and she started the familiar process of making a scavenger¡¯s breakfast. She briefly wondered if she should simply put the tin on her hand and skip the campfire. No. That¡¯s how I¡¯ll get cramps in my arm holding it for too long. Moore startled. He was pretty sure he had left them with zero XP yesterday, after increasing their level, save for Donnall who still had XP leftover. Yet, this morning, they all had some experience.
Laura Anna Vogel Female human, 18 years, 9 months
Fixer Level: 3 (3000 XP needed) 56/56 mana (+14 per hour) 1 unallocated skill point XP: 8 + 510
STR: 14 AUT: 15
AGI: 15 PER: 14
DEX: 16 First Aid (19) EMP: 17 (959 XP needed) Close Wounds (37)
He then realized that Vogel had probably obtained some of that experience when she¡¯d demonstrated her ability on the shallow cut last evening. The small additional Empathy XP definitively pointed out that way. Although it seemed to have yielded only¡­ five experience points in the stat. So where did those eight general points of XP come from? Even Welter had six general XP this morning, despite not having used any of his skills at all. And none of those points had added anything to the team¡¯s pool¡­
Tom Virgil Welter Male human, 19 years, 7 months
Battler Level: 3 (3000 XP needed) 74/74 stamina (+17 per hour) 1 unallocated skill point XP: 6 + 510
STR: 17 (964 XP needed) Slam (37) AUT: 14
AGI: 17 (964 XP needed) Intercept (37) PER: 14
DEX: 14 EMP: 15
If Douglas Moore still had a face, he¡¯d have scrunched it. Then, it hit him in that metaphorical non-existent face. Of course, they did not get all of their experience from combat. In a classic game, there would be side quests and other various easy missions granting free XP here and there. So, if there was a logic behind that weird System, there should be a way for people to get XP without being battle maniacs. And that would be why they didn¡¯t have round numbers and otherwise when he became aware of them. Well, the daily XP looked to be pitiful compared to other sources, but that¡¯s how they got to their 2k points or so they had prior to the fight yesterday. At least¡­ that was a hypothesis. It did not entirely explain why Welter got six free points whereas Vogel got only three to add to her skill gain. Did standing watch count somehow? Despite no real skill being used? Even Milton had gotten a lot of points in both the stat and general from the skill use when lighting the breakfast, and five extra. But if he was correct, then they might get a couple of free points every day. That was not much, but over years, it would add up. ¡°Time for salvage? Or what?¡± Johanna finally asked as everyone slurped the last part of the gruel. ¡°Don¡¯t feel very safe. Not with all what happened,¡± Tom replied. ¡°Laura? Peter?¡± ¡°I think we need to¡­ think about it. It¡¯s obviously not normal,¡± Laura Vogel replied. Johanna knew when not to push it. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s pack it. We still got some stuff, so it¡¯s not entirely negative. Besides¡­ those abilities might be useful for us.¡± ¡°At least they saved us. Not sure we wouldn¡¯t have been severely wounded in that fight. Maybe killed,¡± Tom said. ¡°A trio of Canids is very bad news,¡± Johanna agreed. She quickly looked around, orienting herself. ¡°That way,¡± she pointed toward the small forested ridge far in the distance. They all lifted their bags and started making their way across the flattened ruins. Tom took point, his eyes darting around, watching for more Canids, while they followed the slightly winding trail between the rectangular shapes of the old structures. They would take only a few hours to make it out. ¡°Let¡¯s avoid the old road,¡± Johanna reminded them. ¡°Don¡¯t want to give any wrong ideas to the competition.¡± Once in the forest, they all relaxed. Being out of the Ancient city was a huge relief, even if slightly irrational. Whatever happened had already left its mark. Johanna doubted leaving the mana-rich area would change anything. Fuck this. That¡¯s why no one except us fools wants to go into salvaging. Johanna walked briskly under the fir canopy, heading more or less parallel to the road she guessed was probably half a mile north of them. She wanted to cover as much as they could before checking it, to be safe from both city and men. She still tried to make as little sound she could, so she had no difficulty hearing a branch crackling to the side of her team of scavengers. She turned her head, trying to figure out what was there, and froze when she spotted it. The creature looked more or less like a common housecat, save for the fact that it was probably five feet long, over two in height. It was massing probably two hundred and fifty pounds if not three hundred, she guessed. For a moment, they all stood immobile, watching each other. ¡°Go away, kitty,¡± she said. Then, in an afterthought, she raised her hand and sparked the flame. The feline hissed loudly then abruptly turned and ran away. ¡°Could get used to that one, you know,¡± Tom said, laughing lightly. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t have attacked anyway. Against four? Cats are smart.¡± Moore looked at the descriptor numbers. Okay, the easiest 20XP ever made, and for everyone in the group. For a level 1 enemy you didn¡¯t even kill. 8. Fenced All wealth is the product of labor. Pre-Fall saying Valetta¡¯s gate and twin watchtowers finally rose in view after mid-day. The largest city within two hundred miles, and the one closest to the Ancient nameless ruins, at just under three days¡¯ march. Valetta might not be home yet, but it was their destination, where the hard work paid out. They reached the entrance soon after, entering through the main gate. There was no heightened guard, which meant nothing special happening, despite the rumors of bandits that they kept hearing. Roving bands of raiders notwithstanding, the surrounding area was kept clear of predator packs. Johanna herself had considered that kind of job, bounty hunter, in her younger days, before she realized she might not be cut out for it. It was slightly glamorous, but ultimately ¨C all things considered ¨C far more dangerous than scavenging. Scavenger teams avoided beasts, they didn¡¯t seek those out. And besides, if you were very good at it, you were simply ending your income source as the beast threat vanished. Whereas Ancient cities were so vast, even more than a hundred years later there was still plenty to find there and sell. As long as you were willing to risk mana-rich areas, which were rumored to slow or even stop decay. Well, and offer other, more exotic dangers, as they now knew. Once inside, the four found themselves surrounded by familiar and reassuring sights and sounds, those of civilization. A few wooden buildings and houses, close to the palisade, lined the main street, then the commercial district started further in, almost all the small stores, food stalls, and businesses vying for attention from locals and any visitors alike. ¡°Busy,¡± Laura commented, taking in the sights. Johanna merely shrugged. The city certainly looked a bit more crowded than any of their previous visits. It had always looked massive for the village-raised kids they had been, back when they¡¯d seen it for the first time, but, today especially, there seemed to be a lot of people out and about. At least, they no longer gawped at the sights like country bumpkins. Johanna remembered her first visit ever, back when she was around fourteen years old and she¡¯s managed to finagle a trip as her father and brother were shipping some products to the local markets. At the time, she¡¯d thought of Valetta as being like her home Anasta, just a bit larger, but she hadn¡¯t even imagined the concept of a store back then. ¡°Grievar¡¯s first?¡± Tom asked in confirmation. ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s unload that loot first. Then¡­ we head home to talk.¡± ¡°It¡¯s late,¡± he replied. ¡°True. Okay, maybe we¡¯ll grab some good food and hit the inn then. We¡¯ll see.¡± They shouldered their bags and pressed on. Norman Grievar¡¯s Ancient Materials, their destination, was further in, past the center and the busiest part of the city. Moore had no idea why he¡¯d expected some kind of apocalyptic barrier to surround that small town. The image of a junkyard of cars and corrugated steel covers being welded and glued together was probably too vivid in his imagination. But the town wasn¡¯t a survivor¡¯s camp. It was a settlement, built over decades. The very well-made wooden palisade and earth berms and ditches indicated a long, long occupancy. And threats. They had not made stone walls or anything, but the town looked safe and secure. The other thing he¡¯d expected was, of course, the guards with guns patrolling over the gates. Not one lazing around with a huge three-foot-wide crossbow next to wide-open gates. There was something odd there. It had looked like Earth, after an apocalypse, but now, it was looking like some kind of medieval fantasy throwback instead. The fear was back in the immaterial recesses of his mind. Where he buried it as deep as he could. This town was still possibly his best shot at finding more about exactly what was going on, and he gave internal thanks to his four people for going there. The town might be small, but it was going to be full of all kinds of information. Oh, and people. This was the first time he¡¯d seen people, outside of his Four. His first sight of the post-apocalypse society. At least they looked clean. Another narrative made false. There were no obvious stagnant gutters and open-air sewers like some Dark Ages medieval city, no grimy figures in shabby torn clothes huddling in tiny alleys. The town looked relatively clean. Dusty, lived-in, sure. But not filthy. This was a town that took care of its hygiene. And everyone there was labeled as ¡°level X human¡±. Nothing else. As they walked around, he¡¯d even seen kids at level 0, young people with level 1 to 3, even one 4, and all kinds of levels among older adults. The highest was some old woman, with greying hair, that registered as a level 8. And that was it. Which made the two different people he¡¯d spotted even more striking in contrast. There was a burly guy, with what looked like a no-nonsense demeanor, walking along with another similar guy, and seemingly escorting someone with what looked like a faded rock band tee-shirt that almost had him chuckle in silence. The burly man had been a ¡°level 7 guardian¡±, with his colleague a ¡°level 7 human¡± and their escort a mere ¡°level 5 human¡±, even if he did look slightly older than the two obvious bodyguards. The other was resting in front of a large building, puffing on a large conic-shaped smoke. He had no idea whatsoever what was in it, despite the suggestive shape, but what interested him was that the man himself was registering as a ¡°level 6 maker¡±. The two mentions had sent Moore looking into the depths of the interface for the names. He¡¯d immediately found out that they were indeed specializations, like the ones he¡¯d picked for ¡°his¡± four, and until he¡¯d spotted them, he hadn¡¯t been able to find them listed. Guardian required 16 Strength and 16 Perception, with no levels whatsoever, a fact which filled him with confusion. Maybe little kids could become one? Before leveling? It had a few interesting multipliers for physical skills, and he spent quite some time ¨C maybe a tenth of a second while the so-called guardian took an ultra-slow-motion step ¨C comparing it to the Battler specialization he¡¯d assigned to Welter. He concluded that it was good, but not too offensive. More of a¡­ well, tankier specialization rather than the melee one he¡¯d picked. From the skills, it was about avoiding damage, or battlefield awareness. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. The two big surprises were that Guardian offered a 1 multiplier for both Burning Body and Mana Sight. For some reason, it seemed to overlap with some things he had been pretty sure were part of a mage skillset. It also offered a 2 multiplier for the equivalent to Mana Sight for Stamina, which none of the other specializations had had multipliers for, melee or otherwise.
Gauge Endurance Requires: Stamina 30/Level 2
Effective: N ¡Á Perception + Level (adds stamina) Passive: Detect levels up to (Eff/3) Triggered: Detect any stamina-based skill of (Eff) skill or below.
Guardian STR 16/PER 16 N=2
Although¡­ if they do not see a user interface, which I¡¯m pretty sure they don¡¯t, how would ¡°detect levels¡± translate for them? In any case, Tom Welter couldn¡¯t use that specialization, at least not unless Moore allocated some XP to his Perception for an additional point, then spent an additional thousand XP to swap out the Battler specialization. Maker was a different one and slightly higher in its requirements. 16 Strength, 16 Dexterity, and level 4. Now that he¡¯d spotted it, he could check more information in the interface. Maker was aptly named. Stat multipliers in a range of skills based on repairing, shaping, or making stuff. Interesting things, but¡­ well, it wasn¡¯t certainly going to help his team. Not directly. But at least it explained what he¡¯d already mentally labeled ¡°orphan skills¡±, skills that no specialization seemed to have multipliers for. There ought to be other specializations, including non-combat ones. Then he finally recognized what was at the town center, and rolled his non-existent eyes at the sight of the old, painted water tower and its still-recognizable surroundings. At least this is Earth. Can¡¯t be anything else. Or whoever had designed this had a sense of humor. He dismissed - again - the thought. The city center was the part around which everything revolved. Johanna still marveled at the immense Ancient water tank that dominated the city and fed it water for most of its center. Half a dozen Ancient buildings also stood out ¨C the city hall, the great houses of the biggest notables of the city, the ancient families that traced back their presence to the founding of Valetta. There might be repairs and reinforcements by modern craftsmen, but showing off the Ancient nature of your property was part of the prestige game. She snorted internally at the ostentatiousness. The marketplace was a bit less busy than she¡¯d expected, given the numbers of people around. She merely shrugged and pursued on. Her current target was not much farther. Grievars¡¯s Ancient Materials, the sign proudly proclaimed above the low building. You could usually sell some of the stuff salvaged from Ancient ruins anywhere, but most of the materials interested only specific people or merchants. Hence people like Norman Grievar, who pursued the same business as his father before, and his grandfather, and so on. And his son Anthony, who was probably half the man his father was. ¡°Hey, Milton. Back so soon?¡± She debated internally how much to tell Anthony ¨C not much, of course. And certainly nothing about what they¡¯d encountered. ¡°Had a big scuffle in the ruins. Canids. Mean ones. And heard other packs. Better not to stay too long and have them catch our scent,¡± she finally said, curtly. ¡°Bleh. Canids are the bane of everywhere,¡± Anthony said. ¡°Hear, hear. We¡¯ll head back later, but meanwhile, is Norman around? We do have stuff to sell.¡± ¡°Dunno. I can have a look anyway,¡± Anthony replied, affecting a bored look. She would have laughed if that had not been an indirect insult to the man who might give them money one day. The son was certainly far from the best. Thing is, Grievar had only two kids, and his business would one day be Anthony¡¯s. Or his currently twelve-year-old daughter¡¯s if the son ran into trouble, or ran away after someone. If I¡¯m still salvaging in fifteen years, I might have to deal with him. At least he¡¯s stopped hitting on me this year. ¡°Well, well. Salvage inbound!¡± the voice came from the rear door of the office. ¡°Indeed,¡± Johanna laughed lightly. The burly figure that came out could have been more at ease in some smithy or tannery shop, rather than a salvage business. But she knew the gruff demeanor hid a good business sense. Only as fair as he could make it, but everyone in the city of Valetta wanted to squeeze the most out of the ¡°visitors¡± like the four. Of course, one day, they wouldn¡¯t be visitors anymore, but that wasn¡¯t for this year, according to her accounting. She pulled up her bag and dropped it next to the counter. The three other salvagers did the same. Size, weight, fill, all that made the first impression. The actual inventory and negotiation would start in earnest a bit later. As was his custom, Norman invited the team to his office for tea. Johanna enjoyed that ritual. She¡¯d had been able to try coffee once, but the price of beans traded across an entire continent made it impossible to acquire the taste for the horribly bitter drink. Tea, on the other hand, grew everywhere. Or at least, it was called tea around here. She reflexively blew on her cup, before tasting. Good stuff, light on honey, heavy on taste. That brought a smile to her face. Which was the point, after all ¨C relax her before negotiation. Tom nearly spit his own, before blowing on it heavily. She looked at him, and at Norman before realizing something. The tea steamed but didn¡¯t burn her tongue or throat. Just like when she put her hand in the fire. The changes wrought into her being by the Ancient skeleton extended up there. So, she dutifully blew on her cup again, waiting, and hoping Norman had not noticed the fact that too-hot tea no longer bothered her in any form. Finally, they started the important part. Pulling out the stuff, and seeing what they¡¯d get for it. All the pieces of Alium all went directly onto the scales, to be purchased by weight. Grievar had a simple price per pound for the recyclable miracle metal, no matter what shape it had. No negotiations. ¡°Looks like classic Chloric Acid,¡± he said looking at the bottle while taking notes. The thing was probably purer than the modern products, which added to the value. She had no real idea what it was valuable for today or back then, but valuable it was, and that¡¯s what counted in the realm of salvage. Johanna hesitated briefly when she pulled the glasses she¡¯d picked from the Room, where the skeleton had been. But there was nothing visible to anyone betraying the mana saturation that had been there, and Norman checked them thoroughly for any visible mundane damage before adding his own estimate to his list. Finally, they reached the end and started haggling a bit on the total, before Grievar dropped a bomb on them. ¡°Okay, for 1150 dollars, I can give you half now, the rest tomorrow afternoon.¡± Johanna was taken aback. She definitively hadn¡¯t expected that. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Southern Caravan in town. Piturca¡¯s coming around twice a year, and he arrived yesterday. He knows I deal with Alium a lot since we have Ardenworks¡¯ smithy here, and that¡¯s the best working outfit for the stuff in the whole marches, maybe the entire West. So, he sold me a bunch from southern salvagers.¡± Seeing as Johanna¡¯s frown was deepening, Norman elaborated. ¡°That¡¯s his modus. He spends the first day only selling, and then, based on how much he got, he looks at what he can get that is interesting and valuable. He¡¯s been spending the day at the market, and he¡¯s going to pick some of my stock tomorrow, so I¡¯m getting cash back then. Why, I might even get him interested in those glasses of yours. But until tomorrow, I don¡¯t have the liquidity¡­¡± ¡°Drat.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you worry, I¡¯ll have the money. Guaranteed. But, well, if you want a bit more¡­ I can trade in kind. Let¡¯s say, I¡¯ll pay for your stay, at half the price you¡¯d have to spend. At the best inn of the city.¡± He pulled out a paper and wrote furiously on it before handing it to Johanna. She contemplated the scrip, then looked quickly at her three friends, but none of them commented. ¡°Can¡¯t do much more now,¡± Norman said. ¡°Come tomorrow, yes, I can do more.¡± ¡°Okay. We¡¯ll take it,¡± she decided abruptly. ¡°See you tomorrow. With real money.¡± ¡°Will do,¡± he said, rising from his seat and handing his hand. She shook it, and they all filed out after saying goodbye to the reseller. 9. Inquiries Miracles make the Saint, rather than the reverse. Muzi, Critiques of post-Fall Churches Douglas Moore pondered the descriptor sheet he¡¯d just looked at. The two men in that store had been just that, ¡°human¡±. But what had made him jump to the occasion was when Milton had shaken the older one¡¯s hand to conclude whatever deal she was negotiating that included that IOU she¡¯d been handed for one night in town. That was when he¡¯d gotten a new sheet to roll out of the view from Milton. Some weird instinct had warned him while their hands were locked in contact, and time slowed to a halt, as he focused on it, and got two separate descriptors to pop. The familiar one for Milton, but her encounter¡¯s character sheet as well.
Norman Zweller Grievar Male human, 42 years, 2 months
No specialization (merchant) Level: 4 (5000 XP needed) 4 unallocated skill points XP: 13638
STR: 15 AUT: 16
AGI: 16 PER: 17 (3000XP needed)
DEX: 14 EMP: 16 (2000XP needed)
The name wasn¡¯t a surprise, given the weird iron-wrought panel in front of the store. And the absence of specialization, he¡¯d somewhat expected. The man was merely identified as ¡°human¡± rather than some real specialization, after all. The first interesting bit was the XP requirement for the next level. If it followed the linear course, it should have been 4000. So, why 5000 this time? And why so much unspent experience. Not only that, but he had no skills whatsoever, yet¡­ had managed to somehow raise some of his stats. And twice for Perception. His first inclination had been to fix that. But nothing happened. There was no interaction, no way to add levels, select skills, to tweak further the stats. Norman Zweller Grievar was a read-only sheet. Fuck. I¡¯m sure I could fix him good. So much XP. But as it stood, Moore couldn¡¯t even toggle the specialization. Not that it would matter, without a skill to provide a good multiplier to. But the lack of a class bothered him. A character, even¡­ what amounted to an NPC?¡­ should have one. Well, he could qualify for some kind of merchant, based on the suggestion. Did it exist in class form? His team had been noted as scavengers, but Moore had been unable to find it as an actual specialization. Maybe because it required stats they did not have. Nothing in his still-short list of known specializations seemed to qualify as a merchant or similar type, so, while the hands of the two slowly crawled up and down in acknowledgment of the final deal they were sealing, Moore delved into the massive morass of the skills he could actually see, looking for things that might apply to a merchant¡¯s class feature set, for curiosity¡¯s sake. After all, with the time distortion, he had some time while Milton finished her handshake. He almost immediately closed the virtual view. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Maybe I need to figure out a skill with some form of mental resistance. Those skill check passives? Based on a few skills I can see, if anyone is a true Merchant or whatever specialization is out there, my team might get robbed blind, and smile while it¡¯s happening. Norman Grievar waited a whole ten seconds after the door closed, and then called out his son. ¡°Anthony?¡± ¡°Father?¡± ¡°Get out and find me some kids to keep watch on them. There¡¯s probably a handful who will do it for a couple of dimes. I want to know if they meet someone.¡± The younger Grievar frowned at the unusual request. His father enjoyed the regular supply of random things coming from those four salvagers. For a bunch of farmers, they were pretty good at picking the right stuff, and while the elder Grievar told him he didn¡¯t expect it to last beyond a few years ¡°once they get older¡±, he tended to let them do their best and not bother any further. Anthony shot a surprised glance at his father. ¡°There was something off. They¡¯re not novices at this, the threat of some pack of Canids prowling around the ruins shouldn¡¯t get them running back for no good reason. Maybe hide for a day until they move away,¡± the father explained. ¡°Then why?¡± ¡°They also didn¡¯t seem to have that much, compared to the last few times. It¡¯s usually in the two-thousand range of goods. My guess? They found something particularly interesting, unique maybe, ran back with it, and they¡¯re not going to sell it right now. They want either an independent appraisal or someone who may be willing to buy it for more than I will.¡± Anthony¡¯s face lit up in understanding. ¡°Is that why you said you didn¡¯t have money?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s slightly true. Piturca brought in lots of Alium this summer, after all. But we do have a slush fund for emergencies and I don¡¯t need to get to the bank. Farmers like her hate gold coins ¨C not liquid enough, and the bank will get their 1% share if you change there ¨C but I could have offered one to pay for the lot with just a few silver dollars. But I¡¯d rather not have them leave the city while I figure this out. Now go. Don¡¯t show your face and spook them into hiding. That¡¯s why you use random kids for that. Get enough to follow them at all times, even if they split,¡± the elder Grievar insisted. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯ll know everything,¡± Anthony assured his father. ¡°I¡¯m on it!¡± The Wandering Inn was a small establishment in the middle of the city, not too far from the center, tucked behind the marketplace. There weren¡¯t that many inns in Valetta anyway. The two cheap ones were closer to the entrance of the city. The inn itself was an impressive three-story building that looked positively ancient while not exactly Ancient itself. Johanna remembered her father talking about it. It had been in operation for generations now, long enough that no one knew why an inn would be wandering anywhere, or what the barred circle with a small stick child figure with a sword over it that the Inn used as a symbol since its founding meant. All the previous times she and the team had been in the city, they had stayed at the cheapest one they could instead. Well, after their adventure, they could use the best stuff. Lord knew they deserved it. So, they went into the main room of the Inn to check. It was spacious, well lighted with large windows letting the sun in, multiple lanterns hanging from the ceiling, ready for the evening. There were comfy chairs and large tables, well-spaced, all but one empty at this slightly early time. A huge counter with several flagons on wide shelves behind ¨C including a couple that Johanna¡¯s expert eye could guess were Ancient ones. Not that she expected they would have anything Ancient in them. Any century-old spirits still drinkable would end on a wealthy aristocrat shelf, possibly in some distant land. Certainly not a public inn in Valetta, even this one. The man behind the counter read carefully Grievar¡¯s note, before confirming the deal. ¡°You got¡­ two rooms for one night. With a large bed in each. Dinner is included, a premium meal with no supplements. And one round of standard drinks of your choice. Breakfast tomorrow is early, from six, until eight. Like dinner, miss it, lose it.¡± Johanna looked at her team, who nodded in unison. They all took the large key fob for their respective rooms and headed upstairs to drop their packs and unlimber. ¡°Oh boy. Now that¡¯s what I call living,¡± Tom said. ¡°Cheapskate. That¡¯s what I call basic standards,¡± she replied, smothering a laugh. They both dumped their bags at the back of the room, under the small window. Tom looked at the small opening to the side. ¡°Seated toilet for the room, even,¡± he marveled. ¡°The shower¡¯s on the floor, though,¡± she noted. ¡°No shower?¡± ¡°I think¡­ we would need another one in that case.¡± ¡°Men.¡± ¡°Hey, we both were polite with Laura and Peter on the road. Don¡¯t tell me this isn¡¯t much, much better.¡± She turned her head and looked into the eyes of her boyfriend. ¡°I wonder if they¡¯ll take the shower first,¡± she replied. That was what being a voyeur felt like, Moore thought. His four hadn¡¯t waited long. Johanna and Tom had probably lasted half a minute longer than the other two, and then, he had multiple POVs to the ¡°action¡±. And he could not decide what was worse. Having omnidirectional sight, meaning he couldn¡¯t not look at the four views, even without focusing on one. Or realizing that those views didn¡¯t do anything to him. At all. Even if Laura Vogel seemed particularly inventive. 10. Caravan The map of the world is drawn by travelers and nomads. Pre-Fall wisdom ¡°So, walk through the city?¡± Johanna asked after the shower. ¡°Why not. Don¡¯t know if Laura and Peter will do anything,¡± Tom replied. ¡°We¡¯ll be back in time for dinner. Good dinner,¡± she said. They found themselves on the porch of the inn, looking around. The street was still busy, even in the late afternoon. Johanna glanced at the sky, estimating the time. Valetta had some public lighting in its main streets, but not as much as Anasta, although home had the advantage of being much, much smaller. It didn¡¯t take too many people hanging an oil lamp to get enough light everywhere. Although, in August, you had ample time before sunset this up north. They followed the street, arriving at the marketplace. Most of the stalls had already closed and folded, leaving only a handful of merchants still hawking varied wares. The near-empty market reminded her about what Norman Grievar had said, about the caravan that had arrived yesterday. ¡°I wonder what those southern merchants sold?¡± ¡°Probably overpriced luxuries,¡± Tom replied. ¡°Yea. We can¡¯t afford that stuff. Next year, maybe¡­¡± ¡°Want to check?¡± he offered. ¡°Sure. Why not? Let¡¯s pass through the alley first,¡± she replied. The Alley was unnamed, like most such in the city. The newer slice of Valetta, where a handful of houses had sprung during the last decade, as the city slowly filled its walls. What brought them there was The House. The dream house the four of them were striving for, the first step of their journey as full individuals in their own right. The one they¡¯d been saving for the last year and a half. The owner liked the idea of out-of-city immigrants scrounging to make a life in Valetta, and if they could raise the capital within three years, they had priority on it. Hence the continuous ruins delving. It was the closest to a good home they could expect to find, and they¡¯d share it until they had their own children, and needed expanding. By then, hopefully, they¡¯d have saved enough for a second house, hopefully not too far from each other. The traveler¡¯s parking area, called a caravanserai for some reason, was to the side, not too far from the main entrance. The area was mostly building-free, hence its use for caravans supplying seafood on the east-west road and local visiting carriages. That was where she¡¯d remembered her father parking his carriage once he¡¯d delivered supplies on the market. Outside of what was obviously a number of local traffic, she could see a whopping five large ornate wagons parked there, their horses train being tethered further away. The vehicles looked large enough to host entire families and their belongings. She had no idea if the caravanners would sleep in their wagons or the nearest inn. Maybe both. She wasn¡¯t the only one to come and get a look at it, for curiosity. A few people were around, mostly youngsters like themselves, ignoring the more common vehicles from the local area, and gawping at the huge wagons of the caravan. ¡°They can probably carry a lot of merchandise in those,¡± Tom remarked. ¡°Yes. No bet. I wonder how much money they make if Grievar¡¯s cleaned by his purchases.¡± ¡°Probably enough to hire lots of guards. Remember when we talked about how that was a nice job.¡± ¡°For you, maybe. I know I can use a crossbow, but I¡¯d be hopeless in combat against bandit bands,¡± she replied. ¡°Maybe not now.¡± Johanna startled. Of course, Tom was right. She had her fire. Heck, worse to come, she could douse herself with oil, light herself on fire, and run at the bandits screaming. She doubted any sane bandit would stand their ground against that kind of assault. She made a mental note to test oil fire. She knew wood campfires were burning hotter than oil, and it took some time before she started to feel the heat burning in the former. Maybe she¡¯d be permanently immune to the latter? Then she blinked. Because she was seeing something that shouldn¡¯t be there. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. There was some light swirling around a wagon. Not simple light, a colorless light that streaked in and out of the wagon, without casting any light or shadow on the wagon itself or its surroundings. Just like the strange light show that she¡¯d seen ¨C her, and not anyone else ¨C around the skeletal form that had granted them their abilities. And now, she realized what that meant. She was seeing the presence of mana. There was some form of major magic operating, or being drawn into that particular wagon. Without meaning to, she started forward to see exactly what was happening. She made less than five paces when someone came out of between two of the wagons to stand in her path. He was the smallest person she¡¯d ever seen outside of kids. Maybe four feet five? Despite his size, he was an obvious guard or something, with a massive muscular frame. His shaved head glared at her in half-disguised hostility, and she stopped immediately in her tracks. Moore not-blinked. Because that was a dwarf. A fucking, real dwarf. As told by whatever System that was in place, which listed him as ¡°level 5 dwarf.¡± Not human, not some specialization name ¨C he¡¯d immediately checked if it had appeared in his interface list ¨C but an actual dwarf racial denomination. Well, not entirely a classic dwarf. The guy was bald, beardless, and even his eyebrows seemed to be missing, which was hard to reconcile with the classic vision, inherited from JRRT himself through countless retellings. But he was well under 5 feet and looked like someone had kept the same muscle and bone mass as a normal-sized person, and just squeezed it downward. And the System labeled him a dwarf, which made him a legit one, no matter what pictures Moore might have in his preconceptions. Fuck it, Welter, Milton. Greet him. Shake his hand to test his grip or something. I want to see what makes him tick! But no, of course. The two stayed politely outside of personal space and obviously talked animatedly. Of which he heard nothing, yet again. I need to teach myself how to read lips. Somehow. ¡°And where are you going, miss?¡± the man asked. ¡°Oops. I¡¯m sorry. I wanted to see what your wagons looked like from up close. I mean¡­ we don¡¯t have those types around here.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m pretty sure lots of people want to see those. And what¡¯s inside. And if it fits in your pockets, maybe?¡± ¡°Oh no. We¡¯re not thieves. Just curious. It¡¯s natural.¡± ¡°Well, just look. From afar.¡± ¡°Are you a guard?¡± Tom asked, to deflect the conversation. ¡°Me, guard? Nah, Nirvar Toigsson is no guard. Although I aim a mean bow when necessary. I¡¯m general maintenance, and that means those wagons are my kids. No touching my kids.¡± ¡°You must be good despite your¡­¡± ¡°Never seen a Changed, have you?¡± Toigsson interrupted, half-chuckling. ¡°You¡¯re a Changed?¡± Johanna blurted. ¡°Yes, and if you have a problem with that, well, that¡¯s your problem.¡± Tom tried again to defuse the obvious hostility. ¡°It¡¯s just that, well, no one¡¯s seen Changestorms for a very long time.¡± The Changed person laughed. ¡°Do you want to know how I got to be a Changed? I screamed. A lot, and loudly.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°And then everyone congratulated mom on the size of my lungs and how a good omen it was, and that was it.¡± Johanna blinked in surprise. ¡°Girl, the way people are Changed ones is simple. My parents were Dwarves, my grand-parents were Dwarves, my great-grandparents were, and so on. And before you ask, my kin lives up in the southern Rockies, where nobody else wanted to live back when the first ones got Changed and we had to run away because everyone thought we¡¯d monsterized or something. That¡¯s our country now, up in the Sawatch. We hunt, we trap, and nobody bothers us anymore.¡± ¡°I hadn¡¯t realized. You just look¡­ exotic?¡± ¡°Well, if you like exotic, I¡¯ve got everything working. What¡¯s even best is that it¡¯s no danger ¨C it would be sterile. No risks, no sheepskin to soften the touch. The big guy can even watch if he gets his kicks that way.¡± Johanna gasped and did a half-step back in shock. Tom moved forward, before she put her hand on his arm, stopping him. ¡°Then if your interest is concluded, bugger off,¡± Toigsson concluded. ¡°Boss?¡± ¡°Yes, Nir?¡± ¡°Spotted a pair of yokels looking funny at one of our wagons.¡± ¡°All the locals look at the wagons funnily, Nir.¡± ¡°Yea, but she was very, very interested by the one.¡± Dominik Piturca looked down at his underling, frowning. ¡°As in, the one where we have that shield artifact right now?¡± ¡°That one.¡± ¡°I thought we moved it every day while in town so no one can guess easily where we keep it, even if they know we have it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the thing, boss. She was looking around, then she spotted the wagon, and immediately tried to approach it. Not even checking any other. Just the right one.¡± ¡°Just like that?¡± ¡°Just like that. Went straight to the goods, no hesitation. And played innocent when I intercepted her, of course.¡± Piturca crossed his arms, pondering. ¡°Any problems?¡± ¡°No. Talked to her and her friend, while making it very obvious she wasn¡¯t coming any further. I¡¯m guessing she might be a country bumpkin though. I mean, I¡¯ve been on this run for, what, nine years now. If she was local, no way she wouldn¡¯t have seen me at least once when we come through, but neither she nor her boyfriend seemed to have ever seen a Dwarf before.¡± ¡°She probably didn¡¯t get the best impression of the Changed races with you,¡± he joked. ¡°Well, if she¡¯s got a problem, she can try to suck my not-tiny dick. I¡¯ve got enough problems when you go through some of those bigoted towns around here, I¡¯m not going to softball those bumpkins just because you fleece them.¡± ¡°Hey. You know me, as far as I think, they can hassle you the day they can repair a wagon faster and better than you.¡± ¡°Gee, thanks. I¡¯ll make the springs extra oiled for you when we head northwest.¡± They both shared a laugh. People feared the Changed everywhere, because, in their minds, they associated the Changed with the Change-strength Manastorms of legend, as if a Changed was a magnet for the magical storms that sometimes warped places, beasts¡­ or men. There hadn¡¯t been any rumors of people being Changed to a new race in over a century, but that did not stop superstition from running rampant, notably in less-than civilized areas, like the North. ¡°Okay, what does she look like?¡± Toigsson started to describe Johanna to his boss in detail. General appearance, demeanor, clothing. ¡°Ancient neckerchief? She¡¯s wealthy?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t think so from the rest. Possibly a family heirloom,¡± the Dwarf speculated. ¡°Well, that makes her slightly easier to recognize. Assuming that, of course, she keeps it. That¡¯s the kind of thing you tend to leave behind, so nobody notices it¡¯s you again ¨C all they remember is the extra cloth.¡± ¡°Not flashy enough,¡± Toigsson replied. ¡°I¡¯ll keep an eye for her, if I spot her.¡± ¡°Go get her. And sic Boris on her, if she¡¯s thinking of burglarizing us.¡± The guardsman snorted from his position just behind his boss. 11. Questions The difference between so-called adepts and the real sorcerer is obvious when you¡¯ve seen both. Erlang Dong Ye, Wood Sorcerer ¡°You are sure you saw something?¡± Peter asked as they slurped the bowl of soup that made the entr¨¦e of the meal. The so-called premium meal of the inn turned out to be a large and copious five-course meal, probably larger than anything short of a full marriage banquet or some feast for a solstice festival or Christmas. Thick soup, cold cuts, hot stews, a variety of cheeses, candied desserts. After travel cooking, that was an unexpected and not unwelcome improvement. And they definitively intended to make the most of it. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure, yes. That was exactly like what I saw around the skeleton back after we got knocked out. Well, not exactly¡­ it was much more subdued,¡± Johanna said. ¡°Should have checked with the healer¡­¡± her boyfriend said. ¡°Once again, Tom. It¡¯s not a concussion or something. It¡¯s very specific, very local. It¡¯s¡­ like the rest. One special ability. I¡¯m guessing here, but I¡¯m seeing magic. Probably because I can do it.¡± ¡°But why would there be magic in the caravan?¡± Peter asked back. ¡°Who knows. But there was really something specific, and that¡­ Dwarf person immediately blocked me. There were locals trying to see what happened all over, but he definitively did not want me around that wagon.¡± She dropped the bowl ¨C empty ¨C on the table, adding. ¡°I know I¡¯m right.¡± Johanna looked at Tom, who shrugged before replying. ¡°You see what you see. Been three days already? If you really had a nasty concussion, ''t would have been getting better anyway. Wouldn¡¯t have made it otherwise.¡± Johanna smiled. ¡°But I probably should have asked Laura to give you head massages,¡± he added. ¡°What?¡± the other woman blurted. ¡°If your touch can heal¡­ it could work on concussions, maybe?¡± ¡°I did not think about that,¡± Laura admitted. ¡°Me neither. Anyway, Jo was good, no real need to have that idea before,¡± he replied. Johanna shook her head in disbelief, then raised her mead tankard to hide her expression. ¡°Boss, I see a girl with an exotic neckerchief at the table to the rear,¡± Boris said. Dominik Piturca checked discreetly. Boris was right, one of the women in the group of four at the rear did match more or less the description from Nirvar. He couldn¡¯t verify eyes and face as she had her back to him, but the general style¡­ and one of the men roughly matched also what he¡¯d described of the man with her. ¡°So, she¡¯s got enough money to dine here, eh,¡± the other guard commented. Piturca went with two of the caravan¡¯s guards everywhere since he¡¯d been jumped five years ago, in a smaller town south of there. Usually, the same ones, as members of trading caravans tended to form stable configurations and become a large extended temporary family over time spent on the roads. ¡°We¡¯re lucky I decided to stay this time. Or maybe it¡¯s not luck? Todor, can you find more about that group from the innkeeper?¡± ¡°On it.¡± Piturca kept checking from the side the group that went over the meal, large one-liter tankards of the local brew at their sides. He didn¡¯t have to wait too long before Todor Morales came back. ¡°Group of four, not citizens. Apparently, scavengers from some of the small villages nearby. They got sent here by the local furbisher.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yea. Apparently, the man¡¯s sister is married to the innkeeper¡¯s son.¡± ¡°So, he gets a kickback for helping his sister¡¯s business. Good sense. Grievar is it? The man always buys out all of the Alium we can bring from the south.¡± ¡°The same.¡± ¡°What do you want to do, boss?¡± Boris asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know. But I think I would like to ask some questions. After they¡¯re finished.¡± Johanna was nursing the last drops of her free mead when she noticed a man coming to her table. Peter and Laura had already left, Laura probably headed immediately to bed. Tom was checking the huge bookshelf that the inn sported. He threw a look her way quickly before looking back at the book spines, appearing unperturbed. ¡°Miss?¡± This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Hello?¡± she said, trying not to encourage the man. Although the first thing she¡¯d noticed was his shirt. An obvious antique, salvage from an Ancient site, and well preserved. ¡°Can I sit here? I¡¯d like to ask a few questions.¡± ¡°Uh, why?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m Dominik Piturca. Of the Piturca Trading Company.¡± ¡°Oh. Oh. Please sit down, then,¡± Johanna blurted. The man bowed slightly and sat on one of the vacant chairs. Tom was still engrossed with the books and didn¡¯t pay attention, at least obviously, so Johanna was left fretting internally about the caravan master. ¡°Did your man¡­ dwarf¡­ man¡­¡± Piturca laughed lightly. ¡°Either work. Dwarves are people, despite anything you¡¯d hear some people tell you. Nirvar¡¯s been with us for over a decade. But yes, he talked to me.¡± Johanna grimaced slightly. ¡°May I inquire why you were interested in our caravan?¡± ¡°Well, I knew there are trade routes and all that stuff, and all that fish stuff coming from the west, but I¡¯ve never seen real traders.¡± ¡°Just that?¡± Johanna was about to reply when she spotted a sudden shift in the light. There was some kind of liquid light pooling around the man¡¯s eyes suddenly as if he had used some strange cosmetic. Then she realized what kind of light she¡¯d just seen. On a Canid. Or around a wagon. Magic? What¡¯s happening here? ¡°Yes. I mean, I don¡¯t live in Valetta most of the time. Never seen your caravan before. Or, well, mister¡­ Toigsson??? Do I get that right?¡± Dominik was used to watching people carefully for all kinds of telltales, so he instantly noticed the almost repressed start that the salvager had when he decided to check her answer for truthfulness. That was his ace, in any serious negotiations. Maybe it wasn¡¯t one-hundred percent reliable and he couldn¡¯t use it all the time, but it was there in case of need and he¡¯d learned to trust his sense of right vs. wrong. When he pushed for it, he simply knew of any dissembling attempt. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the right name. I guess if you¡¯ve never heard of us, you might have been surprised by him. And I guess he¡¯s a little rough. So, you thought you¡¯d check what, how we live?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m curious, it¡¯s natural. Not that I think I¡¯d ever take up trading or something.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your trade then?¡± he asked, probing again. ¡°I¡¯m salvaging. Fifth child, so, well, there¡¯s that.¡± ¡°Ah yes. Limited opportunities, I see. Well, if you¡¯re interested in selling salvage, we do go through Grievar, which I assume you know well.¡± ¡°Yea. We left newer salvage earlier if you¡¯re interested.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure the man will show me the good stuff tomorrow. You¡¯re thinking of staying in that job long term?¡± ¡°Mostly, yes. The western ruins have been looted for over a century, but they¡¯re extensive enough we find good stuff all the time.¡± They kept making small chitchat, as Piturca tried delicately to probe for her designs on his caravan. She did not have the slight startle of his first probe again, but he could notice she took slightly longer to answer whenever he decided to specifically check the veracity of a specific answer. Most intriguing. ¡°You¡¯re pretty brave to risk yourself in those places. Down south, the Angel basin still spills out more unique monstrous Changed beasts than even the worst mana-rich wilderness here ever does.¡± Piturca noted the slight shuddering at that. ¡°We¡¯ve been careful to avoid anything. We¡¯ve got the experience now. Avoiding the danger, ¡­ trying to guess where there might be too much mana? There are not enough pickings in the ruins that serious predators remain for long,¡± she said. ¡°Well, for us, we stick to the safe roads. Life is hazardous enough. Are the others that were there along with you?¡± She pointed to the side, where Dominik had noticed one of the men going. The guy, who was watching them from the side, raised his hand slightly, before turning back his attention ¨C apparently ¨C to the book he¡¯d picked on the reading shelves. ¡°That¡¯s Tom. My fianc¨¦. The other two are probably already asleep. We four go together.¡± The picture Piturca managed to build before he had to space a bit his probing looked consistent enough. A band of local kids, willing to risk magic and wilderness with childhood friends rather than be a farmhand barely better than a serf. Or at least, that¡¯s what he thought. The one thing that bothered him was that she seemed aware of his probes somehow. No one he¡¯d ever met, even that Asian-born expatriate Erlang had ever suspected anything. You¡¯d think someone with three eyes would be the one who noticed things, but no, not really. Finally, he decided he wouldn¡¯t be able to get anything else. Maybe Grievar would have something. He¡¯d have to probe carefully, making sure it wasn¡¯t a move by the salvage trader. ¡°Well, it¡¯s been nice meeting you, and knowing you¡¯re not trying to get hired or something, since we don¡¯t recruit at the moment anyway. So, yes, don¡¯t expect an invitation or anything else.¡± Johanna stood up and shook Piturca¡¯s hand as a goodbye.
Dominik Piturca Male human, 47 years, 7 months
No specialization (trader) Level: 5 (8000 XP needed) Mana: 1/5 (+18 per hour) 4 unallocated skill points XP: 16185
STR: 15 (2000XP needed) AUT: 15
AGI: 15 PER: 18 (1327XP needed) Detect Lies (5)
DEX: 14 EMP: 16
The first thing Moore noticed was the skill. So, that¡¯s what he was using.
Detect Lies Requires: Perception 16/ Empathy 16/Level 4
Effective: N ¡Á Perception + Level (adds mana) Passive: Enhance your effective Perception by up to (Eff/10) for skill checks Active: Notice any attempt to dissemble. 5% ¡Á (EMP vs AUT) chance of failure, reduced by (Eff)%. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds.
Fixer EMP 16/Lvl 1 N=2
That was a hell of a complicated skill. He did quickly the math in his non-head. The skill was probably hard to escape, and if the ¡°skill check¡± described was what he thought it was, he had just enough to guarantee his success. Well, the System classified him as a trader. Not that he could find the actual specialization if it existed, or how it differed from the ¡®merchant¡¯ version that the other man had, but he thought the skill was appropriate. And he obviously got good practice with it, given the XP accumulated. Which brought the question of how mister Piturca had gotten it. And why he¡¯d picked a Strength point. The few character sheets he¡¯d seen all looked like people mashing buttons at random. He also got another data point on the experience curve. 1000, 2000, 3000, 5000, 8000, that was easy now for a veteran of all kinds of RPGs. A Fibonacci sequence, close to quadratic. If he could find a level 6 descriptor to check with, he¡¯d be able to verify if it required 13k XP. But at least that was consistent with the levels he¡¯d seen sported by all the people in the town, with no one above 8. If each level took as long as the previous two combined¡­ Of course, he had no idea whatsoever the two had discussed. But he could have sworn it was related to their encounter with the Dwarf. The trader indication obviously meant he could be associated with that caravan Milton had checked earlier. Was she trying to negotiate some deal? Then, Moore realized he hadn¡¯t paid real attention to the rest of the team, and what one of the other views, in particular, was showing. 12. Secret Deals See everything, overlook a great deal, correct a little. Pre-Fall quip As he got close to the visitor parking area, Peter Donnall held his breath. So far, he¡¯d done nothing special. Just an ordinary person, walking in the streets ¨C already darkening, barely alighted from oil lamps ¨C of Valetta in the waning evening of early August. Truth be, trying to hide as he did was very, very stressful and tiring. He had never really achieved again that moment of preternatural clarity when he¡¯d hid from the Canids, unaware of how well he¡¯d been hiding. And he was very afraid of letting go of whatever supernatural capacity let him get away with ordinary peoples¡¯ or beasts¡¯ perception. Not that he was doubting Johanna¡¯s assertion of being perfectly fine and healthy¡­ but it couldn¡¯t hurt to check if she really could see magic, or if it was a magical aftershock. Thankfully, the evening made it easier to get close to the town¡¯s caravanserai, and he made it as close as he could, checking for the caravan¡¯s workers, before flattening himself to the wall, and starting to move, hidden, along the wall, toward the campfire in the middle of the five wagons. He thought he could probably move in full sight of people without them noticing, like when he pranked Johanna back in the ruins, but he wasn¡¯t going to risk it. Not now. But he was definitively going to check that in the city. It was just figuring out a way not to look too weird if the strange ability that he got from the magic trap didn¡¯t work reliably. He wormed his way between two of the wagons, moving slowly closer and getting a better view of the campfire and the caravanners. He had no problem spotting the Changed person Johanna had described. There was only one person below five feet, and that was obviously him. He stopped beside a wagon, listening for any information on the caravan¡¯s wagons, not relaxing. He could stay fully hidden maybe half an hour or more, by his estimates. ¡°What I don¡¯t understand, Nirvar, is why you never sleep in an inn?¡± one of the three other figures around the campfire said. ¡°You know me kind. We¡¯re hunters. The best of the mountains. We sleep outdoor all the time, next to what¡¯s precious to the clans, not away from all of it. The fastnesses are for winter, not summer.¡± ¡°Yes, but if I had a choice and the money¡­¡± ¡°You got the money. Tell me why you¡¯re not at the nearest inn?¡± ¡°Besides you making a fuss about not enough people staying here to guard the camp? Okay, maybe because I¡¯m still paying the debt on that house in Orange.¡± ¡°And here you are. Money, my man, money makes the world go round and so it decides what you do, not yourself. Me, I decide what I do, not my money.¡± ¡°Speaking of which¡­¡± ¡°Did we get a good haul? Ask the boss. He seems happy, so we made good sale. Of course, now we look at spending it back to buy what we can sell further north, and then down south. But we got plenty money, that¡¯s for sure.¡± ¡°Not as much as that big sale will bring, eh,¡± another man said. ¡°Yea. It¡¯s still a long way up northwest with all the twists in the roads, but we should make it in time to deliver, then head south along the coast road before winter arrives. I hate the winter this high north,¡± the Dwarf said. ¡°Really? I thought, with you being a Dwarf and all that¡­¡± ¡°Reminds me too much of home, yes. And even us Dwarves hole up in our fastnesses when winter falls over the Rockies. Don¡¯t let anyone tell you otherwise because we live up there. Fur coats are nice, but I¡¯m not a hairy ape like you all,¡± he snorted back. ¡°What happens next?¡± ¡°After we arrive in Kamloops and deliver that artifact? We make a big honking feast, and we head back south with big bonuses and forget about that. I hate magic. Give me a good bow, crossbow, even a shield, spear, or whatever. But those magical things? No way. Things that get infused by Manastorms can get melted and recast for all I care.¡± ¡°It¡¯s bringing in the money, Nirvar.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re going to talk about magic, it¡¯s Mr. Toigsson, please. And good riddance. If that mayor chick wants it for her giant guard dogs to sleep on or something, I¡¯ll be happy to let her have it, and the boss worry about carrying the money.¡± ¡°And what if we get raided?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what we got most of you for, right? All of us are trained. And don¡¯t think I let my attention lapse. Even here, we had that girl trying to find out where the artifact is. Not going to happen on my watch, or yours. Understood?¡± The various acknowledgments were enough for Peter. There was, in fact, a magical thingy in one of the wagons, Johanna had spotted it using whatever ability Change brought upon her, and the caravanners were worried about burglars. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. As he slowly backed away, he was wondering. Could he sneak into the appropriate wagon to see what it was about? Assuming he knew which one¡­ ¡°Morning, Laura, Peter,¡± Johanna said jovially as the two others made their way to the table. They¡¯d barely sat down than the young man managing the counter at the Inn brought a second pot of tea, an additional plate of bread slices, and a pitcher of water. The two ordered bacon and cereals then started to hydrate themselves with the hot beverages of breakfast. ¡°So, plans for today. We let Grievar get money, we get ours, and we start out immediately. If we get out before noon, we might even make it to Anasta before nightfall.¡± ¡°And that leaves us the morning to find someone to consult about what happened,¡± Tom said. ¡°Not again. I tell you, I¡¯m fine. We¡¯ll talk it with our folks first, at least mine and Peter¡¯s that is. Maybe head to Avon and Virtu for you two after.¡± ¡°I can confirm that what you saw is magic, anyway,¡± Peter announced before starting to munch on his bread. ¡°How do you?¡± Johanna started. ¡°I sneaked into the caravan.¡± ¡°WHAT?¡± Johanna stopped herself, lowering her volume before attracting attention. She nervously checked, but Piturca wasn¡¯t up yet. Or maybe had already left. ¡°Are. You. Mad?¡± ¡°Why?¡± Peter asked. ¡°I had a talk with the caravan master himself yesterday evening. The caravanner dwarf guy warned him about me and Tom. I tried my best to tell him we weren¡¯t thieves or anything, but if he finds out you¡¯re sneaking into his caravan¡­¡± ¡°Relax, Jo. No one can spot me that easy.¡± ¡°Yes, but climbing into a wagon¡­¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t do that. I just listened to the conversations, with that Dwarf and the rest of the caravan guards there. And you¡¯re right, they have some magical artifact in there. They¡¯re delivering it to someplace up north, and it¡¯s going to make them lots of money.¡± ¡°Might be why that dwarf guy got nervous, got it,¡± Tom said laconically. ¡°And you¡¯re not helping. Peter, I mean,¡± Johanna said, almost covering her eyes in disgust. ¡°Yes, but that means you¡¯re the one with two different¡­ abilities?¡± the man answered. Johanna frowned, contemplating her steaming tea mug. Then she idly put her finger in it, stirring the brew. For all it did, she could have put it in cold water. ¡°Three,¡± she stated. ¡°I¡¯d guess it might be part of your flame ability,¡± Laura mused. ¡°I mean, if you can make a fire in your hand, but it¡¯d burn you all the time, it would be a pretty shitty ability.¡± Johanna snorted at the idea. ¡°Maybe this mana sight is part of the same.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have it,¡± Laura countered. ¡°Saints are supposed to be different.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what the pastor always says, but I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t pray to God. Not that much. I don¡¯t¡­ do anything. I just heal with my touch.¡± Johanna sighed again. Breakfast in the city was supposed to be a good time, not the moment where she had to reflect on how their lives were headed in a strange direction, and she wasn¡¯t in charge of that weirdness, unlike salvage. She hated not being in charge. She felt Tom¡¯s hand on her shoulder. ¡°Breakfast first, magic later.¡± ¡°Thanks. Need someone to remind me of priorities.¡± ¡°Always.¡± Personal stuff collected, bags repacked, they made their way finally back toward Grievar¡¯s store. Johanna was unsure if they were early or late, but her uncertainties were dispelled when she spotted Dominik Piturca coming out of Grievar¡¯s, escorted by two men. She thought at least one of them was feeling familiar before realizing she¡¯d spotted him at the table from where the caravan master had been sitting before coming to meet her. Still, the side swords and reinforced shoulder pads meant they weren¡¯t simple friends of him, but more like guards, people that would protect the caravans against attacks by either beasts or men. And she guessed he was not taking risks even in Valetta. There was not much theft here despite the size of the city unless you left precious stuff unattended, but she could understand him. It had taken her time to adjust to the concept of stealing. She waved at him, and he returned her salute with a slight smile, before stopping. ¡°You were right. There are a few things from your recent salvage that were indeed of interest.¡± ¡°Happy to be of help.¡± ¡°Keep the trade goods varied. Norman buys only Alium coming from the south, but he has all kinds of stuff to offer. If that¡¯s from you, kudos.¡± Johanna smiled at the compliment, and the man turned away, heading back toward the city center. Then the four turned back to the salvage store and moved in. ¡°Ah. My favorite salvagers. Were you waiting until Piturca and I were done?¡± ¡°No, but we would like to be getting home as soon as possible. I wasn¡¯t sure if he¡¯d been there already,¡± Johanna said. ¡°Home? You¡¯re not heading back to salvage again until the weather turns bad?¡± ¡°We will, but we need to say hello a bit. Stuff to deal with the family.¡± ¡°Family first, always. So, money right now?¡± ¡°The sooner, the better.¡± Norman Grievar grabbed a box and started counting out coins. As usual, he was using the large silver dollar coinage, fifty-coins. The ten coins came out, lined on the counter, and she quickly scanned them. As she¡¯d expected, there were a lot of more exotic coins than usual, minted in different places of the Union of the States. The only one she didn¡¯t recognize outright was one with a pick and shovel, but it did sport the proper 50, dollar sign and moon symbol that was pretty much a standard for official mints across the continent. She just hoped that Piturca hadn¡¯t foisted a counterfeit on Grievar. She snarfed the coins, putting them in the bag along with yesterday¡¯s half payment, and thanked again Grievar. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s hit the road guys.¡± ¡°So, nothing,¡± Anthony Grievar finally said. ¡°Nothing I can pin definitively on them. I even regret giving them the Inn voucher. If I¡¯d known Piturca was staying there instead of his wagon, as usual, I¡¯d have found something else.¡± ¡°Cousin said he and Milton talked at length,¡± the son confirmed. ¡°I know, I know. And if your kids didn¡¯t lose sight of the man next to the caravans, we¡¯d probably know more.¡± ¡°Hey, they¡¯re not my kids.¡± Norman Grievar gestured dismissively. ¡°Whatever. Just the fact that they¡¯re heading home shows something¡¯s off. Last year, they were quite enthusiastic up to late November before going home when you had those early snowfalls. No, either they¡¯re going to drop whatever they found safely there¡­ or Piturca¡¯s money.¡± ¡°He purchased a lot, so he still had money.¡± ¡°The Piturca family operates multiple large trading wagon trains across many marches and states. They got enough liquid capital to deal with us ¡®yokels¡¯ as they say behind our back. I¡¯ve got no doubt he could do side deals. But we¡¯re not a side deal. And we have to put his purchases in crates before his helpers arrive to pick the stuff. Time to work, son. This thing will have to wait.¡± He looked at the shop¡¯s exit, adding, ¡°I hope they didn''t try to stiff me, though. They¡¯re good salvagers, and I rather like their work.¡± 13. There Were Giants I fear no man. But this mana thing¡­ it frightens me. Unattributed saying The team¡¯s exit from Valetta was as uneventful as their entrance. They stopped at the gates to check with the half-bored guard posted there before heading out. ¡°Going to Anasta? You missed a wagon, there was a farmer heading there this morning.¡± ¡°Oh? Who was it?¡± ¡°Some guy I¡¯ve seen regularly¡­ Jacob Donnall? Something like that, I think.¡± ¡°Hey, that was your brother, Peter. He would have given us a lift,¡± Laura said. ¡°Yea, but we still had to finish getting paid,¡± Johanna grumbled. ¡°Home isn¡¯t that far anyway. We¡¯ll be there by this evening,¡± Peter half-apologized. ¡°Don¡¯t know for you all, but getting there on a carriage would be better,¡± Laura replied. ¡°Anything to watch for?¡± Tom asked the guards. ¡°Not much. A few sightings of lone Canids, but that¡¯s south near the Idaho road, not eastward. Unless they are roaming around.¡± ¡°Thanks for the suggestion,¡± Peter said drily. The guard laughed, then returned to his half-seat, designed to keep him upright without tiring his legs. Johanna adjusted her near-empty backpack, waved at the guard, and started down the road, followed by the rest. The road would split in about a mile, and they¡¯d veer east, toward Anasta. Peter¡¯s right. With that big breakfast, we¡¯ll skip lunch and arrive just in time before evening. They quickly arrived at the road split toward the south and headed eastward and into the forest. The road between Valetta and the eastern farming villages was kept cleared and well kept, heavily packed ground and stones filling potholes that let all kinds of chariots across the eastern highway move smoothly, which meant foot travelers found it easy going. Repair gangs were working every spring on the local infrastructure, helping to make Valetta a strong and rich city. Which, of course, meant that the price of living there was high if you weren¡¯t careful, but that¡¯s what salvaging was good for. Besides, it wasn¡¯t as if there was long-term room in Anasta for Johanna, Peter, and their prospective life partners. As they were heading into the woods, she spotted a silhouette on the other road, coming up from the south. Someone on a horse, presumably the mail or some special courier maybe. Johanna had spent most of her life without seeing any of the half-legendary beasts. There simply weren¡¯t enough around, not since the Fall and whatever made them hard to breed, according to her old schoolmistress. Places like Anasta didn¡¯t have the room to host horses, and given the difficulty of having a herd, nobody was going to risk letting them stay in a pasture outdoors, at the mercy of a predator. Of course, a city like Valetta, or any major city, would have no difficulty having a dedicated area for a string of horses inside their barrier and thus keep a few horses for use in special tasks, like mail deliveries. But for farmers like Peter¡¯s brother, teams of draft oxen were the way to go. Slower, but reliable. Shortly thereafter, they came out of the forest into a cleared area that hadn¡¯t quite gone back to woods yet. To the side, maybe three hundred yards from the road proper, the now-familiar burned logs of the Poole farmhouse still pointed upward. The ruins dated back from a few years before Johanna¡¯s birth. She¡¯d asked about it the first time her father had brought her to Valetta for selling batches of cantaloupes. Some fool had apparently thought the lack of recent beast attacks meant you could set up a farm by yourself ¡°like the Ancients did¡±. Then his family had paid the price, and the abandoned buildings caught fire a few years later. Right there was a good lesson about the importance of proper settlements, Johanna¡¯s father told his daughter. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. There was no sign of trouble until it stumbled upon them. The group was walking along the road, half between forest and the last fallow fields, abandoned decades ago and turning back to the wilderness but not yet encroached by real trees. And then, the first Lepus bounded out of the treeline. At home, a young Johanna had always loved the little rabbits in their hutches, fed with straw and leftover vegetables. Of course, they were headed for the stew pot one day, and every farmhouse had some, using the pelts for winter clothing¡¯s fur and keeping the meat for holidays and special occasions. But she could pet the soft little ones and loved them. The rabbit that came out of the forest was not a soft little pet. The rabbit was a 7-foot-long, 300-pound rabbit-shaped monster. With a feet-long blunt horn in the middle of its skull. Lepus might not be a predator, but they were hell on fields. Oh, they liked those fields, vegetables, grain, straw and all, and their horn was perfectly shaped to dig up potatoes or anything else by tearing the roots. And Lepuses ate a lot, compared to normal rabbits. They also saw people as competition for all that nice food and were not afraid to go against them if necessary. After five-year-old Johanna had seen a Lepus pack rampaging before her brother grabbed her and brought her safely behind Anasta¡¯s walls, she¡¯d stopped petting the little rabbits. The first Lepus glared at them as if it was annoyed at meeting them, and then the second one bounded next to it. And the third one. Johanna and the rest backed slightly away, trying not to provoke the pack. Lepus was theoretically a mainly nocturnal species, like their normal counterparts, and finding some out mid-day was not a good sign, she thought. ¡°Just our luck,¡± Tom commented drily. ¡°How many of those are there???¡± Laura blurted. Johanna shushed her, not looking away from the growing pack. ¡°Huge colony,¡± she whispered, trying not to rile the beasts. The lead Lepus was glaring at the group, but not moving much. Two larger ones came out, making the total she could count to about nine, with none of the beasts looking very young, although she obviously wasn¡¯t an expert in wild beasts from the uninhabitable highlands. ¡°What are they doing here?¡± Laura asked back. ¡°Probably the usual for Lepuses. Too many north,¡± Johanna answered. ¡°Or worse, running from a major mutated predator from the Mana pockets there,¡± Peter added. ¡°Thanks for the idea,¡± Laura whispered back. The lead Lepus seemed to look back and forth at the team¡¯s location, and Johanna froze. Then the other large beast emitted a shrill sound. ¡°Fuck,¡± Tom just had time to say before the colony started to charge. Fleeing was out of the question. Lepus might not be as good a sprinter as its tiny counterpart given the extra mass, but turning away from that horn of theirs was a sure way to get ripped apart. Johanna ducked, drawing her trusty hunting knife, before she remembered and turned her left hand upward, flame exploding out of her palm. The Lepus aiming at her startled at the explosion of heat and tried to dodge away, and she shoved her flaming palm to his face, causing the beast to shrill loudly from the burning. The Lepus shook its head frenetically from the torch-searing heat, causing her to lose grip on its muzzle. The beast jumped back immediately, keening loudly. From her peripheral vision, Johanna noticed Peter dodging another charging Lepus, using his knife to slice at the beast¡¯s flank and cause it to falter in its course. Tom had charged another of the beasts, using both fist and knife on the head, as the Lepus broke its course as well. But there were more beasts running around, and Johanna had no choice when she spotted one bounding toward Laura from the side, but to rush it instead of pursuing her former opponent, her flaming hand raised in front of her. The frenzied Lepus flinched at the last moment, and she ran her flame across its side, causing it to scream loudly his lagomorphic pain. And one of the larger Lepus and one of its smaller brethren jumped her from her left side. She barely had time to turn around and she saw the horn being lowered. She tried to back away, and the bony spearpoint ripped her jacket open, and she felt her ribs break. The beast raised back its head, and Johanna¡¯s eyes only saw the red streak of her blood covering the skull spike. Her flame guttered, then vanished, concentration gone as she fell backward, her legs buckling. ¡°JO!¡± she distantly heard Laura scream. The horn jerked away as Tom impacted the beast. But Johanna was finding it hard to focus as darkness encroached her vision. She felt a hand reach for her from outside her shrinking focus. And then, she felt bones shifting¡­ knitting themselves in her torso. She opened her eyes wide, looking at Laura who was similarly googly-eyed, gasping in surprise. The shock, the physical one, receded abruptly, leaving only a brief phantom echo of pain. She also thought for an instant that she¡¯d seen weird lights flickering around Laura¡¯s hand as she jerked back from having done¡­ whatever she¡¯d just done. She pushed herself up and spotted Tom trying to hammer with the back of his knife at one Lepus, the skull sending crunching noises with each blow, while another rabbit was trying to get to him from the right. She rose, flame sprouting back immediately, and jumped on the incoming beast, bringing the bright flame down on its eyes, causing the Lepus to shrill in pain. Then, without realizing what happened, it was over. She had sort of blanked for some seconds, possibly, and there were corpses strewn around, stabbed, mangled, and burned for some. Tom was holding her, looking at her torso. She realized she was more or less exposed and tried to wrap herself back in the jacket, but he held fast. Then he squeezed her, hugging for all his inconsiderable strength. ¡°Thought you were a goner.¡± ¡°So did I. So did I,¡± she replied. She opened her eyes and looked at Laura, who raised her hands as if apologizing. Didn¡¯t know about that one, her friend mouthed silently. They all stood next to the road, before shivering set in. 14. Gamemasters Picks Moore would have laughed himself silly when the first level 1 giant rabbit had come out of the wood if he had the material parts needed for that. But the rest of the rabbit horde had sobered him a lot. He¡¯d seen what mere level 2 dogs could do, and the rabbit horde was very obviously geared for war. He¡¯d heard about rabbit-unicorn crossovers in JRPGs, even though he¡¯d never played any with these, but even if those beasts were level 1¡­ He¡¯d spent subjective minutes agonizing over the interface, trying to find a good way, any way, to enhance his team¡¯s chances. But, ultimately, there was nothing he could do. Nothing had changed much since the fight in the ruins. He had no new skill to give immediately, not enough experience stored to allow him to tweak anything, not even raise Donnall¡¯s Dexterity, which wouldn¡¯t help anyway. So, in the end, he¡¯d watched the fight, powerless to change anything in the outcome. They handled themselves well, he had to admit. Nine rhino-horned rabbits, with two slightly bigger and higher levels and no elite. Multiple enemies were going to be hard, notably without a script to time waves or whatever. And First Aid had proved its value, finally.
First Aid Requires: Empathy 17/Dexterity 16/Level 2
Effective: 1 ¡Á Dexterity + Level (adds 19 mana) Passive: Your wounds clot (95)% faster Active: Neutralize bone or organ trauma, up to (19) pounds, provided it occurred less than (19) seconds ago. Active cost: 1 mana per pound of body mass stabilized
Everyone got 1200 XP, plus the 1200XP gain in the global pool, which was a significant amount, justified by the horde of creatures. Which meant a potential decision time, as time crawled to a near-halt and he contemplated again his team¡¯s status. Milton¡¯s near-death was showing Moore the need for more power, as soon as possible. On one hand, he had just enough XP now banked to push one of the team to level 4. That would unlock a new skill point, improve existing skills, all that. He just had to decide out on who. On the other hand, he also had XP to put into stats, unlocking additional skills in different stats. More diverse skills meant more XP earned ¨C even more if the skills could be used out of combat ¨C and an easier time improving everything. Information wants to be free, but experience wants to be used. He plunged into the interface, trying to make sense of the possibilities. He was unable to physically express his frustration. Most of it was the product of a 21st-century gamer, he had to acknowledge. You took for granted wikis and guides, the distillation of a thousand minds and builds, and all the immense data paraphernalia of the Internet, ready to help you should you need it. Moore just had the basic interface and a handful of horribly clumsy search functions. He had time¡­ but he did not feel particularly smarter than he¡¯d used to be. Just a help pop-up would be nice. As usual, the clunky system design offended him. It was like some indie developer¡¯s choice, made by a single guy in his basement without people to tell him that the players didn¡¯t think like him. At least, it looked like he had access to the descriptors of every skill that required at most one level or one stat point over what any of the four had. Even if the combos were impossible in practice due to the stats being from different people, he could see them in advance. Or, he remembered suddenly, any skill he had seen. The Burning Body from back in the ruins was clearly outside of the bounds with its 19 Authority requirements, since Milton was at 17 only and the highest of them. If any of the Lepus had used a skill, it wasn¡¯t very high level or maybe it was while none of the four was looking during the confusion. Another source of frustration was the lack of communication. It wasn¡¯t as if he could pick a skill, and expect them to adjust immediately. It did not matter if he tried to give Welter, say, a mace skill. If he kept using those commando knives, it would probably be wasted. And the big lug would probably not even be aware that he had one such skill. At the same time, he could try to give him a knife-based skill, and then the man could pick a halberd or a whip, or some silly exotic weapon. That was the kind of fate Moore could see befalling his team. Can I drop a skill already allocated? It turned out he could, just like he could switch specializations. It did cost XP as well, but he could recover the skill point to reuse. The higher the requirements on the skill, the more XP you needed to spend to remove it, but you could do it. Slam was costing a mere 500XP because it just required 16 Strength, but Intercept was 1500 because it needed 17 Agility and a Level of 2¡­ and it looked like Vogel¡¯s First Aid was 2000. Due to 17 Empathy, 16 Dexterity, and Level 2. He could see the formula behind it, 500XP per point above the baseline of Level 1 or 15 in a stat. But he could reverse any of his choices. It would cost, badly, but it was possible, and he could now not-breathe more easily. He still had to be careful, in order not to waste XP, but there was no hole he could dig himself into regarding the team. Okay, checklist. Level first. Who needs one? Johanna Milton at level 4 got two skills, both fire-themed, specifically requiring that level to unlock. Flaming Blade was based on Dexterity and Burning Ground was a second Authority one. The first seemed to provide an extension of the Fire Handling effect on any form of bladed item, while the other was a local area of effect spell. A bit limited, barely over 3 feet of radius around her at her skill level, but more useful, perhaps, as a defensive measure than even the Burning Body. It would consume her entire store of skill points, but, well, like XP, skill points were there to be used, and more than half of the magical skills were bound to Authority anyway. Which, of course, meant you needed to be careful with Authority since each skill cost one point more than the previous. The next best candidate for level 4 was Peter Donnall. It gave him access to Accurate Pierce, a good offensive skill, which he lacked thus far. And one that didn¡¯t seem linked to specific weapons despite the name, and while they all seemed to favor commando knives, he still had the problem of weapon choices. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. At least, it did fit the rogue archetype, just on the name alone. Welter¡¯s only level 4-required skill he could find was useless. Passes was a strength-based skill, sure, but¡­
Passes Requires: Strength 17/Agility 16/Level 4
Effective: N ¡Á Strength + Level (adds stamina) Passive: Cannot lose your grip on a weapon up to (Eff) pounds Trigger: Bypass any defensive skill of (Eff) or less. Trigger cost: 1 stamina per skill difference
Discreet DEX 16/Lvl 1 N=2
Battler AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=1
That was a skill that made sense if you fought enemies that were using skills, but almost certainly useless in any other context. And with a mediocre multiplier, at least for Welter. Not that Donnall would get it any time soon, with his baseline 13 Strength. Finally, Vogel had no useable level 4 skills. Oh, there were skills he¡¯d noticed requiring level 4 that had a non-zero multiplier for a Fixer, but things like Water Walking, Cleanse Toxins or the Silence spell all also required stats she didn¡¯t have yet. For now, that wasn¡¯t the right choice, obviously. When he needed a new skill point for her, sure. But not yet. As much as he wanted to raise Milton¡¯s magical abilities and turn her into a prodigious sorceress, he had to admit that Donnall was the priority target for a level raise, given the limited XP. Milton used her current skill well, although a bit too berzerkish for a sorceress, while the only thing Donnall had for him was dodging attacks until he could finally use his weapon to puncture his target. This skill would help him achieve that. And he had to admit again, it did fit the archetype.
Accurate Pierce Requires: Dexterity 17/Perception 16/Level 4
Effective: N ¡Á Perception + Level (adds stamina) Passive: Enhance your effective Dexterity by up to (Eff/10) for skill checks Triggered: Ensure that your attacks do not miss a vulnerable point if you strike within (Eff/5) inches of one. Trigger cost: 1 stamina per inch above 1-inch displacement.
Discreet DEX 16/Lvl 1 N=2
Battler STR 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Despite that, it did not make the rest of his choices easier. By now, he knew he would probably have to throttle slightly his initial plan to immediately allocate skills to every stat for maximum XP earned. Any skill that relied on a stat required 16 or greater in that one, except the weird ones like Mana Sight and Gauge Endurance. Most of those stats that were currently at 14 or even 13 would be a pain to raise, requiring not only levels for the skill points, but an additional 3 to 6k XP just to get to the bare minimum requirements. And then, the hurdle was finding a good skill to complement the build, because if the scale for XP was following a Fibonacci formula, then he wasn¡¯t going to have dozens of skills to give them. Not without them risking their lives on a daily basis to get level 20. One miss, and it could be that one of his vistas to reality closed. He quickly bit the bullet on both Tom Welter and Laura Vogel. They had reasonably good Empathy and Authority, respectively, and with one additional point there, he could give them a new skill matching their specialization. Raising just one stat didn¡¯t require him to bite again into the global pool, and he had the skill points in both cases. Vogel got a defensive support skill first, which would ensure that enemies would be a lot less dangerous for her, by causing them to ¡°hesitate¡± and attack more cautiously and slowly.
Laura Anna Vogel Female human, 18 years, 9 months
Fixer Level: 3 (3000 XP needed) 43/91 mana (+14 per hour) 0 unallocated skill points XP: 299 + 449
STR: 14 AUT: 16 (2000 XP needed) Falter (35)
AGI: 15 PER: 14
DEX: 16 (981 XP needed) First Aid (19) EMP: 17 (922 XP needed) Close Wounds (37)
For Welter, he had found a skill called Optimal Strike which was a bit different than most, as it scaled somehow with the target¡¯s levels. And not negatively, which made no sense. Moore also had no idea how Strength-based attacks differed from blunt attacks. If the two were differently labeled, there must be a difference.
Optimal Strike Requires: Strength 17/Empathy 16/Level 3
Effective: 1 ¡Á Empathy + Level (adds stamina) Passive: Cannot lose your grip on a weapon up to (Eff) pounds Triggered: Focused attacks increases any strength-based damage by (5¡ÁEff+5¡ÁTargetLevel)% Trigger cost: +1 stamina per target level.
Worst case¡­ Welter¡¯s Slam attack was very, very obviously a Strength-based attack since that was its stat. Those slams would be horrific to behold now, albeit expensive. Which left finally the build of Johanna Milton. Raising her Empathy to 16 unlocked a defensive Fog Cloud¡­ but that one used Authority as a primary stat. And she didn¡¯t have a second skill point for Moore to invest for that one. Raising her Agility unlocked two skills immediately. Tremor was another area-of-effect¡­ but again, Authority-based. Stone Throw was the one that relied on the main stat, but he still hesitated.
Stone Throw Requires: Agility 16/Authority 16/Level 2
Effective: 1 ¡Á Agility + Level (adds mana) Passive: (Eff)% better sight Active: Perfectly aim a stone of (Eff) ounces up to (2¡ÁEff) feet. The heaviest useable stone within (Eff) feet is automatically drawn to your hand. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) inches from hand.
That was looking underwhelming as a ranged attack, and with a small multiplier to boot. Yet, now that Donnall was confirmed at level 4, he could see the staple of all real wizards, Fireball, was there, albeit a slightly longer way out.
Fireball Requires: Dexterity 17/Authority 17/Level 5
Effective: 1 ¡Á Dexterity + Level (adds mana) Passive: Grant bodily immunity to fire, up to (300 + 10¡ÁEff) ¡ãF Active: Launch a ball of (Eff) cubic inches of plasma up to (5¡ÁAUT) feet Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) feet crossed.
He really wanted to give her a ranged ability, but he wasn¡¯t about to spend XP and skill points on an underwhelming skill. Yet, it unlocked another stat, leading to potentially an increase in XP earned¡­ assuming that she realized she could magically pick stones and throw them. Wait, how effective are the stones? None of the skills dealt with hit points or whatever. Which, he thought, made sense given that the world he saw through his four windows had real physics ¨C and biology, at least until magic affected it ¨C and health points never made sense in terms of accurate settings. As he¡¯d seen, a single well-placed hit could potentially kill. Once again, he wanted to hit something in frustration. No guide, no help¡­ and no hands or anything to hit inexistent walls. Okay, I¡¯m banking her point and stat XP again. For now. Worst case, I¡¯ll use it in an emergency if she looks like she needs those Stones. 15. Farmland Home is where the heart is. Pre-Fall saying Johanna felt trepidation as she crossed the familiar fields surrounding her home. The miraculous healing she¡¯d received had barely left a bruise and shallow scratches, which Laura had erased after the fact using her magical massaging thumb. Her jacket had suffered a bit more and no amount of saintly healing worked on the leather skin, but she¡¯d managed to re-lace it properly, and once cleaned a bit, it almost looked normal, if scuffed. And then, they¡¯d pressed on, unwilling to risk staying on the road where Lepus or worse could stumble on them. They crossed the entrance gate and she couldn¡¯t stop a smile from forming in anticipation, then the familiar shape of home came in view, as she turned around the Claws¡¯ house corner. There wasn¡¯t much room left inside the walls of Anasta, and most houses of the families had expanded to the maximum size offered by the protective barriers and the edicts of the successive mayors against fire risk before rising to multiple floors. But she knew every corner of home. The only figure seated under the porch, next to the door, was the young terrier, Bundt. The dog sat and started barking while wagging his tail, loudly warning everyone that a visitor was coming. And visiting she was. She¡¯d spent less than half of her time ¡°home¡± last year. They had been busy doing salvage runs regularly, at least until the winter season did curtail those activities. She¡¯d last been there a month and a half ago, for the midsummer solstice festivities, in-between runs to the ruins. Even Bundt had a difficult time adjusting last winter, as he had been a small puppy with his eyes barely open when they¡¯d started doing salvage work last year. Loran came out. She waved at her eldest brother. He was startled, seeing her, then smiled before yelling into the house. ¡°Jo¡¯s here, folks!¡± Johanna reached the porch and hugged her brother. He and Tom exchanged hugs as well, and she entered just in time to see three figures barreling toward her. ¡°Aunt Jo!¡± ¡°Did you bring us something?¡± ¡°Did you see new Ancient stuff???¡± She almost stiffened at the last question. But she kept smiling and apologizing. ¡°No, big top. No goodies this time.¡± The two excitable nephews and Johanna¡¯s lone niece made long faces on hearing the news but immediately bounced back, asking more questions. ¡°Let your aunt breathe and drop her bags first, you little rascals,¡± the voice came from further. ¡°Hi, mom!¡± Johanna embraced the matronly figure that had come out. She pulled out slightly, noticing for the first time a lock of grey hair near the left temple. She realized then, for the first time, that her mother was slowly turning into the grandmother she¡¯d been for nearly five years now. As a fifth child, Johanna had been late and unexpected. And when the first son of her older brother had come out, she¡¯d been so weirded out at being now called aunt to think about the fact that mother had changed categories as well. ¡°It looks a bit earlier than usual. Good expedition or bad expedition?¡± she asked casually, looking significantly at Johanna¡¯s mussed jacket. Johanna measured her answer carefully. ¡°It depends.¡± Her mother looked carefully at her. Then she nodded. ¡°Dinner is almost ready, everyone should be back already. Maybe your father¡¯s still at the orchard. Drop your bags, and we¡¯ll talk about it after then.¡± ¡°Will do,¡± Johanna said with a cheer she did not entirely feel. ¡°And you do have an old jacket in your cupboard,¡± her mother added. She winced a bit but headed up. Her room was still the smallest of the house, with a bed barely large enough for her and Tom. He laughed, despite knowing the room well. ¡°Quite a change from the inn,¡± he said. She punched him in the shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s still my room you¡¯re talking about, in case you forgot.¡± ¡°More snuggling,¡± he replied. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. She punched again, then dropped her bag near the old cupboard. ¡°Happy?¡± Tom asked, hugging her as they settled on the bed. ¡°Always. Until we have our own home¡­¡± Even without her slight resemblance with all the square-jawed figures around, Moore wouldn¡¯t have had to guess much about her relationship to the people there. All the person descriptors which he pulled as she embraced them listed ¡°Milton¡± in the name, making it obvious that was her family. The interesting part was the three little kids that had come to greet ¡°his¡± Milton. All of them were level 0, which he¡¯d spotted already on kids in the previous town. But he had more information now, and they all had also 0 experience totals and exactly fifteen in each stat. Didn¡¯t everyone have an average of just over fifteen without allocation? He checked quickly Peter Donnall¡¯s totals, and confirmed a total of 91, not 90, just like Milton¡¯s own. And yes, the other two had 92 now that he¡¯d added one point for a skill. So, his working hypothesis was that those kids were too young to have a character setting. No XP gains, stats at their base level. At this stage, they were¡­ Blank sheets? Is that it? His guess was that they¡¯d ¡°develop¡± later, at some time during adolescence. Based on XP passive gains he¡¯d spotted¡­ his team of four had probably started getting XP at around 17 years or so? Was it exactly 17? No, Donnall had had too much XP for that, even if he got lucky on the variation of daily XP. He didn¡¯t think the rogue had gotten involved in fights for XP; they were too familiar with each other and were probably salvagers since 18 or maybe earlier. Or maybe there was no fixed cut-off date, and it happened ¡°some time¡± after puberty. A small mystery. Not really relevant, at least not directly, since he couldn¡¯t direct anyone¡¯s skills. Whether or not the four had obtained their final stats and begun leveling at age 18, 17, or 15, it ultimately didn¡¯t matter now. Meanwhile, while Johanna Milton was greeting her own family, he watched Donnall doing more or less the same. He¡¯d expected the other two to head to their own families, but for some reason, they hadn¡¯t done so. It looked like Vogel and Welter were going to stay with their own boy/girlfriends or whatever. Based on the names from the descriptors, it didn¡¯t look like they were already married or anything like that, but it was hard to guess from his perspective. After offering a prayer of thanks, the whole family started digging into the bowls of stew from Johanna¡¯s mother. Johanna listened to the relatively innocuous gossip. There wasn¡¯t much new anyway, since she¡¯d been there during the solstice¡¯s Saint John¡¯s Eve six weeks ago, dropping the spring savings into her stockpile. ¡°Wait, so Mark is finally getting married?¡± she asked. ¡°Old man Vanu dropped an ultimatum. Mark finally settled for the hand of Eva Nick from Avon.¡± ¡°Man was picking a girl in every village,¡± Tom laughed. ¡°Good for him to pick the right village.¡± ¡°She was your neighbor next door, I think?¡± Johanna asked. ¡°Two years older than me. It¡¯s high time she landed him.¡± ¡°The marriage¡¯s set for the equinox,¡± Johanna¡¯s mother said, looking significantly at her. Tom came to her rescue immediately. ¡°Going to have our house by next summer, certainly. That¡¯s when we can think about it.¡± ¡°Finally.¡± ¡°Yes. Not saying you can anticipate for the next solstice yet, but¡­¡± he added. ¡°You¡¯re still careful?¡± Johanna¡¯s mother asked. ¡°I¡¯m keeping track of the days. I know it¡¯s not perfect, but it works so far,¡± she said. ¡°And if it fails, it advances one date and pushes back the less important one,¡± Tom said. ¡°Hey, getting a house is important! That¡¯s why it comes first!¡± Tom raised his hands in mock defeat, bringing a smile to her brother¡¯s face. The future head of the Milton farmhouse liked Tom, and he¡¯d tried to convince him to dissuade her from running away, and stay to help on the farm. ¡°Who you think I¡¯m going to listen to? You or her?¡± he¡¯d simply replied, more than once. Loran had finally admitted defeat but never lost his shine to his future brother-in-law. ¡°But don¡¯t worry. Even though we¡¯re going to move away from here, I wouldn¡¯t let you down. This is my old home, I¡¯ll have Pastor Vanu officiate, and everyone will be invited.¡± ¡°Easy words since I¡¯ll probably get to organize everything,¡± Loran said with a mock pout. ¡°Get help from Donnall. I know Peter said he¡¯d do it on the same day.¡± ¡°Double marriage. It hasn¡¯t happened in, what¡­ thirty years?¡± Johanna almost asked to stop planning, because who knew what could happen, but she realized that things had indeed already happened. It shouldn¡¯t affect their plans¡­ But yes. Who knows. Once the kids were dismissed and her brother had gone to make sure everything was okay for the night, her father threw a look at her. Obviously, Johanna¡¯s mother had told him she had some kind of problem. While her older brother was already taking more and more of a role in the running of the farm, Bram Milton was still the family¡¯s patriarch, after grandpa passed away three years ago. ¡°We ran into a problem. Two, in fact.¡± ¡°Two?¡± ¡°The second one might be the more immediately troublesome. We ran into a pack of Lepus on the road from Valetta.¡± Her father startled. ¡°A Lepus colony?¡± ¡°Nine beasts.¡± Her father whistled softly. ¡°That¡¯s trouble, indeed. A significant migration. And Mayor Anasta needs to be warned about that. If that pack comes around¡­¡± Johanna grimaced slightly before announcing, ¡°They won¡¯t.¡± ¡°What do you mean they won¡¯t?¡± ¡°We¡­ got attacked and fought them off. And killed the entire pack.¡± The look her father threw her was telling. ¡°That¡¯s the other problem,¡± she admitted. ¡°Not to say that you¡¯re not good, dear, but killing nine Lepus with you four? Without heavy crossbows and proper weapons?¡± her mother asked, ignoring her statement. Then her eyes widened. ¡°Your jacket?¡± ¡°Yes. One of them gored me with its horn.¡± ¡°WHAT?¡± her father exclaimed. ¡°If you¡¯re wounded, you should have told us earlier. Maria Vanu isn¡¯t a city doctor, but she¡¯s good.¡± ¡°I¡¯m okay, mom. Laura fixed me quickly during the battle.¡± Johanna¡¯s two parents looked at each other before her mother took the lead. ¡°You¡¯re not making sense. What do you mean fixed you?¡± ¡°As I said¡­ that¡¯s our second problem.¡± She turned her palm up and reached into her feeling for the magic. The flame burst above her palm, as she¡¯d expected by now. A three-inch condensed flame, ramrod-straight, barely flickering, unlike a candle or anything natural. Both her parents flinched. ¡°What???¡± ¡°I can do that. That¡¯s how we could deal with the Lepus. Partially.¡± ¡°How can you even make fire in your hand?¡± Ada Milton asked. But her father said it first. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ a sorceress? How is that even possible?¡± 16. Sow and Reap We trust in God to grant us what we need most. Wisdom of the Ancients, Book 1 ¡°So, you got into a big Manastorm.¡± ¡°Not quite. It was very localized, just in that room, springing from that Ancient skeleton,¡± Johanna insisted. ¡°And now you can shoot fire from your hand,¡± her mother repeated, still not quite believing her own eyes. Bram Milton looked at Tom, who looked embarrassed at explaining himself. ¡°Am not flashy. My fist just does a lot more damage than it ought to. And I can run to any beast faster than anyone should be able to. I can barely control myself when I do that,¡± he added, surprising Johanna. ¡°And Peter¡¯s girlfriend is a holy saint,¡± Bram said. ¡°She fixed me almost instantly after the Lepus almost ripped my ribcage. It¡¯s as if everything went back to its proper position on its own. And even without that¡­¡± She raised her hand, where they¡¯d experimented. Her father looked at it, before frowning, realizing what was missing. ¡°Yea, that nasty fall¡¯s scar from when I was seven and climbing the apple tree is gone. She just ran her fingers over it, and it was gone like it never happened. Old wounds, new wounds, it¡¯s all the same.¡± Her mother stayed silent for a few seconds before asking further. ¡°What does the young Donnall do?¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard to express. It¡¯s like he turns somehow invisible.¡± ¡°WHAT?¡± ¡°Unless you are specifically aware he¡¯s there, you don¡¯t notice him. At least if he doesn¡¯t want you to.¡± ¡°And beasts always miss him, I¡¯d say. I¡¯ve noticed he¡¯s very good at not being bitten or hit,¡± Tom added. Johanna¡¯s father stayed pensive for a while until she started fretting and he gathered his thoughts. ¡°I¡¯ve always thought people should stop worrying about mana. The old stories of the Fall were that, old stories. That¡¯s why I thought your idea good, Jo. Unless you go seeking trouble, like going north or southeast, the modern world is safe.¡± He sighed and held his hand before she could answer. ¡°But that¡¯s not true, isn¡¯t it?¡± Johanna grimaced. ¡°It¡¯s not that bad.¡± ¡°No. You got changed¡­ Changed, but not into some kind of monsters like some. At least there¡¯s that.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve seen one Changed person,¡± she said. ¡°A¡­ Dwarf?... at Valetta.¡± ¡°There¡¯s worse things than Dwarves, you know?¡± Bram replied. ¡°Maybe we¡¯re safe and sheltered here, but the world is full of awful things,¡± her mother added. ¡°Which. I. Am. Not.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not saying you are. This changes everything, still.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to. I mean¡­ we¡¯re still the same. Right, Tom?¡± ¡°Unless I¡¯m trying to hit something, definitively.¡± Her father contemplated Johanna for a long time, and she decided right there to skip demonstrating the fire immunity. Taking some burning log from the fireplace and holding it in her hand to show further change was definitively not going to help in this discussion with her parents. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll probably talk more about this tomorrow. I need to think about it,¡± her father finally said. ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°And the first thing we¡¯ll do is talk with Ellis Anasta.¡± ¡°Uh, why does the mayor need to know about this?¡± ¡°Those Lepus you talked about, not your¡­ change. That encounter¡¯s something that the village needs to know about. If that colony needed to move, there¡¯s trouble brewing somewhere.¡± Knowing she was dismissed somehow, Johanna stood up, grasped Tom¡¯s hand and they both headed upstairs. Sleep was elusive that night, despite spooning with Tom. And when it came, it was filled with skeletons grabbing her, holding her, and opening her torso to shove flames in it. Flames which burned a cold, blue, flame laced with strange light streams of no color. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. As the activity wound down, and everyone went to sleep, Douglas Moore made a mental checklist of what the evening had brought him. He definitively approved of Donnall, who had used the first opportunity to sneak out, using his Reconnaissance skill to prowl around the village. Not only did it increase Donnall¡¯s personal XP, but that also gave Moore a better view of the local area. The oppressive, packed locale was a bit weird. He was still slowly building a picture of the post-apocalypse world, but it was obvious that man wasn¡¯t the top dog ¨C or Canid ¨C anymore. The defended wooden enclosures hinted at more environmental threats rather than ongoing bandits or warlords, but serious ones. Ones that couldn¡¯t be easily eliminated, as man was wont to do once it settled anywhere. The local hamlet, who didn¡¯t seem to have a name written anywhere as far as he could see, was an obvious demonstration of the fact. The twenty-some homes that comprised it were all jammed together within the palisade, and nobody was living outside. The only building he¡¯d seen out of any form of protective enclosure was that burned-out farm, and obviously, it had suffered some kind of disaster. And, once again, like in that small town, nobody was sporting a gun. Oh, as a city dweller in the 21st century, he understood why not having a gun around could be normal. He never had felt the pressing need of owning that kind of stuff, unlike a handful of gun nuts he¡¯d known during college and university, trying to drag him to a firing range ¡°for fun¡±. Rifles for hunting, yes. For fun? Not his definition of fun. Fun was running a whirlwind barbarian across hordes of skeletons and minotaurs. But after an apocalypse, and facing what looked like serious threats, like mutant wolves and lagomorphic monsters, this was definitively not right. Even if you lacked the industry to make some serious guns, you¡¯d expect salvaged guns to be handed to guards. Guns were too powerful not to be used, and in the worst case, salvagers like his team should be bringing in all the ammo you needed for defense. Unless the ruins were so old, the ammo wasn¡¯t useable anymore? That was a mystery for him that needed further digging, and he desperately hoped someone would open a book explaining it. Back in the town, when Welter had perused the books, he¡¯d hoped to see interesting stuff, but that inn¡¯s shelf was all about novels. The one he¡¯d settled on was some kind of fantasy ¨C or maybe history? ¨C about a poor man trying to hoard a cache left by his ancestors of awesome unbreakable tools from the ¡°Fall¡±. Which he assumed was a direct allusion to whatever the apocalypse had been. Given the right context, it might even have been interesting to read. At least Welter hadn¡¯t picked a romance novel. In terms of System stuff, he¡¯d mainly confirmed the Fibonacci progression. Milton¡¯s obvious parents had been level 6, and required the expected 13 thousand XP for their next level ¨C XP which both of them had, and more, to Moore¡¯s dismay ¨C and one positively ancient withered figure in the Donnall¡¯s household had been at 9th level, with 55k XP needed for a potential level 10. But nobody had a specialization, and nobody the four hugged or greeted had a skill he could spot, even if most had somehow allocated a stat point or more. Still, he wouldn¡¯t begrudge them the stay at home. The world was obviously a dangerous place to be, and one needed the safety and comfort of home and family. The sights had brought him some nostalgia and regrets about his own family. His only sister had settled on the east coast, and the only time they saw each other was at Thanksgiving with the parents in Seattle. Which was pretty much the only time he saw them as well. And all of them had probably died decades ago, even if they¡¯d survived the apocalypse. If there were more people stuck in some kind of afterlife like he was, they were entirely separate from himself. His abstracted space held nothing, not even himself in any way he could perceive. Just infinitely distant lines that became close when he looked at one of the windows they bordered. The mayor was cranky, as he swallowed dark tea. ¡°What¡¯s this shit you¡¯re bringing me, Bram?¡± ¡°Jo¡¯s spotted a colony of Lepus. Coming from up north.¡± The top man of the village who bore his family¡¯s name looked at Johanna as if she¡¯d decided to offend him personally. ¡°Those won¡¯t be a problem, but¡­¡± ¡°But the problem may still be there, that¡¯s what you¡¯re saying,¡± he interrupted. Johanna grimaced, not adding anything. ¡°Just what I need. Five years of peace, and it looked like the north had stopped spewing its shite on us for a while. You know, I¡¯d talked to Virtu and Mirosc, and it looked like Valetta was on board.¡± ¡°About what?¡± she asked. ¡°Valetta¡¯s growing, and one day, they¡¯re going to need more food than we can sell them. I¡¯m all for expanding, but there¡¯s only so much folk like us can grow within walking distance of our walls, and the sorry excuses of fields they have around their own wall aren¡¯t going to feed them. People are starting to think of grabbing the area where old fool Poole made his grave. But properly, not like a farm in the woods to be targeted by some wandering pack of horrors. A good palisade, some good houses, and a place for a couple dozen second or third children families to settle and build the land properly.¡± She looked at her father, surprised at hearing this. ¡°Yea. It¡¯s been talked around since Valetta started saying they¡¯d pay for some of the starting capital. Builder gangs to help, good tools, that kind of thing. The main condition is that they¡¯d get some citizens settled there, not just farmers¡¯ sons and daughters,¡± Bram acknowledged. ¡°They don¡¯t want the land to remain in our hands forever, that¡¯s what they mean,¡± she opined. ¡°I¡¯d sooner trust a Changed than a city slicker to do the land justice, but they¡¯ll learn,¡± the mayor replied. ¡°It¡¯s a cheap price. If they fail, someone else better can move in to pick the deeds. And if they succeed, two generations from this, they¡¯ll be decent folk, notably if they¡¯re surrounded by some good ones. But if we have things from the north stirring up again, those city mongers will not want to risk their citizens in the wilds,¡± Bram Milton said. ¡°There are always people willing to strike out,¡± she said. ¡°Yea, but can they pay for the tool, seeds, and everything?¡± The mayor spat to the side, which barely shocked Johanna. The man had always been a crude one, like his forefathers, apparently. Yet Ellis Anasta had undeniable authority. His family had always been pragmatic and practical, ever since the founding of Anasta¡¯s Farms just after the Fall if you believed the stories. ¡°So what?¡± Bram asked. ¡°So what? It¡¯s not as if we can do things. A handful of Canids ranging around, I¡¯d call upon Valetta¡¯s finest exterminators and dangle some silver. But nobody¡¯s going to hunt for colonies of Lepus in the woods.¡± The Miltons¡¯ patriarch shrugged at that. Then they took their leave from the mayor, heading out. ¡°Now what?¡± Johanna asked. ¡°You tell me. You want to head back to your ruins? After what happened?¡± She grimaced. She knew they needed the money, but the change in their lives was ¨C even if she hadn¡¯t admitted it to her friends ¨C unsettling. ¡°Thought so. I¡¯ll talk with your brother to see if he agrees, but we may advance harvest. The weather hasn¡¯t been cooperative recently, and that¡¯s the first two weeks of decent sun we¡¯ve had, but¡­ if we get Lepus around, it might be time to fill the silos, no matter what. The only one who harvested early is Donnall, and that¡¯s mostly because he wants to have more time later and he doesn¡¯t do much grain or corn anyway, it¡¯s just enough for his own use.¡± He looked at her, inquiring. ¡°Think you want to stay and help?¡± 17. Harvest The farmer has to be an optimist, or he wouldn¡¯t still be a farmer. Pre-Fall quip ¡°My dad¡¯s going to be smug,¡± Peter said as the four sat under the awning in front of his family¡¯s house in the waning light of the afternoon. ¡°Well, my brother¡¯s convinced father to wait a week to let the grain grow a bit more. Small grain is going to sell for shit in Valetta, he says. And I can agree with him somewhat. After all, just because we saw a colony of Lepus doesn¡¯t mean the critters are pouring out of the north,¡± Johanna said. Tom and Laura stayed out of the conversation, nursing the sweetened apple bubbly juice recipe from the Donnalls¡¯ household. Neither had real skin in the game, although Tom had a first cousin married in Anasta, and Laura once said she¡¯d got some sort of relative there. The endless mixing between all of the farming hubs surrounding Valetta didn¡¯t automatically mean everybody was your immediate family. Just a distant one. ¡°I¡¯m okay with staying here for a while. If that¡¯s what you think you need,¡± Peter added. ¡°What? No. I¡¯m fine. We¡¯re all fine, right?¡± she replied, looking around. Nobody contradicted her, so she settled back, sipping the drink before continuing. ¡°We set out because nobody wanted to work on a farm not our own. Although the mayor¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯re all so far down the inheritance list, nobody¡¯s going to bother calling on us,¡± Laura noted. ¡°I heard rumors in Virtu about those new farms last year, but I know for sure nobody is going to offer me a chance on that one. Not with two older brothers chomping at the bit, and that¡¯s with our older sister dying when I was ten.¡± Johanna couldn¡¯t fault her friend. For all her easygoing disposition, she had a sharp mind, and you couldn¡¯t fool her. Tom, a fourth child, might get a pass on the ladder of inheritance, but that meant most of his older siblings died. No, like anyone in their position, they had to rely on making their own opportunities, carving their own niche outside of the established ones. And that meant going back to scavenge the Ancient ruins, no matter how nice relaxing in Anasta sounded. The previous earnings stockpile wasn¡¯t still enough for the future they¡¯d been envisioning. Slowly getting close, but not enough. ¡°So. You want to stay for a week and help?¡± Tom asked. ¡°Not sure. It¡¯s all so complicated now.¡± ¡°Staying isn¡¯t going to change things,¡± Peter offered. ¡°Yea, I know¡­¡± she started, before the young Jake Donnall, Peter¡¯s nephew, ran to the household like he was hunted by his sister. ¡°Peter! Warn dad! Trouble!¡± ¡°Wait, what trouble?¡± he replied, but the boy had already bolted around the house, and they heard his shouts further in. They all looked at each other, then, as one, shook their heads, stood and rushed toward the village¡¯s entrance. There was nothing special going on when they reached the gate into Anasta, but Peter was quick to point at a handful of figures running toward them. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Johanna heard from behind, recognizing her father¡¯s voice. ¡°No idea.¡± Two farmers reached the gate, and they learned what was happening. ¡°Lepus!¡± ¡°Shit,¡± she heard from one of the other farmers coming from the Anasta enclosure. ¡°Looks like your warning was barely in time,¡± her father added. ¡°That was the vanguard then. We¡¯ve got to defend the fields if the rest is coming,¡± she stated. ¡°Too much still there. If it was some predator, maybe, but those oversized rabbits are hell¡¯s own punishment,¡± one of the farmers confirmed. Then the man reached to the shed next to the gate, opening it, and pulling a crossbow and a pack of bolts. Johanna turned to her father, reflexively flexing her hand in anticipation. ¡°We can help.¡± ¡°What? Goddam, no.¡± ¡°Why not? You know we can¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not having my daughter wade into beasts. Even if you can do better than me,¡± he said, bringing odd looks from the other farmers who were grabbing weapons. She glowered at her father. ¡°You might¡­ pick a spear, at least.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°It¡¯s safer. You¡¯ve seen what these beasts can do.¡± ¡°But I¡­¡± Tom reached and pulled a large mace-like hammer rather than a weapon. Bram Milton looked at him oddly, as he weighed the oversized tool. ¡°I think I¡¯m better at blunt stuff more than spears.¡± Then another pair of men turned around the palisade, screaming alarm, and all of them realized that what they had on their hands might be bigger than one rampaging colony of Lepus. The four of them had ended up separated, as Johanna and Tom headed northeast to help. Peter and Laura had rushed along with the larger group toward the original pack, and Johanna had felt a little bit of fear when she realized her friend wouldn¡¯t be there to deal with any wounds that would occur. But then, people usually didn¡¯t have the recourse of having a saint to heal them. You fought on, to preserve your livelihood. If you let the beasts overrun your area, you starved, and she doubted ¡°Saint¡± Laura could conjure bread or multiply fishes like the Lord once did. So, she ran. Beasts from the North were always dangerous, and people died. So when the call came, you did what you needed to. She spotted the shapes of the beasts quickly enough. The dozen or so farmers alongside her pointed, with their spears and pikes. She exchanged a brief look with Tom and then tried to speed up. So far, the beasts were simply rummaging, checking the opportunities they¡¯d just discovered, looking as if they had just entered the Holy Land. She spotted one that looked like it was munching on corn stalks. While the wheat was going to be harvestable now if you wanted to, the corn wasn¡¯t mature yet, but that didn¡¯t seem to faze the Lepus. One of the beasts noticed the approaching farmer and raised his horn, emitting the shrill cry that Johanna recognized from their encounter on the road. The dozen that she could see started to get agitated, but what worried her were the half dozen additional horns that suddenly poked out from the cornrows, indicating that more Lepuses were rooting around. Then the first farmer reached the first Lepus, reaching with his pike into the side of the beast, who jumped up, jerking the long blade. The cry of pain caused all of the beasts to turn toward the village defenders. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Then, Tom raised his mace toward the closest Lepus and ran like lightning, passing the bemused farmers, hitting and bowling the beast who convulsed in shock at the hit, bone at its side caved, and the battle began in earnest as the beasts started moving against what they recognized as a threat. The pack of Lepus that Peter was facing was still pouring out of the woods. Peter had picked a spear as well, although he was pretty sure he could get in closer range and still avoid too much damage. He was not 100% convinced, but Tom had made a good remark about him being much more adept at avoiding being mauled by whatever beast was around than just his small frame could account for. Worst case, he had Laura at his side. With her along, the fighters of his village would do good. Anasta would have its harvests safe against the depredations of the mutated beasts. And they wouldn¡¯t have to pay for that triumph, like five years ago, when his brother came home crying. Three large beasts ran out of the forest, attracted by the shrill cries of the Lepus colony. Seeing this, the troop of defenders instinctively packed closer. The massive newcomers ran toward their comrades, who moved out the way by instinct. Peter shivered. Maybe he could try to avoid being hit by the beasts, but the rest of the farmers from home would not have his advantages. And besides, they were there to drive them away, not to just avoid being hit. Two of the beasts detached themselves from the pack and joined the large ones, starting a gallop across the field toward them. Despite their resolve, the defenders flinched as the massive Lepus bounced between the stalks of grain. ¡°Fuck me¡­¡± Peter heard from the side, which struck him as funny, as it was not quite the normal circumstances for that one phrase from Laura. Then the Lepus slowed their charges, seemingly hesitating. One of the farmers took advantage of it, unloading a crossbow bolt onto the forward beast. The Lepus shrilled as the shaft buried itself on its side and started to sprint toward the annoying biped, only to slow and shrink on itself as it came at them. Peter frowned because the beast wasn¡¯t behaving as he¡¯d expected. The Lepus yesterday had been very disorganized, attacking without much of a focus, but none had hesitated to go after them. The group of farmers was much larger, true. The other Lepus reached his range and he speared forward. He¡¯d intended to hit and incapacitate the beast first, but his spear¡­ slid, and buried itself straight into the Lepus¡¯ neck, and the Lepus convulsed, mortally wounded. The other farmer ¨C his uncle, actually, he just realized ¨C speared the other beast, but with less success. The Lepus shrank away, but more beasts were coming at them. ¡°Stand fast,¡± a farmer yelled, and Peter pushed his spear forward. Moore was watching each of his four windows as the horde of critters was showing up everywhere. If he¡¯d found the giant horned Lepuses funny the first time ¨C at least until they gored Milton ¨C the sight of an even bigger army of the critters was way more frightening than any videogame sequence featuring level 1 rabbits had any right to. That was the kind of stuff the wall was obviously made for, yet they had come out to fight. The sight of a Lepus ripping a cornstalk told him why. The grain was still in the fields, and giant predatory rabbits could be as bad a rain of locusts, he guessed. The team had split, grabbing weapons of all kinds, and rushed to help the village defend against the hordes of level 1 Lepuses coming upon them. And that offered him yet another different perspective on the System as they all fought separately in pairs. XP came in small bursts as each critter died and it was all kind of mixed, not rounded numbers, which probably meant that the other farmers, whose descriptors he couldn¡¯t access at the moment, got a share of the XP based on some kind of participation. The 500XP per critter level wasn¡¯t even a straight split even with rounding, obeying some unknown, more complex formula. The one constant thing was that both of the team members in each spot got the same XP, and the same amount ended in the global pool. Meaning it would be easier to correct imbalances between the pairs. The chaos of the Lepus attack was rising, and Johanna was slowly backing away. Dozens of beasts were joining the melee, and the eleven or so of farmers were desperately pushing their pikes and spears at the mass of feral critters. Tom had to retreat into the circle of protective spears, after smashing a large Lepus, with the audible crack of bone as the beast fell to the side, not dead but completely incapacitated by broken limbs. She debated starting to pull out the fire, but she had to grab her pike with both hands as one Lepus threatened to break through the protection. If she had a lighter pike that could be used one-handed¡­ The big problem Moore had was Johanna Milton. Rather than use her flame blowtorch attack, she¡¯d somehow settled on a kind of spear that her father had handed her. Meaning that, unlike Welter next to her, she didn¡¯t play to her strengths. Of course, that was also a better defensive setup, given the sheer number of enemies, but the best defense was always initiative and offense. Slowly the XP was adding as the farmers managed to kill a Lepus here and there at the point of their pikes, even if some moments were harrowing. And finally, it reached the threshold he needed. Time slowed again as he pushed into the interface for what he¡¯d spotted yesterday and skipped over from lack of global XP. The total of global and her own experience was finally at 3002, meaning he could give Milton a level and something to boost her capacity, at least for this fight.
Flaming Blade Requires: Dexterity 16/Authority 16/Level 4
Effective: 1 ¡Á Dexterity + Level (adds 20 mana) Passive: Grant bodily immunity to fire, up to 500¡ãF (current max 680¡ã) Active: Create a flame of maximum temperature surrounding a bladed weapon. The weapon remains immune to burning or melting while covered. Active cost: 1 mana per 20 seconds
He validated the new skill immediately, and then switched back to Donnall¡¯s perspective. He was the only one with an additional skill point and now enough personal XP for at least one stat, and maybe there would be something¡­ The tip of the pike bursting into flame as she tried to deflect a Lepus surprised Johanna. She almost dropped the weapon from the shock, before she realized she now had her flame again, just at the tip of her weapon. The Lepus tried to move away, and she slashed downward, the flame burning across the fur and causing the beast to emit a shrill cry of pain. She took the opportunity and stabbed, the flame burying itself into the side and the Lepus convulsed in shock, falling to the side. She turned back toward the other and caught the wide-eyed stares of the others. The only one unfazed was Tom, who took the flame in stride and bashed a close beast, with a slightly sickening crunch as his hammer connected. She fell on the flank of the Lepus pack that was away from the field, where her flaming pike could be used to disrupt the attacking beasts without risking the grain, and the other farmers managed to immediately take the opportunity, stabbing and spearing the beasts distracted by the swirling fire. Tom moved to the side, and together, they made a kind of pincer, while the core of the Anastan fighters pushed at the center of the horde. Thomas Grant almost screamed again as he felt his leg shift, the weird sensation of the femur knitting itself into a single piece. He looked at the girl from Virtu, flinching and freezing in shock. Part of Thomas felt she looked like a pretty normal girl, and another part of him knew there was a terrible menace welling from behind her face. Then she turned her gaze away, and the adrenaline dropped. He looked at the Donnall boy and wondered how he¡¯d picked such a monster. He has to know, right? He reached, grabbing the pike he¡¯d been holding when the Lepus had ripped his leg and used it to stand back, before rejoining the other farmers, and suddenly realizing he didn¡¯t even limp, torn trousers the only trace of the injury. Moore had managed to rope in his impulse to allocate more skills in a panic. Trying to find a skill to allocate to Peter Donnall had been a frustrating experience, even with the added time of using the interface. Unlike Vogel and Milton, whose mana-oriented focus seemed to allow for a wide variety of skills and stats, melee skills using non-physical stats were few and mostly situational. Pay Attention, which was the one that popped when searching for Empathy-focused skills for a Discreet was weird, used mana instead of stamina, and raised all kinds of red flags when it came to a consistent build. In fact, all ¨C well all of three visible so far up ¨C Discreet-enabled skills relying on Empathy seemed to use mana instead of stamina, unlike the rest of the skills. He felt better when the first Lepus started fleeing from Donnall and Vogel, and he knew the battle was won. The farmers pursued the fleeing beasts still, unwilling to let the threat survive to come back later, and he approved. Only a pair of Lepus managed to slip into the forest, where the farmers finally stopped pursuing. Welter and Milton had faced fewer beasts, but they¡¯d done very well too. Corpses with burns and caved-in skulls demonstrated the proficiency of the pair, even if Welter had gotten his shirt and trousers ripped and blood flowed from a few scrapes with Lepus horns. Well, Vogel would fix him, once they rejoined. Right now, she was touching up the slightly battered farmers of her side, who usually flinched when experiencing her healing touch. The experience gains had not been enormous, though, considering the massive scale of the fight. Much had been diluted by the presence of the farmers. Although, all in all, they still got over 2000 each during the battle, and almost 3k XP was still remaining in the global pool after his emergency allocation. As the fighters slowly made their way back, he finally brought up again the interfaces. Milton still had a free skill point, and enough personal XP that he could raise her Agility to 16 and grant her Earthbind, which did not fit the fire theme he was pursuing but gave her some defenses. ¡°Root¡±-type spells were always useful¡­ He also raised Vogel¡¯s level and added Agility as well this time. Cleanse Toxins had a good multiplier and would be helpful in a variety of situations. Since the skill mentioned both toxins and poisons, it had to work on fatigue build-up, stress, and all kind of stuff, hopefully. And provide non-combat XP. Almost as an afterthought, he raised Welter to level 4. He needed 3000 additional XP to raise Dexterity as well and give him a skill there, but the level was still going to increase a little bit his fighting prowess. Donnall was going to wait for the allocation of his last point, as it was going to be a long haul until he got enough to give him 16 Strength. Things are shaping up nicely. They already make a difference, even at level 4. 18. Fallout No good deed goes unpunished. Pre-Fall saying Ellis Anasta was there in Milton¡¯s house as the four were gathered. And he was glowering at them, unjustly in Johanna¡¯s opinion. ¡°What else did you omit?¡± he growled. ¡°Nothing. I mean, we fought the Lepus yesterday. We didn¡¯t see any of the others.¡± ¡°And you used flames to fight them?¡± the mayor asked, looking pointedly at Johanna. ¡°Well¡­ yes? I know, I¡¯m a sorceress now¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard of the sorcerers, like that one in the capital. Always thought there was nothing natural about it. Mist walkers, earth shapers¡­ and flame bringers now,¡± Ellis growled. ¡°Look, Ellis, we¡¯ve saved the harvest and lost nobody¡­¡± Bram interjected. ¡°Assuming we don¡¯t have another wave of those hell beasts. Who knows how many have bred up north,¡± Ellis countered and Bram winced. Johanna stayed silent. She knew nothing any of them could say would affect the Mayor¡¯s opinion. She just had to leave him to unwind, maybe realize that no one had died and that Anasta had gotten off lightly. After ranting a bit more about beasts from the mana, the mayor finally left. Once Ellis had left in the waning light, Bram Milton looked back at Johanna and her friends. ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me you could do that.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t. I mean¡­ I couldn¡¯t do that. I think.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Dad. I swear. I. Did. Not. Know.¡± ¡°And Laura couldn¡¯t stop Lepuses in their tracks. At least not yesterday,¡± Peter came to her rescue. ¡°Would been helpful. At least you wouldn¡¯t been gored,¡± Tom added. ¡°So¡­ this is all new?¡± ¡°It feels like,¡± Johanna answered her father. ¡°But how? You¡¯re not in those mana-infested ruins.¡± Johanna stayed silent and looked at her friends. None of them seemed to have any idea either. ¡°I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s not as if people know exactly how magic works. It¡¯s all invisible¡­ well, at least normally.¡± ¡°You said you can see magic,¡± her father noted. ¡°And I didn¡¯t see any trace of it. Not like the ruins, or back in Valetta. And none of the Lepus seemed to do magic anyway. They were ordinary Lepuses, as far as I can tell.¡± Bram Milton¡¯s fingers drummed on the chair¡¯s arm. He finally sighed. ¡°You did good, Jo. All of you. Hopefully, there¡¯s no other horde coming, like Ellis fears.¡± ¡°Anytime. It¡¯s home after all.¡± ¡°I thought it not being your farm was the point of working away¡­¡± her father said, a small smile belying the seriousness of his words. ¡°Dad!¡± ¡°Yea. I¡¯m proud¡­ I mean, having a sorceress in the family is something.¡± She smiled back, as Tom squeezed her hand. ¡°I still think I got the better deal,¡± Peter suddenly added. Johanna turned to look at him, just in time to see Laura smacking his head. ¡°Want me to cancel that deal?¡± ¡°What? No!¡± She and Tom burst out laughing, and the underlying tension slowly dissipated. Johanna was still feeling stiff even after a full night, and fiddling with her breakfast when the noise from the front of the house began. Her brother, then her father stood and went to investigate, and she kept swirling the spoon until she heard shouts and loud voices coming from the door. She exchanged looks with Tom and rose, before quickly putting back her bowl on the table before her mother could make a remark. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! When she reached the door, she stopped at the sight. There were probably thirty people massed in front of the house, looking quite agitated. And as soon as she was silhouetted in the doorframe, Turner Howell ¨C one of their closest neighbors ¨C pointed toward her, shouting ¡°Here she is!¡± She was startled at the finger being jabbed toward her. ¡°Goddam Bram, couldn¡¯t you¡­¡± ¡°Told ya¡­¡± ¡°You should have kept your kid in check¡­¡± Her father shouted back covering the various voices talking over each other. ¡°Stop it. You forgot how she helped yesterday already?¡± ¡°Yea, and she caused it!¡± ¡°She almost burned out my field!¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have sent her in those ruins¡­¡± Bundt, the terrier, was bewildered. On the one hand, the dog knew everyone in Anasta, got pet by all those shouting people, and he could tell they were angry. On the other hand, they were shouting at his masters, and the woman they hosted last winter and played with him when the snow was thick and he couldn¡¯t go out. His head was whipping back and forth, trying to make sense of the confusion and what was the threat. Johanna spotted Mayor Anasta in the mob. Ellis frowned as soon as he noticed her gaze, before growling at her father. ¡°Bram, you shouldn¡¯t have let her go into those mana places.¡± ¡°And why?¡± ¡°She got Changed for sure. And I¡¯m sure all those Changed beasts followed her,¡± another farmer said. ¡°Yea. It¡¯s been five years, and then that big colony shows up as soon as she arrives?¡± ¡°Bunk! Like large colonies have never happened before,¡± Bram Milton shouted back. ¡°Nobody from Anasta went to those ruins.¡± ¡°Not true. The Milton line has been there since the founding, and I know people did scavenge back¡­¡± ¡°Well, my line¡¯s been there too. And no one went to the hellholes of the Ancients voluntarily!¡± said Shaun Ficher from the rear of the crowd. ¡°What the¡­¡± Johanna heard from behind, as Tom reached her. ¡°Hey, that¡¯s the boy from Avon.¡± ¡°He knew! He even brought a hammer instead of a weapon!¡± ¡°Mana calls to mana.¡± ¡°Just because I may be a sorceress¡­¡± Johanna tried to reply, only to be shouted down. ¡°As if!¡± ¡°All those sorcerers take decades to gain power! Everyone knows!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not waiting until you bring a manastorm, and the orchard has to be redone as my grandpa needed to!¡± ¡°So what?¡± Bram Milton replied back, angrily. Johanna rolled her eyes tiredly and exhaled slowly. Then she put her hand on her father¡¯s arm, stopping him from shouting further. ¡°Dad, don¡¯t. We¡¯ll leave.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to, Jo.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to fight all of Anasta. That¡­ that can¡¯t work out.¡± She turned back to the mob, shouting. ¡°You get what you want. You don¡¯t want us, you won¡¯t see us. Now leave us alone!¡± She sighed deeply. A handful of people started to leave but most kept watching her warily. The scene only lacked pitchforks and torches to be more caricatural. Well, it was morning, so no torches. But it was so obviously a mob of angry peasants, gathered at the Milton household as if he was some wicked lord that needed overthrowing. Moore was sure the farmers should have been grateful, since his team had obviously turned the battle, sparing the village from the worst of the attack of the giant Lepuses. And Vogel¡¯s healing afterward should have been appreciated. Yet, they were angry at something, and he couldn¡¯t figure out what or why. Again, without sound, he didn¡¯t get any details, just the general feeling. And the weirding out at seeing the unnamed old man they¡¯d been talking to yesterday jumping from ¡°level 6 human¡± to ¡°level 7 human¡± overnight. How does that even happen? I didn¡¯t even see him fighting? Did he? Some conclusion had been reached, and he saw Bram Milton closing the door on the mob, which let him not-breathe more easily. At least the ugly mob scene was avoided. The double view from Donnall¡¯s household was much better though. He was currently discussing something with his father, Vogel at his side, and it seemed very serious, but there wasn¡¯t any mob camping at the door. Then he realized that Milton was shoving clothes hurriedly in a bag, and Welter was headed to Donnall¡¯s place, and he realized suddenly what was coming. When Bram Milton and his wife hugged their daughter fiercely, her father handing an additional large bag which she shouldered, his non-heart sank. Wait¡­ They¡¯re being thrown out? After saving their village? WTF is wrong with these people? The two farmers who were heading out to the fields, presumably for early harvesting, flinched when Johanna and her friends reached the gate, and she did her best to ignore them. ¡°Want to head to Avon? Or Virtu?¡± she finally asked. ¡°I know my dad. All he¡¯ll say is ¡®not my problem¡¯ and ¡®deal with it¡¯,¡± Tom replied. Laura shrugged. ¡°Not that I don¡¯t want to rush to mom and tell her everything, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to help.¡± They started toward the road. A few other farmers were already at work in the fields, but they didn¡¯t look at them, being too focused on the harvesters and the oxen pulling it. Everyone was busy¡­ and probably still cursing them. ¡°Want me to carry?¡± Tom asked. Johanna had to admit that both her travel bag and the one in which she¡¯d stored all their savings were cumbersome. She stopped and dropped the money bag from her shoulder, sighing in relief. As Tom hoisted the bag, she noticed a corner of paper showing on a pocket sewn to the side of the bag. She stopped him and pulled on the paper, unfolding it. It was hastily scribed.
Jo, I know you didn¡¯t want charity, even from your father. I respect that, I expect nothing else from a daughter of mine. But you need a home now, not when you¡¯re ready to pay for it. I know you won¡¯t accept money, but I can provide you with a backing guarantee. It offends everyone, but take a loan from Valetta. Get good terms, keep a nest of money. And be yourself. Your father.
There was another piece of paper, one more formal, very cleanly written in ink, signed, including an amount that was significant as an upper bound. Essentially, Johanna¡¯s father was agreeing to be collateral to a loan, promising to repay if she defaulted. No, if they defaulted, since that was pretty much a common effort by all four of them, as it had been since the beginning when they¡¯d made those plans with Tom, and then roped in Peter and his brand-new girlfriend at the time. She felt the blur pooling at the edge of her eyes as they silently walked the road toward the border of the forest area, on the road toward Valetta. 19. Exile Exile is the first step toward Home. Wisdom of the Ancients, Book 1 The first thing they did when the four did when they reached Valetta as the evening was nearing was to crash at their usual inn. Not the fancy version from three days ago, but their usual place. Cheap, with tiny rooms, straw mattresses, and barely any dining facilities, but disgustingly familiar. After being run out of what Johanna still thought of as her ¡°home¡±, that piece of solidity was welcome. They didn¡¯t even think about eating, simply getting a stiff liquor shot, which led to another, and another, before Laura finally said that they all needed a real sleep, not drinks until they passed out in the common room. Johanna grudgingly acknowledged the wisdom, and they moved up toward their rooms. Laura managed to look almost peachy as she ushered Peter into their room, but Tom crashed on the small mattress, and she curled next to him, briefly wondering how their lives could have turned to unfit fertilizer, before she finally sighed, leaving the worries for tomorrow. Sleep eluded Johanna. Despite the reassuring embrace of Tom, she couldn¡¯t sink in the comforting depths of night, the massed people of Anasta, ready for violence, still seared in her mind. Yet, she must have slept because Tom was now trying to disentangle himself from her carefully, and there were rays of light playing on the wall through the slits of the window shutters. They embraced briefly before he rushed out of the room toward the shared toilets of the floor. The light breakfast served at the Eastwest inn was not helping much to better the mood. Johanna ¨C just like her friends ¨C was still processing the catastrophe. She knew mana frightened people, but she¡¯d obviously underestimated how much. Those farmers were her kind. Her people. She¡¯d grown up among them, and for a lot of them so did they. She knew every household there, played with most of the kids. ¡°Light a pike on fire and they hate you.¡± ¡°They did,¡± Tom said, and she realized she¡¯d spoken aloud. ¡°It¡¯s easy. They didn¡¯t turn on you.¡± ¡°Did glower a lot at me, though.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Maybe thought I was the one who turned you into a fire sorceress. I don¡¯t know,¡± Tom said. ¡°If you think that¡¯s bad¡­ father was trying to get me to dump Laura. Saying I was spared the fate of you, and I should abandon you before ¡®worst came to be¡¯,¡± Peter said. Laura squeezed his hand, and the diminutive Donnall smiled back at her. ¡°They didn¡¯t think you were Changed?¡± Johanna asked. ¡°It¡¯s not as obvious. Even muscleman here shows unnatural running, before he caves skulls. But for me? I mean, you don¡¯t see me sneaking around, and you expect someone small and nimble like me to avoid getting gored at the last moment. And hitting lucky, well, it¡¯s luck.¡± The uncomprehending look from Johanna and Tom rushed him to explain further. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure. I talked it with Laura, of course, but not you two yet. It seems my aim is¡­ better.¡± ¡°Define better,¡± Johanna asked. ¡°Like when you rush a beast, Tom? You said you felt barely in control of your own legs when they worked overtime. It¡¯s¡­ kind of the same, maybe. When I aimed at those Lepuses, it was as if I was¡­ correcting my aim most times. Hitting at the right spot, rather than hitting whatever I could push that spear at.¡± Johanna was deep in thought after the explanation. ¡°So¡­ it¡¯s not just me. Or Laura. You also got¡­ I don¡¯t know, better? Yesterday?¡± ¡°Me too,¡± Tom added. ¡°I know I wasn¡¯t using a hammer on the first colony, but I did hit one Lepus with my fist during the defense, and it was much, much stronger than when we were on the road. I was breaking bone sometimes, but this time, I was breaking bones.¡± ¡°But why?¡± she asked. ¡°Maybe because we were facing a much larger danger?¡± Tom offered. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. She looked at her boyfriend, surprised by the suggestion. ¡°You say that as if¡­ it was directed. Purposeful.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know. You tell me.¡± She re-ran back in her mind¡¯s eye all that had happened over the last week. ¡°I got fire immunity against that Canid.¡± ¡°And I could literally stitch you back together when that Lepus tried to rip you apart,¡± Laura said. ¡°Then, you got a fire spear the instant you stopped getting in close with the beasts. And Laura apparently frightens that mass of Lepuses when they got close and you couldn¡¯t deal with them easily,¡± Tom added. ¡°Those Canids and Lepuses fights were not easy.¡± ¡°Manageable. With what we had at the time. The attack on Anasta wasn¡¯t,¡± he insisted. Johanna didn¡¯t have any good counter. The thing was, it all made sense. Once they¡¯d encountered that Skeleton on its chair, it was as if there was a hand on them, helping. Giving them magical tools. Then she heard bells sounding from afar. They weren¡¯t that often in Valetta. And usually not on a Sunday. None of them were actually very much god-fearing. Johanna definitively wasn¡¯t. After a discussion with schoolmistress Vanu, who spoke about the faith of her husband, and how many various creeds there were around ¨C even hers was slightly different from what you¡¯d find in Valetta, let alone the Tribulationists ¨C she¡¯d simply concluded that there was no way you¡¯d be sure of anything. Yes, people agreed on a few basics, like Jesus and the bible. But when it came to his teachings? ¡°It¡¯s service time,¡± she simply said. The rest of them didn¡¯t even seem surprised at all. The church was almost full when the office began. They¡¯d slipped into a side pew near the entrance, finding some room by chance. The congregation had almost certainly their usual sitting places for the office. They¡¯d been there only three times before, mostly out of habit rather than actual piety. The church itself was fairly large, although Johanna knew of two others in various parts of the city, and they held multiple services. But as they stayed in the inn close to this one, it was the one they¡¯d used. Come to think of it, it would probably also be the closest to their future home. The pastor stepped up and called upon the faithful, starting to read a passage from the Bible. It was a passage from Isaiah, which strangely resonated with Johanna¡¯s current state of mind. ¡°So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.¡± As the pastor started his sermon, she found the words directly aimed at their predicament. While she found it hard to believe in anything, this was enough to remind her that there were, certainly, superior entities watching out this world. And maybe her. She did not think any of them was worthy of warranting the direct attention of the Lord, but¡­ maybe they were. Was the hidden hand giving them those abilities that of God himself? She found it hard to believe. As Laura said for herself, she was certainly no Saint, pushing the word of God to the World. And the Ancient skeleton was certainly no imagery of God she was familiar with. As the office segued in a hymn, which all of them joined along with the congregation, Johanna found those questions still haunting her. She¡¯d expected the religious office to soothe her worries, to provide her succor after the terrible rejection of Anasta. And it did. Yet, she was still plagued with questions, and she did not expect those to get an answer anytime soon. After they all partook of communion, she found herself slightly restored. She might harbor her doubts about God¡¯s plans, but the ritual of the church was soothing. She stood up as the first congregants started to leave. She didn¡¯t know how much that had affected Tom or her friends, but coming to that service wasn¡¯t a bad decision. She still felt emotionally drained by the shock of having her entire childhood home turn against her, but there was little she could do, but to forge on, as always. Yet Tom surprised her. ¡°Should talk to the pastor.¡± ¡°Uh, why?¡± ¡°Maybe it¡¯s time.¡± She blinked, then realized what he was talking about. ¡°Vanu isn¡¯t going to marry us, you mean.¡± ¡°We¡¯re supposed to be married once we get a house. And now¡­¡± The rest of the faithful filed out, while they stood to the side. As the church emptied, the Pastor noted their presence, and finally came around. ¡°Hello. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen you before?¡± ¡°We¡¯re not often there, Reverend. We¡¯re actually from the farmside.¡± ¡°Ah. And what brings you here today?¡± ¡°We¡¯re¡­ we¡¯re going to move in. Permanently.¡± ¡°Then I welcome you to Valetta. As you may have noticed, we have a much larger congregation than you¡¯re probably used to. But all are good people, and you¡¯ll know them in no time.¡± Johanna smiled, then almost frowned. She hoped that Valetta would be more open to their abilities, more welcoming. But she was in no hurry to test that. However, there was a more innocuous question to be asked. ¡°We wanted to know about how to organize marriage in Valetta, though.¡± ¡°Oh? Did you run away because you¡¯re all from the same village¡­¡± ¡°Oh, no. We¡¯re from Anasta, Avon, and Virtu. But we¡¯ve been thinking about that for over a year, and we wanted to wait until we settled here.¡± ¡°Ah, so you¡¯re already settled.¡± ¡°Not yet. We have a house we want to purchase, but we still have got to finish that.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean we can¡¯t prepare. Now, I have the next service to prepare but come to me on Monday, and we¡¯ll start looking at a proper date and everything. Do you want it soon, or later in the year?¡± ¡°Soon, I think¡±, she said, looking at the rest, who all opined. ¡°Two marriages?¡± the Reverend asked. ¡°Yes. Do we need to schedule them separately?¡± ¡°Not an obligation. Although the last time, it was twins who wanted it that way. But as I said, come tomorrow, and we¡¯ll settle all the details.¡± Moore had long been an atheist. The last time he¡¯d been in a church was when his sister had been married, and before that when he last said ¡°No¡± to his parents, expecting them to push against a teenage caprice. Much to his surprise, they let it slide, when they had pushed against his burgeoning gaming habit. Yet there was something soothing to be there along with Johanna, Tom, Peter, Laura, even by remote. Even without the slightest sound, the voice of the pastor missing. His memories from a decade ago filled his imagination, even just a hymnal as a guide while they followed it. He still didn¡¯t think his strange afterlife matched any gospel, any sacred belief he¡¯d heard about. He had no one to pray to, he felt. He could just be there behind them. Unseen, unheard. 20. Homeland It¡¯s not a lighthearted decision to change your language, your country, your citizenship, and come to a world where you don¡¯t know anybody. Pre-fall Quote Widow Elise ¨C whose last name was never used, apparently ¨C was clearly not expecting them, at least on a Sunday. She looked at Johanna with a surprised look, before inviting them into her home. ¡°What brings you here today?¡± ¡°We¡¯re checking for the house. It¡¯s still available?¡± ¡°Well, I said you had three years. I can always use the money, but I¡¯m not hard-pressed for it. Why, do you already have all?¡± ¡°No. But my father¡­ my father decided to put his work as collateral.¡± ¡°Ah yes. The Bank wouldn¡¯t lend to someone with as irregular a trade as yours. But a farmer vouching for you is a different proposition.¡± She pulled out her father¡¯s note, passing it to the woman. She pushed it back without reading. ¡°Keep that for the Bank. Not me.¡± ¡°Okay. It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t trust that Bank thing, but¡­¡± ¡°I know, it¡¯s different in the farm villages. Here, it¡¯s very useful for trades. Stores and businesses use it all the time¡­ and sometimes for people who want to buy their home rather than rent.¡± Johanna smiled thinly. ¡°That¡¯s us. So, how do we do it?¡± ¡°Well, if you need the Bank, it¡¯s not going to happen today. It¡¯s closed, of course. And you need more than that. Notary for the house, registration for the residence, and all the niceties of modern life.¡± Johanna felt a slight disappointment. But Sundays were Sundays, after all. You might skip Sunday because of farmwork that couldn¡¯t be delayed further, but that wasn¡¯t going to be the case in the city. ¡°Ah. Tomorrow then.¡± ¡°That¡¯s sure. But, well¡­ if you¡¯re finally getting with the money, you don¡¯t have to stay at the inn all the time.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°I can trust you one day in advance.¡± ¡°Thank you. Thank you very much!¡± The alley was of course familiar. Not wide enough for a full carriage, but still large enough for a small group, with a series of two-story houses that had been built recently, all gaily decorated with colored shutters of all kinds ¨C light greens, blues, many red shades, even a night-black one ¨C making it good-looking. That was what had attracted Johanna and her friend¡¯s attention last year when they had started to come to Valetta regularly. Almost all of the houses were occupied by now, save the one with the deep purple colors. Elise¡¯s clan had been involved in the building of the new section of Valetta, adding a house for a branch of her family, intended for a younger nephew of hers. But some catastrophe ¨C Johanna knew not what had happened ¨C left her family decimated, herself alone, and the brand-new home completed with no one to move in it. They stopped in front of the house, and Elise pulled out a large key and unlocked the door, coming inside. As Johanna stepped in, the widow turned and held the key. ¡°It¡¯s yours now. Well, almost.¡± ¡°Thank you again.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t. My parents came from Longlake before I was even born, and I think my brother would have liked the idea of more people coming here.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± ¡°See you tomorrow, for the forms. Now¡­ welcome to Valetta.¡± The woman turned abruptly, left, and moved back toward the direction of her own home. The four looked at each other and finally, smiles came back. One step at a time. Of course, the drawback of moving abruptly into their new home, on a Sunday, meant that the house was completely empty of anything. It had been left unoccupied for over two years before they spotted it, and never lived in before, so it was a curious experience. They knew the house somewhat, having visited it last year. Revising it, notably as almost-owners, was different. Everything was dusty, though, and they started by opening wide the windows and shutters. Johanna looked across the ground floor kitchen room, empty, without even shelves or anything. ¡°Going to need a lot,¡± Tom said from behind. ¡°That¡¯s for sure.¡± The upper floor was as empty as the ground floor. The two main bedrooms bare, not even a cupboard door. The one good thing was the cistern just above, full. A modern one, with charcoal filters to make sure the collected water was clean, and easy access to fill with buckets in case of a dry spell. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. They made their way back to the ground floor where Laura was still trying to get a better sense. Peter was nowhere visible, and Johanna thought for a second that he was using his abilities. ¡°Downstairs, checking the basement,¡± Laura told them. ¡°Got a bit more dirt than I expected after last year,¡± his voice came from behind. ¡°No last-minute surprises,¡± Tom concluded. ¡°It looks that way. We should probably grab our stuff from the Eastwest inn before they charge us a second night,¡± Johanna said. Before they could turn, she heard a resounding knock at the door. They all exchanged surprised glances, and Johanna moved to the entrance, where she found a young man. ¡°Ya, noticed that all of the shutters were opened.¡± ¡°Yes. You¡¯re?¡± ¡°Ah. Franz Nader. I live next door, in shamrock.¡± ¡°Shamrock?¡± Johanna asked. ¡°True. Most people call their home by color.¡± He pointed at a tiny bronze plate inset into the side. ¡°Number there. That¡¯s only for census or similar things. Even mailman knows the color.¡± ¡°And what¡¯s ours?¡± Laura asked. ¡°Don¡¯t know. You tell me?¡± ¡°Well, imperial, of course,¡± Peter said. The rest of the team turned to him. ¡°What? Mistress Vanu told me that was used for Ancient emperors and kings.¡± Johanna had to laugh. ¡°Well, we sure don¡¯t live like one. The house is empty so far.¡± Franz¡¯s bushy eyebrows shot up. ¡°Oh. Not even food? You should come. It¡¯s biscuit time!¡± Franz¡¯s wife had made a large plate of biscuit, enough that the four could take one. They were enough chairs for everyone, and they sat as Sarah ¨C Franz¡¯s wife ¨C chased a hyperactive two-year-old toddler to put him back on a chair. ¡°Yea. Most of the alley is young ones. We all moved in when it was built. The only one that was still empty is purple.¡± ¡°Imperial.¡± Laura¡¯s eyes were rolling in her head. And Johanna had problems restraining her smile. Sarah shot a look at her husband, who didn¡¯t explain. ¡°Bad stuff that,¡± she said finally. ¡°Don¡¯t know much, but her two brothers vanished one day. No one knows why. Then one of the winter flu seasons was particularly harsh, and she found herself widowed, and her nephew dead. With most of her family disappeared¡­ there was little need for the new house they¡¯d paid.¡± Johanna grimaced. She knew a bit, the things Elise had offered, but not much. That tale was terribly sad. ¡°And now. She finally sold. Much better for her. And the alley will look better now that the house is occupied.¡± ¡°Well, we may not be there that often. At least until winter,¡± Johanna warned. ¡°Oh? Why is that.¡± She launched into an explanation of their business, how they¡¯d traveled to the western ruins, grabbing stuff to sell back in Valetta. ¡°Gosh. I wish I¡¯d get two thousand every three weeks.¡± ¡°That¡¯s for four of them,¡± his wife said. ¡°Still. That¡¯s a good chunk. I get maybe a thousand for us two every three months.¡± ¡°And dangerous,¡± Sarah said. ¡°Not that dangerous,¡± Laura offered. ¡°Wild beasts. And the danger of the ruins. You¡¯re courageous to risk it,¡± Franz Nader said. ¡°It¡¯s a living,¡± Peter said, shrugging. ¡°So, you¡¯ll be away.¡± ¡°For most of the summer, and as long as fall permits, yes,¡± Johanna confirmed. ¡°What happens if¡­ you know¡­¡± Sarah asked, patting her belly, which was starting to show. ¡°We¡¯ll find out. Normally, we¡¯d put the kids with our parents, but¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s far away.¡± Johanna was about to say it was going to be very hard instead, but she realized it might not be very wise to have to explain why. She did not relish to explain to her new neighbors that they might have been driven out because people feared she might bring Change upon them somehow. She just hoped the city would be less fearful. So, she put back a smile and went on. ¡°And probably unpractical, but we¡¯ll see when it comes. Right now, we don¡¯t even have anything to sleep on.¡± ¡°What?¡± both Nader exclaimed at the same time. ¡°House¡¯s empty,¡± Tom said. ¡°We¡¯re used to sleeping on hard,¡± Peter added. ¡°Don¡¯t we still have the old mattress?¡± Sarah turned to her husband. ¡°Probably. We upgraded when little Willi here was born. Old must be upstairs.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. New neighbors and all,¡± Sarah interrupted. ¡°Carmine may have one too, I think,¡± Franz Nader added. The four met Elise at the city hall, where about all of the city services were concentrated, including the Bank. The old, pre-Fall building had been expanded with a modern second floor, and that¡¯s where they headed first. The bank was managed by a serious-looking woman, who wasted very little time. She checked carefully the statement from Johanna¡¯s father and then started counting the money that she¡¯d brought. As suggested by both her father and Elise, she¡¯d kept aside three thousand dollars, to cover their expenses for the next few months and possibly into winter, and she settled on a twenty-thousand-dollars loan, half of what her father¡¯s maximum, and representing almost one-third of the price of the home. Johanna thought it would take at least twelve salvage trips to reimburse, bringing them to mid-spring next year. And of course, they¡¯d need to keep some of that money for the winter, when they¡¯d remain holed in the city, salvage expeditions too onerous and dangerous to undertake. ¡°All the conditions are there. Please read carefully, then sign both copies. This will engage Mr. Bram Milton, remember,¡± the banker woman said. Johanna did so. Since it was her father who did the collateral, the banker had said she was going to be the person who took the loan, not all four. She¡¯d carefully explained that loans with too many people involved were cumbersome, and carried a premium. That put all the responsibility on her shoulders. Then, they moved to a different office where an older man took the draft written by the bank, checked everything with Elise, and took a large ledger, writing on it. This time, all four of them put their signatures on the book, making them officially co-owners of their home. Then, the man went to another office and brought back a different ledger, which they also had to sign, making them officially citizens of Valetta. And, of course, eligible to pay taxes. Yet another surprise. Valetta didn¡¯t levy direct taxes on the farming villages surrounding it, preferring to tax sales. ¡°Wait, we have to pay taxes on salvage now?¡± Johanna blurted when she got that mechanism explained. ¡°Yes. Strictly speaking, it was already the case, the merchant you sold to was reporting his purchases, but couldn¡¯t deduct them since you were not citizens and not paying. Now that you reside in Valetta, the tax burden shifts to you.¡± ¡°That seems¡­ complicated.¡± ¡°It¡¯s an old system. Apparently, even the Ancients did it that way.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± She thought further. ¡°Then why did my father have¡­¡± The aggravated look from the city clerk stopped her, and she decided to let the matter drop. ¡°Don¡¯t forget the property and residency taxes, due before January 31st,¡± the clerk added. While he¡¯d guessed this was some kind of registration or something, at least until he could read the books that they were signing, the one thing Moore had noted, to the exclusion of everything else was what was behind the bureaucrat where they registered their new citizenship. A calendar. What looked like a typical large ¡°business¡± ¨C or maybe a family ¨C calendar with scribbled notes all over it, highlighted various days. A calendar dated 2173. He couldn¡¯t check if it was accurate or something, and if January 1st did in fact fall on a Friday. But from the look of it, the year was supposed indeed to be 2173. Almost a hundred fifty years. After he died. Goddamn. We were supposed to be living on Mars. Not hiding from mutated wolves and giant rabbits. 21. Citizens Life in the Northern Marches of the Union can be savage, but it is also beautiful. Modern Times, by Dimona V. ¡°Never realized that furniture could be so expensive,¡± Johanna finally said, exasperated. The man shrugged. ¡°Most of it is made to order, to fit your house. Stuff like those bedframes, that¡¯s simple. It¡¯s almost standard. Chairs, tables, that¡¯s easy, notably if you want what¡¯s in stock. But do you really want ill-fitting cabinets? That¡¯s why I¡¯ll come around and take measurements myself.¡± ¡°When will that be?¡± Laura asked. ¡°If you¡¯re there later today, I¡¯ll come around.¡± Johanna was still acting as treasurer for the group, so she finally pulled some of her silver, paying for tables and chairs, a down payment for cabinet and shelves. Valetta had only one dedicated furniture store, so while they might find carpenters willing in the city to do some of the work, it was going to take time. And they were going to head out of Valetta most of the time. Once out of the store, encumbered by one chair each, Johanna let a sigh escape. ¡°I know it saves money in the long term, but staying at the inn was much easier.¡± ¡°Starting from scratch,¡± Peter said. ¡°Better that way. A fresh start,¡± Tom replied. ¡°In theory, I could sneak back home. So, we¡¯d rather hurry and see the Reverend to change that,¡± he replied. ¡°Oh, right. We still need to do that,¡± Johanna said. The four found Reverend Blacknall at his home, next to the church. They got immediately invited in and started in earnest to discuss their plans. ¡°We¡¯ve always said we wanted to marry once we were settled, and, well, that¡¯s finally happening.¡± The pastor looked at the others, who nodded in agreement. ¡°And all four of you at the same time.¡± ¡°That¡¯s probably better. The problem is that, until the weather turns hard, we¡¯ll be away from Valetta often. And once that happens, it¡¯s slightly more cumbersome to invite our families,¡± Johanna said. Peter almost replied but stopped just in time, unwilling to address his potential familial trouble. The pastor didn¡¯t notice and went on. ¡°You¡¯re working out of Valetta?¡± ¡°We¡¯re salvagers, actually. So, we go to the western ruins, pick useful stuff, and bring it back here to sell.¡± ¡°There are people who think the ruins of the Ancient should remain in the hands of the Ancients. Accounts of the Fall are not really trustworthy, but there is no doubt those ruins are full of the dead.¡± Johanna winced inwardly. ¡°Not that I agree or disagree with your choice of profession. Those Ancients died more than a century ago, and that ground is definitively not a consecrated one. We¡¯re not heathens, like many of those fishermen on the west shore, and the possessions of the dead are not sacred. All the same, I hope you do remember that the dead are to be afforded respect.¡± ¡°We do. Even with mana preserving some of the ruins, there¡¯s almost never any trace¡­¡± She hesitated. Because, of course, there had been a trace, recently. ¡°When we see remains, we don¡¯t disturb them,¡± she added. ¡°It¡¯s sad that so many will be unburied, but the Lord will welcome them on the Day of Judgement all the same.¡± The Reverend smiled and went back to the matter at hand. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°So, have you decided on a date already?¡± Johanna looked at the rest of the team. ¡°Takes about two weeks? Two and a half per run?¡± ¡°Bit more if we run dry,¡± Tom mused. ¡°We can always adjust for timing,¡± Laura said. Peter merely shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s just a matter of knowing when. We wouldn¡¯t miss our own wedding, after all.¡± ¡°It¡¯s Monday¡­ would Monday in three weeks work?¡± Johanna asked. ¡°We have services on Tuesday and Thursday for those who can¡¯t attend Sunday, so any other day is fine. Although so fast? It is still an important decision.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve been talking about it for more than a year. It¡¯s just the date that¡¯s really undecided.¡± ¡°All of you are old enough?¡± ¡°Laura and I are the youngest, but we¡¯re still over 18. We¡¯ll be 19 in the fall, even. Me in October, she in November,¡± Peter said. ¡°Do you want to publish banns? It¡¯s a bit short, but given that you are newcomers¡­¡± ¡°Maybe¡­ keep it small? Just the families?¡± Johanna hesitated. ¡°Sounds good,¡± Tom said. ¡°Me too.¡± ¡°Those who want will know.¡± ¡°Then all that remains will be for you to decide on names. But that¡¯s for the registration at the city hall.¡± They all rose. ¡°Then, Monday, August 30th. Come tomorrow, and I¡¯ll have the service schedule completed.¡± They rose, shaking hands with the Reverend. As they left, he had one last reminder. ¡°And don¡¯t forget your rings.¡± Johanna rolled her eyes, having forgotten that expense as well. ¡°I knew city life was expensive, but that is ridiculous. I¡¯m down to less than 500 dollars already,¡± Johanna said, sighing. ¡°You insisted on paying the rings,¡± Peter said. ¡°Plain ones,¡± Tom replied. ¡°Even then,¡± Johanna noted. ¡°Guys. These expenses are all one-shot,¡± Laura added. ¡°We do need to resume salvage quickly.¡± ¡°That we do. It will be¡­ good,¡± Johanna said. ¡°So. Names,¡± Tom said. ¡°It will feel a bit weird, changing my name. Johanna Welter? Sounds good?¡± Johanna said. ¡°Tradition is the heir of the business keep the name,¡± Tom said. ¡°Wait, what business?¡± she shot back. ¡°You¡¯re the one who started it.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s not how it works.¡± ¡°Fits, though,¡± Tom said. ¡°It¡¯s twisting traditions!¡± ¡°Tom? Heads or tails?¡± Johanna turned to Peter, frowning. Tom was bewildered as well, only replying reflexively. ¡°Uh, heads?¡± Peter flipped a coin, caught it, and showed his hand¡¯s back. ¡°Tails. Congratulations, Tom Milton.¡± ¡°Wait, did you¡­¡± ¡°Trying to solve your problem,¡± the small man said. Johanna advanced on Peter, and he started backpedaling. Then he stopped, and she reached him. ¡°Picking names on a coin flip? Really?¡± she growled. Then she noted he wasn¡¯t looking at her, but down. She looked there, but saw nothing special, and instantly suspected some misdirection. ¡°I can¡¯t move,¡± he said. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°My¡­ feet are glued to the ground.¡± She frowned and looked at Tom and Laura, who both shrugged, Tom obviously sending a ¡°not my problem¡± message. She looked back at Peter, who had moved back a step. ¡°Stuck again¡­ are you¡­ doing that?¡± Johanna blinked. Then she realized what might be going on, and reached for the sensation, the non-muscle that she used to keep the fire up, and tried to relax. Peter moved, and exhaled. ¡°Thanks.¡± Then he frowned. ¡°Wait, you¡¯re¡­¡± ¡°Checking if I¡¯m really doing something. But if you can tell that I¡¯m doing it again¡­ obviously you¡¯re not faking it.¡± ¡°You have another new ability?¡± Tom asked. ¡°Looks like,¡± Johanna answered. ¡°I wish I¡¯d known. It would have made those Lepuses easier.¡± Tom snorted. ¡°For you maybe. If I¡¯m trying to get to them, they couldn¡¯t escape me.¡± ¡°That makes the coin toss worth it,¡± Peter added. Both Johanna and Laura rolled their eyes at the same time. ¡°So¡­ does this mean Milton it is?¡± Tom asked. Johanna almost rejected the idea outright again, but then she realized the truth. ¡°As if it really mattered?¡± she smiled. ¡°Leaves the matter of those two,¡± he replied. The two of them looked at the other couple. Laura shook her head in disbelief. ¡°The way it¡¯s going, it¡¯s going to be decided by who is on top¡­¡± ¡°DIBS!¡± ¡°Wait? What? But you usually like better if¡­¡± she stuttered before running her hand across her face. Johanna almost groaned as well, before restraining herself. At least¡­ if they indulged in such levity, even on matters like the choice of their future¡­ things weren¡¯t that bad. Things were on the up, Moore decided. Apparently, Johanna had figured out she had a new skill, given that the experience on the stat had finally jumped. She was a bit behind Laura, who¡¯d figured out her new skill almost immediately. Given the situation, she¡¯d probably used Earthbind on Peter, for some non-obvious reason. That was the usual problem, lack of context. That mainly left Tom, who lacked any form of skill working outside of combat. That was the annoying bit with Battler; the specialization didn¡¯t seem to include much that looked like it had any utility outside of combat. Meaning the only experience the guy was getting was the paltry 3-6 points per day and nothing in any stat. Well, that¡¯s what the global pool is for. ¡°Time to head out,¡± Johanna called out. ¡°We¡¯re coming, we¡¯re coming,¡± the answer from the floor above came. ¡°Lord, I¡¯m starting to think being a citizen has made you two lazy,¡± she replied. ¡°Nah, it¡¯s just that we can pick what we pack now,¡± Peter¡¯s voice came as she heard his footsteps on the stairs. ¡°Really? As if you didn¡¯t know what¡¯s needed,¡± she replied, throwing a dark look at the small man. ¡°If you really don¡¯t, ask Laura.¡± ¡°Well, she does help packing. Or rather, not packing.¡± A groan came out from behind him. ¡°Don¡¯t accuse me. It¡¯s you who didn¡¯t unpack when we arrived,¡± she said. ¡°Yea. There¡¯s that. By the way, we might look to salvage more useful stuff. For home, that is,¡± he replied. ¡°It sounds a practical idea,¡± Johanna. ¡°We could live like rich people¡­ imperial style?¡± Laura eyed her fianc¨¦e. Peter shrugged. ¡°Practical and stylish. What¡¯s not to like.¡± All four were finally out, and Johanna closed and locked the door. ¡°Still feels funny,¡± Tom said. ¡°Yes. And we probably need to make copies of the key,¡± she noted. ¡°More spending,¡± he replied. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be that expensive. Will it?¡± she asked, but no one offered an opinion. 22. Discoveries The sword is the axis of the world, and its power is absolute. Pre-Fall General There was no competitor¡¯s cart parked on the last segment of the road, so this time, Johanna and the rest of her team didn¡¯t bother sneaking around. They took the main road descending from the small hill into the Ancient ruins directly below, heading down. ¡°Back,¡± Tom said. ¡°Yea,¡± Johanna simply replied. As one, the four looked toward the general direction where they had their encounter the last time¡­ less than two weeks ago. To where they had been changed, irrevocably now. To where their lives had been pushed into another direction. Of course, they had known they¡¯d migrate to Valetta at one point. They had picked a home, made plans. But it should have been on their own terms, at their own pace. Not this catastrophic exile, a village turning against their own after facing the weird. Turned away, like an invasion of magic beasts from the mana wilds. A distant howl rose as if to welcome them. Johanna turned, trying to figure out where it came from, before realizing it was to the side, maybe in the forest even rather than the ruins proper. ¡°Doesn¡¯t sound impressive,¡± Tom said. ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t,¡± she realized. They were all better prepared now than they had been back then, she knew. They spent the two and a half days of travel checking their abilities. If, as Tom said, the mysterious force behind the Skeleton ¨C and she almost automatically gave it an uppercase-S now ¨C had augmented their capacities, then they were significantly better now than when they¡¯d faced the three Canids. Peter, in addition to his newfound better aim, had a much higher endurance while scouting. He did it in the morning, checking out the surroundings, and his ability to stay hidden had significantly improved. Where he¡¯d estimated he was close to three-quarters of an hour before a bout of weakness passed him and he found himself exposed, he was now able to sustain his stealth for an hour and twenty minutes, maybe a bit less. To which he complained that it meant he¡¯d have to wake up half an hour earlier to scout forward of the team, ¡°in case¡±. Johanna had never tried to measure her own, so she didn¡¯t have any comparison between ¡°before Anasta¡± and after. What surprised her was that she had about the same endurance as Peter, regarding her flame. She could sustain it in her hand for almost exactly the same time as he did his scouting. They would have done a direct comparison if they had had more time to check. But once she felt empty, and the flame sputtered, she needed about five minutes to get something back, and even then, it was a fleeting flame that vanished after less than a minute. Even an hour of recovery left her with barely eight minutes of flaming hand. That was a significant warning sign ¨C they needed to maintain readiness and couldn¡¯t waste their abilities willy-nilly. Else, they¡¯d find themselves potentially defenseless. The big problem was the flame on her knife. She could conjure it on any blade ¨C even scissors, which she thought absolutely mind-boggling ¨C but nothing else. And it lasted a lot less, maybe half the time, before she emptied herself and had to wait. She¡¯d timed it after spending all of her magical energy ¨C mana? ¨C and she could light her knife for maybe twenty seconds as soon as it returned, while she could sustain a flame in her hand for nearly forty. And, of course, trying to do both at the same time was even more draining on her reserves. They both shut down at almost the same time, which meant she was pulling out her mana energy from the same place for both. Once she had time, probably back in Valetta, she would need to measure her ability to freeze people in place. See how long that one lasted. Tom was going to grumble. The other two had much more difficulty gauging their own progress. Tom thought his abilities only applied to beasts. He didn¡¯t run any faster trying to reach a tree or any of the other three. And he wasn¡¯t about to test his brand-new hammer on Johanna, even with Laura ready to heal. As for Laura herself, besides her newfound ability to inspire a form of dread, to cause hesitation ¨C even to her friends, if she wanted to ¨C she had no way to gauge how much her other abilities had improved, if any had. The only thing she noted was that she slept better. Which surprised everyone. Except maybe Peter. As they started their way across the near-razed ruins of the border, Johanna found she had mixed feelings about being back to salvaging there. In any case, they had relatively little choice. They might have taken possession of their house, but the bank loan had to be repaid, the ¡°taxes¡± would come, and they still needed enough to live. It was a bit too early to think about seeking other ¨C safer ¨C trades, assuming that Valetta had good opportunities. Johanna doubted there were many opportunities as lucrative as salvaging. No, they had to do it. And given that they knew they could deal with most of the non-magical threats of the Ancient nameless ruins, it was time. To do what they mainly had avoided thus far. Head all the way in, to the Ancient depths. By unspoken consensus, they completely avoided the area where the Skeleton had been. They might be feeling strong right now, but that was the kind of thing none of them were ready to face since it was the source of that very strength. But the distant higher ruins beckoned and they made their way there. While no parts of the ruins would presumably have escaped salvaging across the decades, the ruins¡¯ center might be the best place to find new things, or so Johanna thought. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Like the areas they¡¯d been scavenging for most of their time, the central parts of the ruins were a mix of almost entirely vanished structures and relatively well-preserved parts. But the first such they¡¯d explored had been obviously visited, yielding relatively few easy opportunities. For the moment, they were mostly scouting, with an eye for the future, but easy, portable salvage was mostly lacking. And the previous salvagers had not been very professional, often upturning stuff with little regard for future salvage opportunities. As it was, there were lots of materials, but that looked more like steel stuff rather than the more valuable Alium, and relatively few intact portable items. She spotted the colorless, undefinable light twirling above in the sky, despite the cloud cover. The light ¨C manalight, she decided to call it ¨C was distinctive in its unnatural appearance. ¡°Magic,¡± she warned the rest. ¡°Where?¡± Tom asked. She pointed the relatively well-preserved ruin further down the street they¡¯d been following, trying to gauge this particular area until they settled in for serious digging into the ruins. Most of the ruins on one side still had multiple floors, but the other side of the street seemed to sport different single-floored buildings. The mana traces she¡¯d spotted seemed to coalesce above one such. ¡°Looks more like the thing I saw at the caravan in Valetta rather than the splashes I¡¯ve seen.¡± They¡¯d avoided two areas like that, where the walls and an entire sidewalk had glowed with the invisible traces of mana, and one where an entire square of empty ground had similarly gleamed with invisible manalight. None of them were going to risk being further Changed. Although, Johanna thought the splashes she¡¯d been looking at were incapable of doing so, as she was the only one seeing them. Changestorms and Manastorms were supposed to be so strong, anyone could see them. Just like the glow before they got zapped by the Skeleton. Still, they proceeded cautiously. As she got close, she looked at the swirling manalight. It danced slowly above the building, making lazy tracings. She couldn¡¯t convey how it really looked, lacking exact words. Despite the transparent nature of the light, it seemed to flow, upward and downwards in alternatives streams, obeying laws she had no knowledge of. From closer, the rivers of light were slightly more defined. They had no visible anchor or source above, but they hit the upper part of one of the walls, disappearing into the building proper through the structure itself, without a hole or anything. Like most, it had barely survived the decaying of the Ancient ruins. Despite the telltale sign of magic going into it, mana hadn¡¯t preserved it the way it did other parts. An almost entirely faded flowery script adorned the top, saying ¡°Jake¡¯s Gami¡­ orium¡±. Johanna assumed that the Jake in question had been the owner of whatever Ancient business place this was. The door and the windows had long since disappeared, with some creeping vines straddling the empty frames, so she stepped in carefully, looking at the inside. Long stretches of metal shelves confirmed this had to be some kind of store, although she had no idea what it sold, as the shelving only had some stains, and nothing remained of what it once held. The store itself was thoroughly decayed, but one part remained vibrant somehow, including a four-foot-high art piece. She stopped, surprised and fascinated, at the depiction of some woman, protective smithing goggles lifted atop her head, holding flames in her hands. The bottom of the picture sported a fanning of what looked like some kind of play cards, albeit nothing like a classic tarot or general deck she was familiar with. ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like you,¡± Tom said from behind her. ¡°I know. I don¡¯t wear chainmail and form-fitting leather. And she¡¯s a redhead anyway.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s the kind of stuff that sells well,¡± Laura added. ¡°Grievar will probably say he needs to wait for the right buyer,¡± Johanna laughed. Peter moved and started peering at the poster, seeing if it could be removed without being torn or damaged. Laura was half right, Johanna admitted to herself. Stuff that was well preserved like that was a thing for collectors. Some notable in Valetta or beyond was bound to be interested in the prestige of Ancient art, although how long this one would last once removed from the ruins, no one knew. Speaking of salvage, she turned away from the art and looked further, finally spotting the streaming light that fell toward the rear of the store. ¡°The magic goes there,¡± she pointed before starting. A door had once separated the storefront area from the back, but the metal frame was now fallen on the ground. The rear of the store was dimly lit through the entrance, but Johanna had no difficulty locating the source ¨C or recipient ¨C of the magic flows. The shelves in this storage area had fallen down, and the item that was at the end of the ribbons of mana was lying on the floor, intact amidst the decayed and frayed trash. It looked like a very long knife¡­ no, a sword. A slightly curved sword, whose blade shone with that strange unnatural light. Clean, unmarred by the passage of time. Tom swore just behind her and she turned. ¡°It¡¯s beautiful,¡± she said. ¡°No kidding. Maybe I don¡¯t have your magical sight, but you can see it¡¯s some kind of advanced forging. My neighbor in Avon had an heirloom, some kind of sword from old times, but that was shit compared to that one.¡± Peter and Laura¡¯s heads popped through. Is that a game replica? Moore wondered. The sword on the dirty half-corroded linoleum looked like one of those fancy katanas from JRPGs. He didn¡¯t play many of those, but that¡¯s what it looked like. Which, given Johanna and her friends were scouting what looked like an old local game store, sort-of fit. He wasn¡¯t in the replica market, since he didn¡¯t think much of memorabilia like some nerds out there, but there had been a huge booming business online of stuff based on all kinds of games. However, that sword wasn¡¯t a cheap ass katana for nerds. It looked like a high-end sword, the kind that would sell for thousands, forged by grandmasters using ancient techniques ¨C with maybe a hydraulic hammer to help ¨C on commission for wealthy sword fanatics. They were lucky to have found it. But the real shock was when she lifted it from the floor, as a descriptor popped up as if she was touching a person. It wasn¡¯t a character sheet, more like¡­
Eversharp Tier 6
Effective: 133/133 mana (+90/hour) Passive: Cannot lose your grip on a weapon up to 133 pounds Active: Cuts any unprotected material up to 13.3 inches deep Active cost: 1 mana per 11 inches of lateral cut
Wait, is that a skill? The list of available skills now included it, given that he had seen it. A very high requirement skill, with a level of 7, 21 Strength, 17 Dexterity, and 17 Authority. The skill version only had a multiplier of 1 for Tom¡¯s Battler specialty, it relied on stamina rather than mana, and also applied to any bladed implement. The basic math suggested that the katana used a multiplier of 6 instead of 1, matching the tier mentioned on the descriptor: six times 21 Strength, plus 7 levels would give an effective skill of 133, which fit the pool and both passive and active listing of the skill. Even the oddly phrased part. Okay, magical items are a thing. And that thing is insane. ¡°The big question is, how do we sell this?¡± Laura asked. 23. Celebrations If I believe in something, I sell it and I sell it hard Pre-Fall quote Norman Grievar was looking a bit stymied. Johanna thought the man had almost seemed angry for some reason when they unveiled the magical sword and started to explain what made it special. She¡¯d showed him how that worked, by actually using a bar of Alium salvage. She simply took the sword, almost gingerly, pushed lightly with just the tip of her fingers into the metal, then dragged the sword by the handle, slicing the entire bar effortlessly in two. Tom had figured it out by accident, almost cutting himself in the process. She wasn¡¯t sure that Laura could reattach limbs, and she wasn¡¯t looking forward to testing that. ¡°And it stays that sharp.¡± ¡°And clean as well. A simple wipe and nothing cling to it. Dirt, water, anything. It still looks as if it had been made yesterday,¡± she said. ¡°Tested on stone and even Ancient pavements. Cuts everything as easily, a foot deep,¡± Tom added. The salvage merchant kept scratching his head, wincing at times. Once they were gathered back in his office, seated across the usual tea, he stayed silent for a long while. ¡°How rare are those things? They all come from ruins?¡± Johanna finally asked, to restart the discussion. ¡°I have no real idea,¡± Grievar finally admitted. ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°Of course, you hear about powerful artifacts. Ancient things. Nobody knows where they really come from. You hear all stories about the power of the Ancients, so maybe that¡¯s the strongest of their fabrications¡­¡± Johanna stopped herself before saying that it was ¡°obvious¡± it was due to mana from after the Fall. It was obvious ¨C for her. She could see the mana surrounding the sword, but no one else would. Norman Grievar contemplated again the sword laid upon his office table, taking time to look at it. Even without the cutting effect it had, it looked impressive. ¡°I¡¯ll be honest. It pains me, but best I can do is ten thousand if you want to sell.¡± ¡°Only?¡± Johanna. ¡°Because I have no idea how much this can be sold for. At all, I mean. Artifacts from the Ancients like that, it¡¯s not something that¡¯s found often. I heard stories from my dad about how one of my ancestors had gotten something from a salvager. Not the big ruins, apparently some Ancient home instead, in the middle of the woods in the north, in the mana wilds. But that was a century ago if it was even true. Unless you stumble upon it, how¡¯d you know it¡¯s there.¡± Johanna was definitively not going to reply to this. ¡°So, it could be worth lots,¡± Tom asked. ¡°If you find a buyer. If. That¡¯s my problem there. Ninety-nine percent of the salvage, I know already who¡¯s going to be interested in it. Which trader may have customers interested east or south for special pieces. But this?¡± Norman shrugged, adding ¡°that shouldn¡¯t surprise you, I mean. That¡¯s a one-in-a-lifetime find. How long have you sat on this?¡± ¡°We found it on our last expedition. We went further this time, and it was close to the center,¡± Johanna replied. ¡°Really? But that doesn¡¯t change anything. There¡¯s no price for this.¡± Johanna was starting to frown but steeled herself. She recognized this as part of the negotiation dance¡­ and there had never been any bigger negotiation with Grievar than this one. ¡°How do we do this, then?¡± she asked. ¡°I can inquire. It will take time. A lot of time, to properly assess this and find interested buyers. And I¡¯d need to get this tested further.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re not buying?¡± ¡°Look. What I can offer is insurance. We get to the Bank, and I put in writing, with proper clauses. If the sword gets lost¡­ or misplaced¡­ or I fail to return it, you get thirty-five thousand dollars.¡± ¡°You said you could offer only ten,¡± Peter noted. Grievar turned his head to the small man. ¡°I don¡¯t intend to pay this. That¡¯s the name ¨C insurance. It¡¯s a safety valve. I¡¯m betting it won¡¯t break or no one¡¯s going to steal it. In this, you¡¯ll have to give a little trust.¡± ¡°And then what?¡± Johanna asked back. ¡°I¡¯ll find a buyer. And¡­ I get 20% of what it sells for. As an intermediary.¡± ¡°What? Just for looking around?¡± Peter said again, looking offended. Maybe a bit too offended, Johanna thought. ¡°What do you think I do? I usually have higher levels of margin after I buy things off you.¡± He promptly added, ¡°but that¡¯s because I pay and hold them until I find a buyer, who might negotiate the price down. Here¡­ it¡¯s for the work of finding the best buyer. And that may take time.¡± Laura noted, ¡°But with a percentage, you¡¯d want to get the highest price.¡± ¡°Exactly. So¡­ ten thousand right now, I take all the risks. Or insurance for thirty-five and I¡¯ll work on commission for 20%.¡± Johanna wondered if the man knew something. That was more than the cost of the loan repayment. It would even start building the capital for Peter and Laura¡¯s future home. ¡°Fifty thousand as insurance,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s unique.¡± ¡°Okay, but I get 25% then. I am taking more risks.¡± She immediately thought she¡¯d probably asked for too little. Ten thousand was horribly lowballing such a thing, sure, but Grievar had accepted fifty far too fast. She wasn¡¯t sure it was really worth almost a house by itself, but who knew. Maybe Grievar knew. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Or maybe he really won¡¯t ¡°lose¡± it and he just wanted a higher commission. ¡°One year, and if you haven¡¯t found a buyer, we cancel this, and renegotiate.¡± ¡°Good for me,¡± Grievar said. Johanna reached and they shook hands. ¡°That¡¯s a first for me,¡± he admitted finally. ¡°Will probably never see the like of that.¡± Maybe not, Johanna thought. If she could see magic from a distance, then if there were other artifacts in the ruins¡­ they would be easy to find. Maybe even envision an expedition to the greater ruins near the coast. They were supposed to hold mana, lots of it. It would make sense if they contained more of those artifacts. And they had abilities to defend themselves against trouble. Although Norman Grievar might start to wonder how they found all those. ¡°Now, on to the more normal stuff¡­¡± the merchant added. Moore could have facepalmed. If he had a hand and a face, that is. They¡¯d stumbled by pure chance on what seemed to be the equivalent of a random epic drop, and they were going to the Auction House to sell for gold. That being said, in a game, you didn¡¯t have a life outside of the adventuring part. Player housing was always optional, you didn¡¯t need to eat, and you ¡°slept¡± by logging out. Johanna and the rest had just signed a mortgage for a house. He¡¯d watched ¡°over Johanna¡¯s shoulder¡± as she signed the agreement with their merchant, and seeing the price of the ¡°insurance¡± had made him imagine whistling. To be honest, if I found a drop that sold for, like, two hundred thou in a real-money auction house, I¡¯d probably sell it too. He was still trying to get a feeling for the money. That new dollar had a very different purchasing power than the one he was used to. He definitively wouldn¡¯t get food-to-go for under a dollar per person in his old life. The delivery service he would have used later that¡­ night¡­ would have charged him probably thirty dollars for the same kind of meal ¨C and theirs was probably healthier. ¡°I pronounce you husband and wife,¡± Reverend Blacknall said. Johanna squeezed a little bit Tom¡¯s hand as she watched Laura bending and kissing ¨C officially ¨C Peter. They briefly exchanged a little smile before focusing again on the ceremony. The church was not very full. Her family was almost all there, father, older brother, and even the fourth Milton coming from Virtu, albeit without her husband. Only Tom¡¯s father and mother had made the trip, likewise for Laura. Peter¡¯s family was conspicuously absent ¨C no doubt his father had forbidden anyone from attending, still believing Peter was making a huge mistake in marrying a ¡°changed saint¡±. Unsuspecting that Peter himself was as much empowered as the rest of them. There were also a handful of locals. The Naders had come, as had the Ngozi, from ¡°carmine¡±, who¡¯d gifted Laura and Peter with an enormously large mattress over three weeks ago. And two other couples from the alley, who¡¯d heard about it and came to witness their marriage. And now, the ceremony was winding down, and it was time to walk the aisle again. Johanna¡¯s mother had agreed to stand in for Peter¡¯s since they had skipped, but this time, they walked together. Tom and her front, Peter and Laura just behind. They reached the entrance where, unsurprisingly, the families threw some wheat over them, to promise fruitful marriages. Not that there was much risk ¨C after all, they were all fourth or fifth children, and the union of such was bound to be fertile. They were still going to be careful on that point, at least until they had funds. Even Laura. The party hall was fairly expansive, with large tables. One of the advantages of having gotten back earlier than usual is that they¡¯d been able to adjust things and find the right restaurants to provide catering to the banquet. Although it wouldn¡¯t have the crowd such an event would have had in Anasta, with all kinds of people, including a large number of youths looking to see who was good-looking from villages around, checking for prospective boyfriends and girlfriends from outside of the forbidden pool of their village. Less dancing today, Johanna thought. But better company. As traditional, she was seated next to Tom¡¯s parents, and Tom next to hers. For Laura and Peter, it was the same kind of awkward arrangement as the ceremony, with Laura¡¯s mother on Peter¡¯s side, and her father on her side. ¡°I was expecting a longer wait,¡± the elder Welter said. ¡°Things happened,¡± she answered. ¡°I heard. Did you know Avon got it lightly?¡± ¡°About?¡± ¡°The Lepuses. Mirosc had a large pack. No dead, but three maimed. They still repelled it before they lost too much of their fields.¡± ¡°Oh. I didn¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Just told Tom about, yesterday. I suppose you didn¡¯t have time to talk about that. More¡­ important things taking priority.¡± She laughed. ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± ¡°Yup,¡± she heard from her left, adding to her mirth. ¡°So, you didn¡¯t get any?¡± ¡°Marmara¡¯s son spotted a pair, but they were at the edge of the woods, and didn¡¯t come in. You¡­ stopped them before they got to Avon, I think.¡± ¡°That we did,¡± she said, sobering a bit. ¡°Got some more from Tom, otherwise it would be hard to figure out exactly what happened.¡± ¡°So, you heard about¡­ us.¡± ¡°That you got changed by the ruins.¡± She winced inwardly but kept the smile on. You didn¡¯t show bad thoughts at your own wedding, after all. Tom¡¯s father seemed to feel the change anyway, and immediately added, ¡°Not that you¡¯re guilty of anything. When it comes to mana, it can¡¯t be helped. You deal with it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s sure,¡± she acknowledged. Then she heard Tom say ¡°We wait,¡± and turned back. Her mother smiled back at her from just beyond Tom¡­ Milton. ¡°I was asking if you¡¯d dropped the calendar yet.¡± ¡°Oh. No, we¡¯re still careful. We¡­ may get lots of money soon, but how soon, I have no idea. Until then, we stuff the money bag, in case things happen.¡± Both Bram Milton and Caley Welter popped their heads. ¡°We got a major find in the ruins,¡± she explained. ¡°Too early to say how much it will end up being worth. Valetta¡¯s furbisher is dealing it for us.¡± ¡°Good for you,¡± her father said. She relaxed a bit, turning back to the Welter elder, who started asking about the ruins, then looked at the table where Peter and Laura were chatting with the Vogels animatedly. ¡°So, you got her to pick your name by what?¡± Peter winced a bit at Eve Vogel. Laura¡¯s mother was drilling him on the last year¡¯s events, since he last saw her at another marriage feast. ¡°That¡¯s my girl, though,¡± she added. ¡°She gets that from her mother.¡± Peter blinked. ¡°Wait, you¡¯ve been with her for almost two years now, and you don¡¯t know?¡± She lowered her voice. ¡°Did she introduce you to the ropes yet?¡± Peter¡¯s eyes grew to double their normal size, before he heard from behind him, ¡°Don¡¯t let her pull your leg.¡± He turned back to his wife. ¡°That¡¯s her thing, not mine. I get a small husband, I don¡¯t need ropes if I want that.¡± Peter spotted Laura¡¯s father rolling his eyes behind her, before the older man shook his head. ¡°Time, Jo¡±, Tom said, grasping Johanna¡¯s hand and rising. ¡°Yea,¡± she simply replied, rising as well. ¡°Don¡¯t put the dance floor on fire,¡± he whispered. She laughed and shook her head. Instead, she turned. ¡°Laura. Peter. Get up.¡± The two musicians from their alley started strumming, preparing the music. Johanna put her arms around Tom, prepped, and started to dance. ¡°If you step on my foot, I freeze yours on the floor,¡± she whispered. ¡°Do that and we may need Laura¡¯s services.¡± Then the first notes began, and they opened up the dances. Bodiless as he was, Moore had enjoyed the long ceremony, watching his four protegees get married, breaking up with their former lives. He¡¯d met finally the Vogels and Welters, who looked, well, pretty much ordinary farmers like the others. And it had looked like they¡¯d made friends in their neighborhood as if the welcoming gifts hadn¡¯t been indication enough. That was another difference with his former life. In a small town like this Valetta, you made connections easily. He barely knew his own neighbors, back in his housing complex. He probably met the manager more than any of them. Regrets of an ancient life, now vanished. The fun bit was the descriptor change. The entire ceremony had come and gone, but Tom and Laura¡¯s descriptor had changed only after registration at the town hall. Just as they lifted the pen, the descriptor had popped spontaneously, bearing new names. Tom Milton and Laura Donnall. Should have stuck to her name, Peter. Her family came, and yours snubbed it. He suddenly wondered if he would pick the kids¡¯ descriptors. When they had some¡­ Will I be able to¡­? ¡°Time to earn money again,¡± Johanna said as she locked down the door. Tom waved at the Naders, who were coming out in the early morning. ¡°Already? I¡¯d thought you¡¯d spend more honeymoon time,¡± Sarah said. Johanna laughed. ¡°We still haven¡¯t reimbursed our loan. Besides, in our trade, we need as much money we can get in any case, and that doesn¡¯t grow on trees.¡± Franz laughed. ¡°Well. Maybe it¡¯s just lying on the ground.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a bit more involved than that,¡± she said. ¡°Sure is,¡± Tom added. 24. Warmongers He who defends everything, defends nothing. Pre-Fall General Arturus Windmiller, son of Verlaint Windmiller, spotted the two figures waiting next to his home as he finished his slow inspection of his home village. The sight of them made his skin crawl slightly, as his hand almost grasped for his weapon, but he restrained himself as he walked slowly without even missing a step or hinting at anything. When the Great Council of the North, the grand gathering of all the tribes of the maple trees, had decided to seek an alliance, he, and a few other tribal leaders, had disagreed. Rather vehemently, in fact. But the majority had gone along with the proposal, and the tribal elders had made their pronouncement. Once the Great Council had spoken, it had spoken of one voice, and no other voice, even his, would rise in discord. Thus, even if all of his upbringing told him to grab weapons and sound the alarm, he ignored the two waiting for him until he reached his house. Once he was but a few paces from them, he stopped and acknowledged them. The Wendigos of the North were unnatural to look at. Slightly smaller than an average man, they went naked, only clad in the slightly off-white fur that covered their bodies and bandoliers or sashes to hang weapons and travel bags. He normally would be unable to really distinguish between Wendigos, but one was particularly recognizable because he not only wore an elaborate bandolier holding three different axes but also a pair of glasses. Few people wore glasses. Skilled crafters made them on order¡­ in the far south, transported across distances, and used by elders and the deeply eye-cursed to ease their lot. In the Wendigo¡¯s case, however, the glasses were far more. With these, he had been told by others, the furred warrior could see magic, spot the changed beasts, and even thread his way across the great mana pockets that dotted and split the land. He was rumored to be the best scout of the savage Wendigos, able to cross even the great mana barrier than ran across most of the continent. Despite the apparent fragility of the Ancient instrument, it exhibited the uncanny durability and preternatural cleanliness of its kind. ¡°Snowbound Glatteis, I welcome you,¡± Windmiller said. He avoided trying to guess the name of the other Wendigo. At best, his correct assumption would be simply accepted, and at worst, allow the other to belittle him for failing to recognize whoever stood in front of him. The Wendigos had little difficulty recognizing themselves, of course, and no problem with the ¡°skinned faces¡±, as they tended to call unchanged humans when they wanted to be particularly insulting. He gestured at the front of his home, before sitting on a stone. The two Wendigos squatted. He had not invited them, as they disliked the confines of a proper home, and even more its warmth. The Wendigos much preferred the embrace of the cold, the winter snows, and the ice. They even preferred their meat cooled and seasoned rather than hot and grilled. ¡°Arturus Windmiller Blackfeet Trueman, I greet you.¡± They both nodded, exchange of names concluded. ¡°I see your people have retreated already,¡± the Wendigo immediately started. Stolen story; please report. ¡°The harvests cannot be delayed much. To let the fields much longer would be to court famine. The elders fear early snows this year.¡± ¡°And thus, you fail to break through the Kootenai Gap yet again.¡± ¡°For all of your vaunted prowess, you have not either, Glatteis. None of the last two winters were a great success.¡± ¡°We almost had them last winter.¡± ¡°As the wise man says, almost counts for nothing in manners of war.¡± ¡°And if you had exhausted them more before turning back, it would be a sure thing,¡± the Wendigo said with what Arturus was certain was a smirk under his furry face. ¡°We can do little else. Unlike you, our lives are tied to the land.¡± ¡°So are ours, even if the bonds aren¡¯t your kind. Or we would have not accepted the offer.¡± ¡°Thus, the Great Council decreed.¡± ¡°Thus, we will finish breaking your enemies for you this winter, that you may turn your gaze finally to the south you covet so much.¡± Arturus winced a bit. ¡°About that¡­ it may turn out to be harder than expected.¡± The tribesman could detect a surprised tone in the Wendigo¡¯s answer. ¡°How so?¡± ¡°We have ears to the ground, and words coming from the southern winds. It appears the Warden Lord of the Montana has grown concerned with your presence on the Gap these last two years.¡± The second Wendigo laughed lightly, without commenting further. ¡°Our¡­ contacts south tell me that he has drawn plans to reinforce for the winter, in anticipation of your presence.¡± ¡°Their warriors are hamstrung by the ice. We will wait until those snows you fear so much come and their reinforcements will be for naught. And this time, we will be ready for their mist sorceress.¡± ¡°Do not underestimate the southrons, Glatteis. Their lands are much more prosperous than ours. They can last longer than us.¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one who told us that this Warden Lord had few allies to count on?¡± ¡°That was the Great Council, not me. But we¡¯ve been waging war against the new Warden after his father died, and he still stands.¡± ¡°Bah,¡± the Wendigo said dismissively. ¡°Your concern is noted. Our warriors will soon prepare the venison for the winter campaign, and we shall see if your ¡®reinforcements¡¯ will be worth the name. Until then, I hope you can keep them bottled just like they do you.¡± ¡°We have forces still in place, of course. As I said, we have waged this war for longer than you.¡± ¡°Then all will be well, and come spring, you will have your prize, and so we will claim ours.¡± ¡°May the thaw be that kind.¡± The two Wendigos rose and clapped their hands slowly, signifying their departure. Arturus Windmiller watched them walk slowly toward the distant wood before letting his repressed sigh escape. The southrons of the Montana may call us savages, but those are the true savages. Bloody carnivores. I can¡¯t even tell if the other was a male or female. As the two made their way toward the forest, Snowbound Glatteis let a laugh escape his lips. Blackleaf Kaltwasser raised an eyebrow in inquiry. ¡°Credulous tribesmen. Where are they going to find soldiers, I ask you,¡± Snowbound growled in the deeper voice the Wendigos used normally when not among unchanged men. ¡°You ask me, but who do I ask?¡± ¡°One rumor and they¡¯re convinced their enemies are conjuring people out of thin air.¡± ¡°We still didn¡¯t break through last winter, though.¡± ¡°Live and learn, Blackleaf, live and learn.¡± He watched briefly behind him, toward the tribal village, before turning again as they reached the wood¡¯s edge. ¡°Still, those tribes made a good sell. More land for everyone.¡± ¡°You may not care, Snowbound, but I do. My family wouldn¡¯t say no to more ranching space. Keeping reindeers out of the dangerous zones is a full-time job, but having more space would help tremendously.¡± ¡°Speaking of which¡­¡± Snowbound replied, tapping his glasses. ¡°What? You want a hunt? In the deeps there?¡± ¡°Why not? You ranchers are lazybones. My ancestors didn¡¯t help all along with the exodus from Vancouver before the Changestorm hit so that their descendants could turn into reindeer cowboys. Next thing, you¡¯ll want to live in houses again.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with houses, Snowbound? And you will want to track Canids again, I bet. They taste like shit walking on four legs.¡± ¡°It¡¯s an acquired taste, Blackleaf. Think of the poor humans. They¡¯d have the runs for two weeks if they tried. Come on. Live as our ancestors intended all along!¡± Kaltwasser shook his head and started to follow his leader, muttering ¡°bloody maniac.¡± 25. Civic Duty Dread it. Run from it. Destiny still arrives. Pre-Fall quote. Johanna had been trying to find excuses to laze in her bedroom, but having Tom up and around made it less fun. They¡¯d been late arriving yesterday, and they would head to Grievar sometime later. No traces of manalight this time, but the commercial district where they¡¯d found the sword the last time was full of opportunities they had explored further, including what seemed to have been a tool store at the end of the street. Not everything in there was salvageable or potentially useful, but it would almost certainly bring some good money to split among themselves. For now, it was morning, and she was looking forward to shopping a bit and improving their house ¨C notably the kitchen because using her hand as a stove was becoming tiresome ¨C before getting more money. Oh, and go pick some of the furniture that was finished, according to the note left at their home by that wood merchant. So, when the knock came, she didn¡¯t think much about it. She reached the entrance just as Tom opened it, almost at the same time as Peter. She peered out, but rather than one of their neighbors, she was greeted by a surprising view. A man in heavy leathers, and a dozen or so others behind him. Armed. With spears. ¡°Am I at the Milton and Donnall household?¡± ¡°Uh, yes. Is there some kind of probl¡­¡± ¡°No. But first¡­¡± The man reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling it out. She almost stumbled and tried to pull back, but the man kept her locked in an iron grip. He made a head gesture at one of the others and that soldier brought out a small lighter, ignited it¡­ and proceeded to put it under her hand. She looked at it incredulously before blurting, ¡°What are you doing?¡± Tom advanced, and two of the men brought spears in front of him. The leader didn¡¯t answer and kept watching her hand. Belatedly, she realized she should have shown signs of hurting or something, but she¡¯d become used too quickly to the fire and heat immunity. If it didn¡¯t hurt her, she had no reflexes against the presence of fire. ¡°Looks like the council didn¡¯t lie,¡± the soldier¡¯s leader commented, before releasing her. She stepped back, shaking her hand. The fire might not have burned, but the grip itself had been slightly painful. ¡°What was that for?¡± she said, feeling aggravated. ¡°Checking you. It does look like you are actually immune to fire. At least that can be confirmed¡­ and given the nasty look the other lady is giving me, it looks like she¡¯s also genuine. Although I don¡¯t know much about saints, even less than sorcerers.¡± Johanna turned and spotted Laura, who was frowning¡­ and almost certainly applying her threatening gaze, or whatever that caused hesitation among beasts or men. The man obviously steeled himself and simply said, ¡°Also, I would pretty much appreciate it if you stopped doing that.¡± Laura¡¯s voice was full of ice, ¡°And why, if you are assaulting us in our own home?¡± ¡°Ah. I am Sergeant Mord, and I have to inform you that all of you four have been selected for the draft.¡± ¡°Draft? Like what¡­ draft beer?¡± Peter asked. The man actually rolled his eyes at the question. ¡°The draft is a time-honored practice in times of war, which is the case for the Montana right now. It means we are calling upon people to fight for their country against foreign enemies.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s us?¡± Johanna asked, incredulous. ¡°That¡¯s you. And more, but in this particular case, yes, that¡¯s you.¡± He pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Johanna, who started to read it. Although she had no way to confirm anything, it looked official. By the authority of the Warden of the Montana ¨C that distant figure in the east that was supposed to rule over the entire Marches ¨C et cetera, et cetera, Valetta had to provide¡­ You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. She boggled. Two. Hundred. Troops. She raised her head from the note and threw a look at the sergeant, who harbored a placid expression. ¡°I suggest also packing some clothing for a long trip. You¡¯ll be on the road for about two weeks.¡± She looked at the other three, who harbored equally incredulous expressions. ¡°My men will escort you, while you pack your belongings.¡± Her head snapped back. ¡°Just in case.¡± The building was the hall in which they¡¯d done the wedding feast, three weeks ago, she realized as they reached it. Sergeant Mord and his men escorted the four of them inside, where she found it packed with people. It had felt roomy when it was a banquet and dance hall, but now¡­ The soldier steered them toward a side room, knocking. Another man, in light travel clothes, came out. ¡°They were there today, Adjutant,¡± Sergeant Mord announced. ¡°And¡­¡± ¡°Did what you asked. She, at least,¡± he said, pointing back toward Johanna, ¡°is genuine. The other one looks like, too.¡± ¡°Which, I assume, means that the third one checks out as well. Now¡­ which one of you is this¡­¡± He eyed Tom from foot to head. ¡°I¡¯d assume you, but sometimes appearances can be tricky¡­¡± ¡°Want me to cave your skull to show you?¡± Tom growled. ¡°My, my. So, you are¡­¡± he said, turning towards Peter. ¡°Peter Donnall. And I¡¯m¡­¡± he stopped, seeing Johanna¡¯s furtive look, ¡°her husband,¡± he finished, squeezing Laura¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Well, you¡¯d be drafted along with them anyway,¡± the man said, dismissively. ¡°But why?¡± Johanna asked. ¡°The Marches of the Montana are at war, miss. And we need to give it our best, lest we¡¯d be overrun by savages. In this case, that means Valetta¡¯s strength¡­ including especially yours.¡± ¡°Ours?¡± ¡°I was skeptical of the council¡¯s claims, but they delivered. A sorcerer, a saint, a hero¡­ I took a gamble and said yes. Levies we will get from all over the Montana. But you¡­¡± Someone had talked, Johanna realized. News from Anasta. She shouldn¡¯t be surprised; the rumors sometimes ran faster than a riding postman. Although how hearsay had reached the council, and why they¡¯d taken it seriously was a mystery. The man turned toward the sergeant. ¡°Put them temporarily among the rest. All we have to do is to get the rest of the levy groups back, now that I know we don¡¯t need the last fifty, and then we¡¯ll set out immediately.¡± The soldier saluted and the man went back into his room, leaving Johanna to yell, ¡°You didn¡¯t even tell us who you are?¡± Sergeant Mord smirked. ¡°It was on your papers? Didn¡¯t pay attention? That¡¯s Adjutant Agnello, the right hand of the Warden himself. Now, get some rest. My guess is that we¡¯ve got an hour or two, so relax, because the day¡¯s going to be hard.¡± The soldier took off, along with the escort, joining the other soldiers guarding around the enclosed party hall. The four watched Mord leave, then gathered. ¡°Okay. So, what we do?¡± Tom asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°We could¡­ fight our way out?¡± Peter shook his head in doubt. ¡°They had papers. Official ones. And given the number of people they have gathered already¡­ either Valetta is terrified of those soldiers, or they¡¯re in it voluntarily.¡± ¡°Then even if we start to use our¡­ talents, where do we go?¡± Laura opined. ¡°Not home,¡± Tom acknowledged, looking dejected. ¡°Yea. We might¡­ Franz???¡± Johanna said. The man sitting next to them turned to look at her and stood up immediately. ¡°You too?¡± their neighbor said, greeting them. ¡°I was going to say the same,¡± she replied. ¡°There¡¯s that.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Sarah?¡± she asked. ¡°Still home. Apparently, I¡¯m non-essential, or so they say, but since she¡¯s the mother of little Willi, she gets a pass. Mothers of a child under 12 don¡¯t qualify for their ¡®draft¡¯, apparently. For me¡­ that¡¯s what I get from being a basic worker at the smithy.¡± He considered the four, adding. ¡°Well. I shouldn¡¯t be surprised that they consider you non-essential as well. Salvaging isn¡¯t going to be a very high-priority job for Valetta. A few others of the alley got drafted as well.¡± ¡°How is Sarah going to go on without you?¡± Johanna asked. ¡°Dunno. With her part-time home job, you mean? Apparently, we¡¯re supposed to get a small stipend for this draft thing duration and can send most of it back home if we want. At least they¡¯re suspending all debts and stuff while we¡¯re away.¡± ¡°As if that was important. Any idea what they want with us?¡± ¡°Some war thing. They have problems in the east and want soldiers. To fight.¡± ¡°And¡­ that¡¯s us?¡± Franz Nader gestured toward the crowd. ¡°All of them. All of us.¡± The grizzled veteran soldier had been a level 10, the first one Moore had ever seen. And a Duelist. That was a weird specialization that he¡¯d spotted when raising Tom to level 4, before ignoring it. The 17 AGI/16STR/16EMP and level 4 specialization seemed to have only multipliers for skills that involved skill or stat checks. If he had to guess, it looked like what one would expect of a kind of PvP specialization, if any such existed. Despite the specialization, when he¡¯d grabbed Johanna, he¡¯d noticed that the man ¨C a Jones Armani Mord ¨C had no skills at all and the usual hodgepodge of allocated stats. And barely any experience left in his pool too, for once. The draft notice was a reminder that, regardless of the low-tech state of the world, bureaucracy still reigned supreme, and it held at least some semblance of a rule of law, given that it referred to statutes and stuff that had at least a veneer of legality. And the very interesting mention of a ¡°Union of States¡±, which looked suspiciously like some mutated or truncated version of the USA, given the mention of Montana associated with it. What interested Moore, however, was that the man had immediately checked Johanna¡¯s passives. Someone, somewhere, knows a lot about the System. END OF ACT 1 26. Levies No Army is better than its soldiers. Pre-Fall general. Johanna tried to get at the one soldier who seemed to be fielding questions, but the crowd was large, and there were soldiers with spears pushing back the various levies, trying to put a semblance of order. She¡¯d barely had time to reach the front of the improvised queue when the soldier simply started a tired-sounding spiel. ¡°Yes, you are getting paid a normal soldier stipend regularly. No, any legal dispute will have to be brought from New Benton, and you will have to pick a lawyer there or write to your contact back in Veletta if you think you belong in a protected category and are exempt from the draft. Yes, your family can visit, although you can¡¯t get leave unless you enlist or re-enlist for a full duration beyond the two-year draft. Any other question?¡± She hesitated a second, and the soldier immediately added, ¡°If you have none, move on, please.¡± ¡°I¡­ we have a contract outstanding for a year and¡­¡± ¡°Any outstanding obligation is suspended for the duration of the draft. That includes loans, delivery contracts, and everything, even if it includes non-drafted parties. Anything else?¡± Johanna couldn¡¯t think of anything immediately and the soldier immediately waved her off, looking at the next worried levy. The other three surrounded her, throwing inquiring looks. ¡°Okay, the good news is, our loan for the house is on hold. Also good news is, Grievar can¡¯t claim the sword or something. It will be waiting ¨C or whoever he managed to get interested, maybe ¨C for us. The bad news is, this¡­ mess is for two years.¡± ¡°Can they do that?¡± ¡°Obviously, they can. Unless they¡¯re lying through their teeth, and somehow Valetta couldn¡¯t figure it out.¡± She then laughed lightly. ¡°That soldier couldn¡¯t even say Valetta correctly.¡± Peter sighed. ¡°Tried my luck. But there¡¯s too many of them at the exits. Slipping away is not an option¡­ too many focused gazes and not enough room. I can¡¯t get out and see what I can learn from the city.¡± ¡°Tom, you know about that lawyer thing, right?¡± Johanna asked. ¡°Dad had to use one for some dispute. Specialist in written law, contracts, that kind of thing. People don¡¯t need them, usually, unless things go messy.¡± ¡°The soldier did mention them. Apparently, you can contest that ¡®draft¡¯ thing, once you¡¯re in New Benton.¡± Peter laughed. ¡°Fat chance that. If they know you¡¯re special, want to bet a lawyer there will find that we don¡¯t qualify for an exemption? Me, maybe if I¡¯m lucky. You? Not a chance.¡± A few more groups of soldiers had brought in some additional bewildered citizens, when the adjutant emerged again from his side room, a large travel bag at his side. Johanna spotted him almost as he came out, and she was ready to go to him and ask more when the crowd¡¯s sudden move caught her. The soldiers instantly reacted by drawing their spears and lowering them, stopping the frightened citizens from pestering their leader. ¡°Alright,¡± the soldier that had handled the inquiries spoke, before increasing his volume. ¡°Listen up, people. I am Captain Devereaux. We have a long march to the capital, New Benton. You are city dwellers, so I¡¯m not expecting you to be toughened enough, but I won¡¯t tolerate slacking. The sergeants here will make sure of that. Now, exit in groups. And, of course, don¡¯t bother trying to run away. Valetta designated you as levies, remember, and they know anyone that flees means one more levy next time unless they turn you in. And deserting for banditry¡­ is not something you want to do.¡± Trying to funnel something like a hundred and fifty people out of the party hall instantly turned into a mess, despite the soldier¡¯s instruction. As the four headed toward the main exit, Sergeant Mord detached himself from the soldier group and stopped them. He hesitated a second when looking at Peter, before letting it slide. The adjutant reached them. ¡°I understand that you are scavengers, and used to make runs to the western ruins?¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct,¡± Johanna replied. ¡°Then it¡¯s probably going to be easier for you than that lot. Feel free to guide them, or help them. Although don¡¯t take over anyone¡¯s load. I want them to start toughening with that march. Boot camp when we arrive will be easier.¡± ¡°Boot camp?¡± she asked, wondering what a boot had to do with a camp. ¡°Military training. Now, the three of you are special. You¡¯ll get more suitable training, based on your abilities and how tactically useful you¡¯ll be on the field. I look forward to discovering the full details of your respective Talent. You, on the other hand¡­¡± he said, looking at Peter. ¡°Well, there¡¯s provision for married couples. Although you¡¯re going to be a standard levy, you¡¯ll get passes to meet with your wife.¡± Peter opened his mouth, but Johanna shook her head, trying to prevent him from disclosing his abilities. If the Warden¡¯s men didn¡¯t suspect him, he could sneak out, find things¡­ help them, one way or another. ¡°I certainly did not expect to require permission to see her,¡± he managed to grumble convincingly. ¡°We¡¯ll see. We will probably make you a bodyguard after initial training,¡± the adjutant replied, before gesturing toward the exit. Once outside, Johanna found a pair of soldiers with a pile of bags at their feet. After looking quickly at her salvager¡¯s backpack, they handed her a pair of plain burlap sacks. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°Put those in. That¡¯s your rations for the next days.¡± She dropped her bag, stuffing the two 7-pounds bags into it, before picking it back, shifting to hold its weight. Not as heavy as when they went out for a run or came back filled with salvage, but still significant. She spotted some of the other levies with larger burlap bags with straps sewn on and instantly pitied them. Odds were that most would not know how to carry those loads for a day. There was a trick to placing the weight on your back for long durations, and that was assuming that you had a good backpack. She looked around but didn¡¯t spot Franz, nor any of their neighbors. They must have been already sent out ahead. It looked as if the four were among the last ones out of the mustering point. They got ordered to start walking along the street and found themselves quickly on the main street that bisected the city from west to east. Individual soldiers lined the street, directing the pack of levies. A handful of citizens looked curiously, before shuffling aside, taking refuge in the side streets to let the procession pass. Johanna spotted a man talking angrily at a soldier, before a second trooper reached his comrade, wielding its pike meaningfully as they pushed the angry citizen away. She looked back, but the adjutant waved his hand at her. ¡°We¡¯ll talk once on the road,¡± he merely said. They crossed the gate of Valetta and found the rest of the levies assembled, soldiers at the ready. What interested Johanna was that soldiers were bringing out horses. Actual horses. Two of the soldiers vaulted into the saddle and started at a small trot toward the southeast, moving ahead of the levies. One brought the last horse toward the adjutant, and the man climbed onto his horse, before waiting until all were assembled. ¡°Okay, levies. Time to walk. We follow the road southeast to the fork. Get going,¡± Captain Devereaux yelled. ¡°You are seasoned travelers, we¡¯ll take the front,¡± the adjutant said from his saddle. ¡°Follow me.¡± Some of the other draftees threw a surprised look as they passed them, wondering what had singled them out. Johanna spotted Franz Nader, who frowned, mouthing a question. She shrugged a bit at him, but she realized she¡¯d probably have to explain at one point why the adjutant wanted them. They reached the head of the mass of Valetta levies, where the soldier squad that led the troop parted, leaving the adjutant on his horse to pass, along with the four. ¡°So¡­ why?¡± Johanna finally asked. ¡°Why what?¡± the man asked back. ¡°Why all of this? Why us?¡± ¡°It¡¯s simple. Very simple, in fact. The Montana Marches are at war with tribesmen from the North. They¡¯re seeking to grab more lands, and for them, that means going south¡­ where the people of the Montana already live.¡± He threw a look at Johanna, before continuing. ¡°And now, they¡¯ve enlisted the help of Wendigos.¡± That mention surprised all of them. ¡°Thought them a legend?¡± Tom asked. ¡°No, they¡¯re real. They¡¯re a Changed people, spawned by the Changestorms of old. Huge, hairy, frightful savages, and needing large territories for hunting or cattle ranching,¡± the adjutant replied. ¡°They don¡¯t farm?¡± Johanna asked. ¡°They¡¯re carnivores. Full carnivores, unlike people. They can¡¯t eat grain, vegetables, fruits, or anything like that. Only meat. Or milk. Or even blood, if you believe some of the stories, but I¡¯m not too sure about that. So, their pastures take a lot of space. They were regularly at war with the northern tribes over land, or so we thought, but apparently, they¡¯ve joined them now. And the Wendigos are at home in winter. Snow and ice don¡¯t bother them, at all, and they have the upper hand over normal people in those conditions.¡± Johanna realized the date. They were only a few days away from the Fall Equinox. ¡°And you¡¯re bringing more troops for winter. Lots more troops.¡± ¡°We were relatively well-matched with the tribes, and could push them back beyond the borders every time. But with the Wendigos joining them, we started losing a lot of troops in winter. Wendigos don¡¯t get ill or anything even in the worst winters, they thrive on it. We almost lost the Kootenai last year. If the Northmen can break out of the Kootenai Gap, they can wage a larger war, across a wide front. And if that happens¡­ well, we won¡¯t come and pick two hundred levies. We¡¯ll get everyone we can grab, or the Marches are doomed.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t the Union help? Surely the other states¡­¡± Laura began. ¡°For most of the central States, the Northern Marches are big enough to deal with their own troubles. Oh, I do not doubt that, if the tribes start spilling into the land, they might rise from their asses and send armies, per the Union treaty. But the Montana is so big. It is so strong. Surely it can stand on its own?¡± The voice of the adjutant left little doubt about who was saying that. ¡°So, you¡¯re running across all of Montana ¡®drafting¡¯ people like us¡­¡± Johanna said. ¡°Well, the council of Valetta had an interesting offer. Trading quality for quantity. A councilman told me about you three, and they asked if you were worth fifty levies instead.¡± ¡°They did what?¡± Tom blurted. ¡°They decided that drafting you might avoid drafting more of their youth. You should feel honored ¨C after all, you might really be worth fifty raw recruits. The right person in the right place can. I don¡¯t know yet, but I¡¯m willing to bet since I¡¯m a bold man. After all, I know what a sorceress can bring to the table.¡± ¡°You know a sorceress?¡± Johanna asked, surprised. Adjutant Agnello looked at her, shrugging. ¡°Your fellow magic wielders are rare, but not that rare. Lady Worchester, the Sorceress of the Mists of the Montana has been supporting the Warden in his efforts for more than half a decade. She has derailed more than one offensive, and even saved his life once.¡± ¡°Is that how that sergeant knew I¡¯m immune to fire?¡± ¡°I know that almost all sorcerers tend to be immune to their own talent and element. It made sense that, if you¡¯re using fire yourself, you¡¯d be immune to it.¡± ¡°Wait, you didn¡¯t know? I could have been burned?¡± ¡°Sergeant Mord isn¡¯t dumb. If it looked like it was actually burning you, he¡¯d have stopped. And that would have meant you weren¡¯t real.¡± He looked at her again. ¡°You can really set weapons afire?¡± Johanna sighed in defeat. That particular ox had left the barn, and there was no pretending to be a normal woman, not with her fire immunity betraying her. She pointed at the dagger at the man¡¯s side. pointed at the dagger at the man¡¯s side. ¡°May I?¡± He looked down, then drew out the blade and handed it. She picked it by the pommel, and immediately lighted it as soon as his fingers let it go. She heard his sharp exhalation. ¡°See.¡± She slashed in the air with the blade, flame trailing behind without being extinguished, then let the flame subside, and handed the dagger back. Agnello ran his thumb across the blade. ¡°There¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s not even hot.¡± ¡°No. Even if I let it burn for half an hour, it doesn¡¯t heat. It only burns while the flame¡¯s there.¡± ¡°You can sustain that for half an hour?¡± ¡°A bit more than that.¡± She lifted her hand and brought the flame up. ¡°Although I don¡¯t need a blade.¡± Agnello whistled. ¡°It looks like I wasn¡¯t sold a bill of goods then. You are a true sorceress. Most impressive.¡± He looked at the rest. ¡°And I assume the rest of you are as good as I¡¯ve been told. First, a possible artifact, next three Talented.¡± ¡°Artifact?¡± Johanna blurted. ¡°Yes. One of the councilors ¨C the one that had the idea to send you instead of fifty levies ¨C asked if the Warden might be interested in purchasing an artifact sword. Which I understand¡­¡± ¡°¡­ can cut everything.¡± ¡°You know about it. Oh, wait. You¡¯re salvagers. Did you¡­¡± ¡°We found it over a month ago in the western ruins. So, that was Grievar who told you about us?¡± she asked, incredulous. ¡°That¡¯s the councilor, yes.¡± ¡°Well¡­ if you want the sword cheap¡­ we¡¯re still owners. He¡¯s getting 25% of the sale, but maybe you can get a better deal. The contract states that we pick the buyer, after all,¡± she said with a nasty smile that even surprised her when she realized it was there. The adjutant looked at her oddly, before he threw back his head and laughed. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure the weapon master that will come to appraise its worth will suitably¡­ lowball.¡± Moore had a frightful surprise when he saw what those soldiers had brought out. Equoids. At least the System prompt identified these as level 2 and 3 creatures of that name. Sure, they looked like perfectly normal and fine horses. Not that he was a specialist, as he¡¯d only seen horses in movies and shows. But dogs, cats, oxen, all the normal animals he¡¯d seen in the town, or the farms never had a prompt. Even the one rat he¡¯d spotted once running in the town¡¯s alleys or the birds perched over homes didn¡¯t have one. Just monsters like the Canids and Lepuses. Yet, here they were saddling monsters as if they were ordinary animals. Okay. There must be a rational explanation. But what? Moore had no idea whatsoever why horses had levels. And the name Equoid did not fill him with confidence. 27. On the Road It¡¯s not the destination, it¡¯s the journey. Pre-Fall saying The column of levies made it to the Poole farmstead area before the soldiers finally let them stop for the day. While quite a few of the draftees had been able to follow the rhythm of the march, the rearguard had required multiple stops, which the soldiers had timed carefully. With the sun dropping behind the trees and the evening coming close, they made a large camp. ¡°I¡¯d say good, except it is not,¡± Captain Devereaux yelled. ¡°In the old days, troops would be expected not only to walk faster but to build an entire camp at the end. Yes, a camp with palisades, just for the night,¡± he added. ¡°So, not only did you walk less than you should have, but I¡¯m not even expecting you to be able to make your shelter. Thankfully, the weather is still clement for late September, so you¡¯ll be able to sleep without too much problem. Meanwhile, your bags include rations for four days. We will resupply before tackling the Springs Narrows section. If you eat all of your rations before then¡­ well, that¡¯s your problem. I won¡¯t listen to excuses.¡± ¡°Now¡­ the sergeants will take a few of you into four or five parties, and you¡¯ll go nearby to pick wood for the cooking and evening. I¡¯m expecting to keep fires going all night long. That will be all, people.¡± Murmurs rose around Johanna. ¡°Wait, we¡¯re going to sleep in the outdoors? Like that?¡± She quickly considered the fact that most citizens of Valetta had never spent the night out of protective palisades. Even for the four of them, it had been slightly unnerving at first. But Changed beasts weren¡¯t that numerous, and if you kept a watch, you¡¯d be okay. Still, a hundred and fifty levies and fifty-some soldiers made a pretty big camp. Most predators would avoid such a group, even Canids, as long as it looked as if the humans in that wilderness were active. Twenty levies ¨C mixed men and women ¨C were picked by the soldiers and went to groups in the nearby forest. Meanwhile, other soldiers had erected a large tent, in which Adjutant Agnello almost immediately retired, having tethered his horse nearby. Obviously, despite being persons of interest, the four ¨C or rather, the three as far as the adjutant was concerned ¨C didn¡¯t rate tents. Never mind, they¡¯d packed sleeping bags. Although Johanna was unsure if it was all right to pull them out. They were already noticeable by being in front along with the adjutant, apparently fine after that march, and seeming to be excessively prepared might lead to suspicion and trouble. It wasn¡¯t their fault they were experienced travelers. ¡°I still can¡¯t believe that bastard of a canid sold us out,¡± Laura said. ¡°Merchants the same everywhere so says my dad,¡± Tom replied. ¡°He probably thought he was doing a service to his city,¡± Peter surmised. ¡°And maybe that we wouldn¡¯t come back to claim the money from the sword. Those are explanations, not excuses,¡± Johanna said. ¡°Still, squeezing him out is good touch. Hit merchants where they feel it,¡± Tom smiled. ¡°Yea, but that doesn¡¯t change the result,¡± Johanna sighed. ¡°You realize this ends our profession,¡± Peter said. ¡°If we screw him¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯ll screw us. No more scavenging for profit,¡± she said. ¡°We can move to Lakeview. Maybe there¡¯s a way to sell scavenging stock there,¡± Laura suggested. ¡°Grievar can¡¯t be the only one to buy salvage.¡± ¡°It¡¯s on the other side of the ruins, but it¡¯s small. Way smaller than Valetta.¡± ¡°And we have to sell the house,¡± Tom said. ¡°Can we sell with an outstanding loan?¡± Johanna asked. ¡°And can we find a buyer?¡± Laura added. ¡°Aaah,¡± Johanna complained, kicking a small divot of earth. Waiting for the foraging parties to come back, she and Tom decided to wander a bit among their fellow levies. Almost all had slumped on the ground, sitting in various poses, and waiting. She was moving around when she spotted something. Is that¡­ a cube toy? That brought immediately memories of that salvager cart, back before the Skeleton entered their lives. And, well, the man idly turning the cube felt a bit familiar. So, she stopped next to him, looking down at the seated levy. ¡°Hello.¡± The man raised his head to look at her and smiled thinly. ¡°Hello. I¡¯d say good evening, but that¡¯s a lie.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to disagree.¡± She pointed at the multi-faceted wood cube in the man¡¯s hands. ¡°I noticed that. You¡¯re a salvager?¡± ¡°Yes, but how does this follow?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a salvager too. Looks like we both operate on the western ruins, and I might have spotted your cart two months ago there¡­ and you were playing with that cube.¡± ¡°Oh. Oh, you¡¯re the freelance team Grievar spoke of?¡± ¡°Sounds like us, yes.¡± ¡°Coby Hopkins. I am not going to say nice to meet you, but, well¡­¡± ¡°Scavenging is not a protected profession in Valetta, looks like,¡± she said. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me. Gellert ¨C that¡¯s my boss ¨C said, register as temporary residents for the season. Make everything and taxes easier and stuff. And then you get snatched off the inn. I¡¯m going to contest on the account of temporary status, but I¡¯m not hopeful.¡± Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°I supposed he¡¯s less than happy now.¡± ¡°The damned man slipped away. He was out to Lakeview, dealing with something, with almost all the crew. Only me and Lucas were left to keep watch on the cart and tools.¡± The man next to the salvager waved lazily. ¡°Welcome to the levies,¡± he said with a tired smile. ¡°What¡¯s he doing in Lakeview? Are there good opportunities for salvage there?¡± she asked, before realizing they might not want to answer that to competitors. ¡°Looking to change from Valetta after what they did?¡± Coby said. ¡°Nah. That¡¯s what¡¯s good with Valetta. In Lakeview, you¡¯d get merchants interested, but you spend weeks before you¡¯ve dumped all. Besides, we do mainly Alium, and they¡¯d resell it to Valetta anyway, so we¡¯d get even lower prices. In Valetta, you got a nice store, sell everything at once, and you¡¯re headed back for more. Gellert always said time is money,¡± the other salvager said. Johanna sighed internally. So much for moving. Unless they wanted to grovel before Grievar¡­ it looked like their salvaging days were over. Because she was pretty sure everything he did was well received in Valetta, and she doubted any ¡®lawyer¡¯ would do anything on him. Or maybe there are other ways of getting money. After they got from that draft thing. Maybe there are ruins not too far from the capital? Johanna found Franz along with two other people from the alley. Their neighbors were seated on the ground and rummaging through their bags. She knew Ngozi Williams already but had never met Bertram Niles. He was the only one with a semblance of a backpack, although only a small one. ¡°Anyone else from the neighborhood?¡± she asked. ¡°Us three only. There¡¯s also Maria Vanu and her husband Georg, but they¡¯re not here.¡± Johanna¡¯s eyebrows shot up at the familiar name from her former home. Probably some distant relatives, people whose parents had moved out of Anasta a long time ago. She might check up on them later. To find herself neighbor with other people from Anasta was a surprise. Although she suspected it should not be that unusual. ¡°I¡¯m surprised that they picked women, yet so few,¡± she noted. ¡°Exemption clauses. Mothers of children under 12, like Sarah, don¡¯t get drafted. Or any single parent of one under 16. I¡¯ve been told that they¡¯ll use women for logistics, camp management, and the like, rather than frontline combat. Not that it will be easier, I think,¡± Franz said. ¡°No kidding. It looks like five men for one woman.¡± ¡°Maybe. Actual fighters take priority, I suppose.¡± Tom and Laura joined them. She looked but couldn¡¯t spot Peter, which made her assume he was trying to get some information, maybe listening to the adjutant. ¡°I¡¯m not looking forward to dinner,¡± Laura said. ¡°Not quite our usual travel rations,¡± Tom noted. ¡°They don¡¯t seem to have included much variety,¡± Johanna acknowledged. The look from the neighbors confirmed that they shared their opinion on the matter. Hard biscuits, lard, and apples, for every meal including their future breakfasts. Johanna wasn¡¯t sure it was not a deliberate decision on the part of the soldiers. ¡°Yes. Guy I was walking with says he spotted you showing some fire weapon at the man,¡± Ngozi Williams added. Johanna winced internally. She realized it was inevitable. Each time they used their abilities, it made ripples. People talked. The only way their abilities would remain secret was if they never used them in public. And that particular ox had left the barn long ago when they fought the Lepuses for Anasta. Three people can keep a secret, only if two are dead, she remembered the saying. She was temporarily saved from answering by an interruption. One of the persons sent to forage dumped a bunch of branches in the middle, with the soldier holding the rest of the branches saying, ¡°make a small pit with stones before lighting. If you don¡¯t know, ask,¡± before moving on. Franz contemplated the pile of wood, before saying, ¡°At least we can cook properly. Those biscuits are hard, even wet with the gourds¡¯ water.¡± ¡°No kidding. These guys haven¡¯t heard of proper travel ration,¡± Tom laughed. The group found stones and made a small circle to prevent grass from catching before Franz pulled out an old stone lighter from a pocket and started lighting it. Or, rather, tried to. Trying to get a spark seemed to be hard, and he quickly turned. ¡°Anyone got a good lighter?¡± The three looked at each other. They didn¡¯t have a good lighter ¨C unless that lighter was called Johanna Milton. She¡¯d got used so fast to using the flame in her hand for all kinds of uses that she no longer brought her Ancient alcohol lighter. And she realized she still had to answer Franz about how they got singled out. ¡°Let me,¡± she said. Franz gestured to her, and she knelt next to the wood bundle, pulling back her sleeve. She opened her hand and called the flame before shoving it into the wood. Franz¡¯s eyes widened as he watched the wood catch fire, as she kept funneling flame. Then, satisfied, she pulled it out before simply saying, ¡°there you go¡±. It was Ngozi who whistled. ¡°So that¡¯s why that adjutant wanted to keep you under his eye. You¡¯re a sorceress, like in the books.¡± ¡°There¡¯s that, yes,¡± she acknowledged. Bertram Niles laughed. ¡°And here I thought our alley was a quiet little place for cheap houses. With a hidden sorceress.¡± Then he winced before adding, ¡°I suppose you can¡¯t make us ride the earth or something. What was that story¡­? It would go better on my blisters because I¡¯m starting to feel them after that day.¡± Johanna and Laura exchanged looks. Franz noticed, and was the first to ask, ¡°wait¡­ you can move the earth???¡± ¡°No, but if it¡¯s blisters, I can help,¡± Laura replied. ¡°What?¡± She gestured at Bertram, ¡°Pull out those boots and let me see.¡± ¡°Not much one can do. Now, if you were my wife¡­¡± She gestured at his feet. ¡°No discussing. Drop the shoes and socks.¡± Bertram shrugged and unlaced his boots, removing them with a small grimace. Johanna looked, but at least the socks didn¡¯t seem to have stains. She never had that many blisters, thanks for spending so much time in the fields when younger, but she still got a few at times when they started doing their runs. ¡°See. I¡¯ll live,¡± the neighbor said. Laura snorted and passed her thumb across the sole. Then she gestured, ¡°the other now.¡± ¡°What?¡± Bertram said, then twisted his feet to look. ¡°Any other blister?¡± Laura insisted. The two other neighbors looked carefully as Bertram peeled out his other sock and Laura removed the two small quasi-blisters reddish irritations. ¡°Done. Anyone else?¡± she asked. ¡°How can you do that? Are you¡­ some saint?¡± Franz asked. ¡°I can do what some saints do, yes.¡± The three men looked at them, before turning to Tom. ¡°Hey. My wife¡¯s the one with the big stuff. Me¡­ I just smash Changed beasts.¡± As they frowned, he shrugged, ¡°Can¡¯t do much on the trail. It¡¯s all in the hands of those two. Can¡¯t complain.¡± ¡°How¡­¡± Johanna started to explain. She omitted how ¨C where ¨C they had gotten their abilities. No sense in spooking their neighbors without reason. After speaking about the deal back in Valetta, Ngozi snorted. ¡°I wish I was in the fifty they skipped over for you. Sorry, but¡­¡± ¡°No problem. It¡¯s not as if any of us had a say in that. We¡¯re all in this together, I think.¡± Franz raised his hands. ¡°No problem on that. We have to stick together.¡± A light touch on her shoulder made Johanna almost jump in surprise. She looked up, and realized it was Peter, come back from whatever he¡¯d been doing. He dropped next to her and Laura, and looked at Tom who was chatting with the others from the alley as they ate, before whispering. ¡°I listened to the soldiers. It looks like what Agnello was saying is correct, at least in general terms. Most of them have seen some action against northern tribal forces, including this year.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to think about what else those troops could be for, and couldn¡¯t,¡± Johanna replied. ¡°War inside the Union?¡± Laura mused. ¡°Really? You think it could be that?¡± her husband said. ¡°Who knows. You hear about the wars after the Fall, before the Union was restored.¡± ¡°That was long ago,¡± Johanna said. ¡°It¡¯s more likely than trying to sell us into slavery or something,¡± Laura replied. ¡°That¡¯s something in the bad novels. Using slaves has been forbidden in the Union since¡­ well before it was even the Union. Before the Fall,¡± Johanna shrugged. ¡°Who knows. Maybe they would sell us to those Northmen as a bribe to end the war?¡± Peter said. ¡°They¡¯d have ¡®drafted¡¯ more women in that case,¡± Tom countered as he dropped next to them. ¡°Thanks for the suggestion,¡± Johanna replied drily. Getting out of the forest on the road was a weird sensation for Johanna. The palisade of Anasta was visible in the distance, and she could distantly see people working in the cornfields, getting the last harvests in. Some paused, probably wondering about the massive column of people passing through. She wondered what they thought about it. She doubted any noticed her or Peter among the mass of people. They were probably busy preparing for Mark Vanu¡¯s impending marriage. The Equinox was in two days, and it would be a massive festival with the marriage added. She briefly thought about sneaking out this evening and hiding in Anasta, before quashing the idea. Even if it was possible¡­ the soldiers had been very specific. You¡¯d be an outlaw, and Valetta would have to compensate for your desertion. The road toward the east was new. Beyond Avon, where she¡¯d met Tom three years ago, she¡¯d never been there. 28. The Springs Narrows We may be thankful that the shallows are inimical to the depths. Vortigern Stone, Angel Basin Salvage Unit 1 (circa 2057) The terrain might have been easier now, but the road was becoming a bit worse. Some Ancient pavement, barely repaired, with half-filled potholes in places. It looked like the road was not regularly maintained. ¡°That¡¯s the Springs Narrows, people,¡± Captain Devereaux yelled. ¡°The road is safe, obviously, but if you look around, the vegetation changes abruptly on both sides. The gap between mana zones is less than a mile wide at its shortest point, and it should take us a day to cross before the safe area widens. Sooo¡­ if you don¡¯t want for us to camp there, better not slack.¡± ¡°Fills you with confidence,¡± Peter snorted. Tom merely shrugged, as the four trudged along the rest of the column. The hillsides looked more or less normal at first, but the changes in vegetation that the soldier had warned about became quickly visible as they advanced. The pine trees on top of the hills¡­ turned. Changing from dark green to an almost blueish black, growing taller too. Normal trees still dominated, but the presence of the Changed trees gave the sides of the Gap a sinister edge. ¡°Never been that close to true mana pockets,¡± Johanna said. ¡°No. The vegetation in the ruins isn¡¯t that different,¡± Peter said. Johanna was looking at the south side of the gap when Tom at her side suddenly stiffened. She looked at him and saw he was peering in the same direction she had. ¡°Spotted anything?¡± she asked. ¡°Don¡¯t know¡­ it¡¯s like I think there¡¯s something there.¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s spooky, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°More than that. I feel like there¡¯s something coming.¡± She looked again but saw nothing. ¡°You¡¯re sure, Tom?¡± ¡°Yea. It¡¯s like¡­¡± he stopped. ¡°¡­ it¡¯s like when we fought the Lepuses. Some tried to attack me from the side, but whenever they did, I somehow knew it.¡± Johanna blinked in surprise. ¡°More obvious now that there¡¯s nothing around. It¡¯s like there¡¯s a Lepus running at me that I can¡¯t see,¡± he said. ¡°My god, you got another ability?¡± ¡°Probably already had, even with the first colony. Useful in a big melee like it was. But here¡­¡± She instantly started to speed up toward the head of the column. The adjutant was riding there at his usual pace, accompanied by the captain. Both men were discussing something as she reached them. ¡°Adjutant?¡± He turned back toward her, surprised. ¡°Yes, Mrs. Milton?¡± ¡°Something to the south.¡± ¡°Well, yes. We¡¯re close to the beginning of the mana zones on both sides¡­¡± ¡°Not that. Tom says something is coming. At us.¡± Adjutant Agnello squinted at her. ¡°He can tell that?¡± ¡°I do,¡± the man said as he came up to Johanna, still looking south. Captain Deveraux was skeptical. ¡°Are you sure? If that¡¯s just being spooked¡­¡± A loud crash answered him, and the captain¡¯s head snapped to the south. A handful of the blue-black pine trees shook briefly, but visibly on the hillside. ¡°Okay.¡± The captain¡¯s voice rose to a near-shout. ¡°Hostile, south. Get rea¡­¡± Trees shook and something came out of the forested zone, a hundred yards from the road. The figure rose to almost the height of a big man, like Tom. Long, with a short snout, and a crown of huge quills spiking toward its back. And, even from afar, immense eyes of a deep green, like precious stones. Johanna had never seen its like. It was as if someone had crossed a boar with a bull, and turned its fur into hardpoints. Moore couldn¡¯t believe his eyes when the monster came out of the woods. Level 12 Peak Unnatural Amphex. SHIT! That looks like a boss! Half of the soldiers had frozen on the spot. Then cries from the levies began, and Johanna didn¡¯t have to turn her head to know that panic was sweeping across the column. The monster moved out of the wood, unnaturally fast on too-short legs, casting its green eyes at the humans spread in front of it. Then it emitted a squeal. It wasn¡¯t like the sounds of the Lepus colony. The cry was much deeper, almost bone-rattling. Then the sound ended, just as Captain Devereaux shouted, ¡°Deep Changed! Spears! FORMATION! Get out those crossbows!¡± The monster looked at the massed humans, searching¡­ before his eyes focused on something just to Johanna¡¯s right. She shuddered briefly because those unnatural green eyes looked a bit too much like a human rather than a beast. Almost human, not quite, and that created a queasy sensation. She turned her head to see what the monster was looking at before realizing that Laura was next to her. She snapped her head back to the monster as it started moving toward her friend. She was sure Laura was trying to use her gaze to intimidate the monster, as she had on the Lepuses back in Anasta¡­, and that the beast knew it, somehow. Then she flexed her mind muscle, and the Changed beast slowed, then stopped. It gingerly raised his legs one by one, as if wondering what had befallen it, and she briefly wondered how smart the beast could be. Then the creature resumed moving¡­ albeit far more slowly. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Some part of her briefly realized it was able to ignore partially her ability, as she kept her eyes focused on it. Somehow, it was powerful enough to keep walking. How had Devereaux called it? Deep Changed. Some creature that had soaked in heavy mana for who knew how long. We can just delay it. Tom was suddenly at her side, having pulled the sizable smithy hammer he¡¯d purchased just before their last delve into the ruins. Nobody had bothered to take it from him, but she immediately put her hand on his arm, trying not to break eye target on the monster. ¡°Soldiers. It¡¯s their job, they know how to deal with it,¡± she quickly whispered. As if to confirm the point, a whistling sound came, and three bolts passed from behind, hitting the massive target. But two glanced on the spiky fur, and only one managed to hit the beast, who barely flinched at the pinprick. ¡°RELOAD! Valch, Gello, where is your crossbow???¡± she heard the sergeant yell. Then she spotted the manalight, spreading from the neck of the beast, as most of its spiky quills started to shine. Not with manalight, she immediately realized, but more like metal, as if the quills had turned into deadly blades. She almost shouted to warn about the change, but it was perfectly visible anyway. The beast arrived at where a dozen soldiers had made a wall of spears, and stopped just before, uncannily aware of the threat. The now-metallic quills at his neck and his back flexed, becoming even more blade-like. Rather than try to rush the barrier, the beast opened its maw, revealing a row of sharp teeth that looked more like a carnivore than a boar, and breathed. From the depth of the maw, Johanna had barely time to see manalight before a sickly yellowish cloud of particles spread out. Most of the soldiers started coughing almost instantly, and the wall of spears wavered. She caught a whiff of the breath and felt a spike run through her nose, deep into her skull like an instant headache. She stumbled and Laura¡¯s hand grasped her arm, steadying her. The headache instantly cleared. Johanna¡¯s head whipped to look at her friend, who looked confused. ¡°You removed that breath poison¡­¡± Johanna said. Laura¡¯s eyes widened, realizing that yet another ability had been granted to her. One that was immediately useful. They both turned to look at the fight. More soldiers were rushing to restore the defensive formation, but the monster didn¡¯t seem inclined to wait. It rushed over the spears, aiming toward a group of frozen levies. One weakened soldier rose its spear, striking at the flank. The beast stopped and shook itself, dislodging the irritant, and turned its massive head toward the soldier. Before it could attack, a pair of soldiers reached, pushing their spears forward. The creature flinched at the steel in front of it. Johanna gasped as she spotted manalight again, spreading across the beast. She realized another ability was coming into play. How many magics does this thing have? The flesh blurred. Shadows spread around, the skin turning briefly transparent. In a second, the creature looked like shadows in the shape of a monster. Johanna could have sworn she could see its bones through the skin, amidst disturbing shapes that might have been organs. The only thing that looked very solid were the metal-looking quills adorning its collar. More crossbow bolts sang by, but they barely hit, sinking into the shadow before falling out of the shadowed flesh. Two more soldiers arrived by her, pushing spears to try to get at it, but she could see the spearheads now barely bothered the beast. Instead, it stomped, and the solid-looking hoof crashed on the leg of a soldier laying on the ground, still hacking and coughing. ¡°They¡¯re failing,¡± Johanna realized. The only thing that was keeping the attack in check, she thought, was that both Laura and she were applying their slowing effects, Laura trying to hamper and distract the beast from attacking, while she was slowing its movement on the ground. She hoped briefly that she had more success than the partial rooting result she had managed so far. ¡°It¡¯s like tar,¡± one of the soldiers yelled. Then she realized Laura had moved, trying to reach the soldier whose leg had been mangled and pull him out from the danger. ¡°No!¡± Johanna yelled. The beast noticed her and turned its head. With the shadow effects rippling across its skull, its eyes looked like shining marbles in bony holes rather than proper eyes. But there was no mistaking its gaze. Laura slammed her hand on the leg, and manalight flowed from the hand as the member twisted visibly, straightening. She immediately backpedaled, while Johanna tried to keep it rooted. The soldier lay unmoving feeling stunned, before scrambling from under the beast''s rising hoof. Then a figure slammed at the side of the beast, and Johanna recognized Tom and his hammer. The beast staggered. Tom raised his hand again, and slammed the hammer at the side, aiming at the head. The quills flexed, and one grazed the hand, sliding along the hammer and handle. Blood spurted and Tom fell back, managing to keep his grip on the weapon. The beast breathed again. Another sickly cloud spread and Tom started to cough, raising his left hand to his head in pain. The two ¨C no, three now ¨C soldiers at Johanna pushed their spears, trying to distract and hit the beast. Then she realized that one of the soldiers was actually Peter. He¡¯d picked a discarded spear and was trying to aim to a vulnerable point, to distract the monster from Laura. Then another spear joined them, and she noticed that Franz was trying to help as well. But the spearpoints didn¡¯t catch properly, their pinprick barely registering. ¡°I know where to hit. But it¡¯s like poking mud,¡± Peter said. Johanna suddenly had an idea. ¡°Let me help,¡± she said, putting her hand on Peter¡¯s spear. The blade lighted up, fire burning. ¡°Go.¡± Peter pushed the spear, her hand keeping her touch on the weapon. The flaming spearpoint ran into the shadows, and the beast howled, the bone-rattling squeal rising again. It shook its head, and the spear slipped from Peter¡¯s grasp, falling on the ground, its blade immediately extinguished. Johanna reached with her left hand for a soldier¡¯s spear, and his own blade lit up in turn. The soldier looked briefly at her, before pushing the flaming spear into the beast, who yowled again. Flesh solidified. The flaming weapons had been enough to break the monster¡¯s concentration, the beastly equivalent of Johanna¡¯s mental flex on her abilities. She spotted Tom, back on his feet, Laura just behind him. Despite the blood running across his arm, he stepped fast into the beast, bringing his hammer. The beast yowled again and turned, just as three soldiers speared it. One of the spears ran into one of the emerald orbs that were its eyes and the beast shuddered. Then Tom slammed his hammer again, the spear shifting in the eye socket, and the beast suddenly fell. A massive whiff of shit spread out, almost as obnoxious as the yellow breath, but Johanna did breathe more easily. Franz, next to her, dropped his spear and turned, shivering. Then she realized from the stain on his trousers that her neighbor had probably lost it during the fight. ¡°The Lord be thanked, these things almost never come out of the deep mana zones,¡± she heard from behind. She turned toward Adjutant Agnello. ¡°No kidding,¡± she said. ¡°We might have outlasted it. These things have massive abilities, all of them, but they eventually run out of mana. We¡¯d have suffered heavy losses¡­ if it were not for you. That flaming trick with others¡¯ spears.¡± ¡°I had never tried it before.¡± ¡°Well, it worked. Thank you, Mrs. Milton. I look forward to seeing how much you will turn our fight against the tribes.¡± The Adjutant turned back toward Captain Devereaux. ¡°Get back all the levies. We don¡¯t want to stay in the Narrows any longer we need.¡± Thank whatever God rules here, they had an army to help. Although that probably cut deeply into the XP, that was a secondary consideration. It wasn¡¯t a game, and XP was worthless if you died. 1201 experience per person in that fight was well earned, no matter how hard it was. The mutated hedgehog had been insanely hard to kill. A true boss battle, as much as this reality offered. And it had used advanced skills, pretty much as that Canid back after he awakened. More skills, and bigger ones. Sorting by tiers ¨C the amount of XP you needed to remove the skill if you wanted to ¨C brought the insane skills the monster had used in that battle. It was easy, not only they were the only skills above his current horizon of level 5 ¨C besides the Eversharp he¡¯d gotten from the sword ¨C but the description matched the effects. Metal Spikes might be called a basic spell, a simple Strength-based spell at level 7, but there was no denying it did fit the hedgehog-like creature. Moore had no idea how that skill might translate for a person. Turn their hair into metal spikes, maybe. Spore Breath was next. That was the attack he¡¯d seen in action. A level 8 Authority/Perception spell, it was pretty much a massive toxic debuff designed more to weaken and debilitate rather than outright kill. But the icing on the cake was the insanely named Fleshless.
Fleshless Requires: Authority 21/Strength 20/Perception 19/Level 11
Effective: N ¡Á Strength + Level (adds mana) Passive: Adds (Eff) stamina Active: Temporarily transform flesh and organs into shadows. Attacks by slashing and piercing weapons are (Eff vs STR)¡Á5% less efficient. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds
Duelist AGI 17/STR 16/EMP 16/Lvl 4 N=2
Guardian STR 16/PER 16/Lvl 2 N=1
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=1
The very next thought that came to Moore was, can it appear as an item? 29. The Way A railway station is something that can generate a city. Pre-Fall saying The aftermath of the battle took a long time to unwind. While half of the levies had basically frozen in place, many had run, including a few in the northern forest, which was as perilous as the southern wood from which the beast had come. The horse-riding advance scouts rejoined the main group after over an hour and were quickly put to the task of roping in as many stragglers they could find. Thankfully ¨C for the soldiers ¨C most people were fearful of running alone into the Narrows. Laura had little difficulty helping the coughing and sickened soldiers and a couple of Valettans that had breathed the noxious cloud. However, she hit her limits on damage inflicted on the soldiers. She couldn¡¯t fix the two who had torn their hands from the shocks transmitted along the spear shafts by the mass of the beast. Rather than drop them, they had kept a death grip on the spear shafts and ended with partially disabled hands. One of the soldiers, who served as a company medic, said the wounds looked more like torn ligaments than broken bones or wrists. The surface wounds, she cleaned easily, but the deeper damage was unfixable by her abilities, and the soldiers would have to wait until the hands healed naturally. ¡°I think I need to heal it immediately. If I wait, it¡¯s too late,¡± she said after she joined the other three. Despite the problem, the looks, both from the levies and the soldiers, had changed though. The demonstration of their abilities had suddenly raised their status to quasi-legendary, the kind of people who are featured in epic novels. Even Peter, despite the fact that his actions hadn¡¯t been visibly Heroic, got some recognition, as well as Franz Nader. ¡°You got guts. And good grip, too,¡± Sergeant Mord told the two of them, slapping them on their shoulders. Johanna came to ask the adjutant about the fighting. Captain Devereaux had been warning them prior to the Narrows, but that beast seemed pretty horrifying. ¡°No, usually, the road is safe. As safe as it can be, I mean. I hear about a caravan running into trouble or, worse, going missing maybe once a year, in bad years,¡± the adjutant said. ¡°Deep Changed don¡¯t come out, usually,¡± the captain confirmed. ¡°You¡¯ve seen those beasts?¡± ¡°Not that particular variant, no. But I¡¯ve been leading an expedition in the deep mana zones a couple of years ago. We were trying to find a safe passage across it, to potentially get behind enemy lines.¡± ¡°And what happened?¡± she asked. ¡°Nine set out. Only two of us came back. We got waylaid and stumbled on a lair of one of those monsters. We actually managed to kill it¡­ but not before it did most of us in,¡± he answered, his gaze taking a distant far-away look. ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°That happens. We were all volunteers, anyway. Going in the mana zones isn¡¯t for anyone. But that was the end of that particular idea.¡± He looked at Johanna from head to toe, before adding, ¡°Although with the right team¡­¡± ¡°Won¡¯t happen,¡± the adjutant immediately said. ¡°Not worth the risk.¡± ¡°Who knows, yea. Anyway, I¡¯d better get this clusterfuck sorted.¡± The captain saluted and turned back toward the gathering of people. Sleep was hard to come that night for Johanna. The delay meant they had to make camp in the Narrows after all, and despite the fact that the safe zone had widened, and the trees around seemed all perfectly normal, she found herself looking for traces of mana. She found none, of course. She could spot very heavy concentrations, pooled mana, and magical items, but no beasts nor even that monstrous ¡°hedgehog¡± registered. And if she spotted a skill being used, it meant that she¡¯d spotted the skill too late and the beast was already there. The fact that soldiers had gone to heightened guard and even allowed volunteers to stand guard as well did little to calm her nerves. She¡¯d also discussed the various bits of the attack with the rest of the team at dinner time. ¡°So, you saw me fix that fallen soldier,¡± Laura had said. ¡°Yes. Exactly as I saw the beast activating its own abilities. Or that merchant back in Valetta. I have no idea what he was actually doing, but I¡¯m sure he was using some form of magical ability.¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°Does that mean I¡¯m a sorceress, not a saint?¡± ¡°I have no idea whatsoever. I don¡¯t see anything special when you fix minor wounds. Or when you use your gaze against enemies. There¡¯s obviously something different between the two, but what is it, I have no idea.¡± ¡°Maybe you can¡¯t see less powerful magic?¡± Tom mused. Laura thought about it. ¡°The bone or trauma fixing is potent, but needs to be done quickly or it fails, while the surface wounds, I can do at any time. It looks different, not just more or less powerful.¡± ¡°So, it¡¯s a kind of mystery,¡± Peter said. ¡°All of that is a mystery. It¡¯s always easy in novels. They always know exactly how magic works,¡± Johanna grumbled before looking at Tom. ¡°Although I¡¯m now wondering if you don¡¯t have magic too?¡± ¡°What? Me?¡± ¡°Figuring out that a beast was tracking us,¡± Peter explained. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ like an instinct? Honestly, it felt a bit weird. Like knowing without knowing what I know. Anyway, we got Laura with a new trick against that Changed creature,¡± Tom replied. ¡°It¡¯s starting to be real, real worrisome,¡± she acknowledged. ¡°I¡¯m wondering what the Church will have to say about me. I don¡¯t fit the saint profile¡­ even discounting what you said about sorcerous ability, Jo.¡± ¡°I¡¯m starting to get jealous, honestly,¡± Peter said. The three turned to him. ¡°You get all the abilities, and I¡¯m just hiding and¡­¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s the point,¡± Laura said to her husband. ¡°You¡¯re the hidden force behind. Remember how those Lepuses couldn¡¯t touch you, but you rarely miss? That¡¯s the right stuff.¡± Then she grinned. ¡°It¡¯s not the size of your abilities that counts, it¡¯s how you use them.¡± Peter rolled his eyes. The column finally came out of the woods to find the road passing by a group of houses, most of them of modern construction, with a small seven-feet wall surrounding them. But there was one Ancient-looking building halfway built into the palisade, and not far from it, Johanna noticed a weird sight. There were two parallel bars of steel over wooden slats laid over gravel. They ran out from the cluster of houses toward the east. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± she asked. ¡°Ancient ¡®railroad¡¯. It was used for transportation before the Fall. Still is, actually,¡± the adjutant answered, before gesturing at the captain. ¡°Okay, we are going to make camp here. That¡¯s our final resupply point for the last leg of the trip,¡± Devereaux yelled with his usual voice. The news was greeted by some cheers. The levy column had been relatively spared from weather, although the last three days had been extremely overcast and slightly humid, without actual rain. But between Avon and here, they¡¯d seen little sign of human habitation. A pair of people with heavy overalls came out of one of the buildings and started talking with the captain. Johanna quickly looked at the hamlet, and like dozens of levies, went to have a look at the ¡°railroad¡±. The construction was a pair of parallel bars of steel, secured to wooden beams by heavy bolts. It ended near a small berm, packed with earth and paved with wooden slats. From there, the two lines of metal went on in a straight line, before curving slightly in the distance. ¡°How does that work?¡± ¡°Did they make it at Ardenworks?¡± ¡°Is that really Ancient?¡± Johanna realized she¡¯d seen a similar metal line in the ruins once last year, although there was only one. But the gravel had been there, along with some old rotted wood that looked like a decayed version of what she was seeing now. She quickly reached the conclusion that the other metal line had gone missing back there. Maybe some salvagers had taken it. Or a manastorm had ravaged the area, shuffling the construction and none of them had noticed the broken metal bits. ¡°There are always plans of extending the road across the Narrows to Valetta, but that¡¯s never been done,¡± the adjutant¡¯s voice came from behind her. A number of levies turned, listening to the man. ¡°It¡¯s an Ancient thing, you said. Saw something like it in the ruins, west of Valetta,¡± she said. She turned back to the twin lines and asked, ¡°how did it work?¡± ¡°The Ancients had ¡®powered engines¡¯ which we lack. But the same principle applies. You take a chariot with wheels made of the exact size, except the wheels are shaped a bit different so they fit in these ¡®rails¡¯. Then you put a train of donkeys in front, and they pull it. It¡¯s exactly like a road, except that the metal lining makes it so much smoother and easier, you can carry easily twice the loads at a slightly higher speed and without tiring the beasts.¡± She tried to picture it and could see how much smooth paving under the wheels would help. ¡°So that¡¯s for heavy loads?¡± ¡°Yes. Usually, the caravans coming from the coast drop everything here and turn back, and then the freight company puts it on the next train, and there it goes. All the way to New Benton.¡± ¡°It does seem expensive.¡± ¡°It is. Which is why it¡¯s been done up to here, but no further. There was an Ancient railway, almost intact, and it¡¯s been maintained and repaired regularly. But the Changestorms after the Fall did cut the rails at multiple places, and the next section from here goes straight into heavy mana zones, so we¡¯d have to build it from scratch across the Narrows.¡± Agnello sighed. ¡°Somehow, there¡¯s never enough money. By the time people start thinking about raising capital, something happens, and it gets delayed. It¡¯s not as easy to make happen as it would in the central States.¡± Captain Devereaux reached them, reporting to the adjutant. ¡°Ration shipment has been delayed, apparently. The train is expected tomorrow.¡± Agnello sighed again. ¡°And, of course, the train is never on time.¡± Moore was only half surprised when he spotted the donkey-pulled twin platforms arriving at the train station, tarp covering crates and bags of stuff, and the levies started helping to unload the ¡°train¡±. No guns. No electricity. Not even a steam locomotive. It¡¯s all unpowered stuff. Even accounting for an apocalypse and total breakdown in civilization, you¡¯d expect people to have enough books lying around to at least provide pointers on some decent 19th-century technology. Coal burners were not that hard to make. Even the ancient Greeks had steam motors, although they never tried to turn them into real engines, he remembered from a video. Which meant it was clearly not a case of losing technology. It was a case of technology not working at all. Like a download that stalls. Back ¡°then¡±. Servers suddenly offline. I was seeing the technology starting to break down when I died. And the same thing killed him and sent him to this weird afterlife, probably. Johanna had started noticing traffic across the road for the day. As they progressed, she spotted buildings in the distance. Then she realized there was a lot of them visible. ¡°Keep going,¡± Captain Devereaux yelled. ¡°We¡¯re nearly at New Benton.¡± 30. New Digs You do not need a Talent to make use of mana in war. Victor Maistry, Warden of the Montana Johanna still remembered when she¡¯d first seen Valetta, after all of her childhood out in the farm villages. How different and spacious it was, how weird the buildings and stores felt. Seeing New Benton as they approached evoked the same feeling. She knew the capital of the Marches of the Montana was much larger than Valetta, but she hadn¡¯t really reflected on how much that was going to change the way the city was. From the distance, it looked at first like it followed the normal structure, a large enclosure. But New Benton was different. Instead of a huge palisade, there were multiple walls. Including one that looked almost entirely made of stone. It looked as if New Benton was split into multiple cities, all conjoined. ¡°All right, levies. We¡¯re headed to the military base, the northern enclosure. That¡¯s where we¡¯ll get you squared away, properly registered, and you¡¯ll begin the real training. And believe it or not, you¡¯ll sleep in real beds tonight.¡± There was a small cheer at the mention. Two weeks of traveling had toughened the Valettans a bit, but it had still been a harsh experience. Even for Johanna and the rest of the team, those two weeks of constant travel had started to be hard. It was very different from their usual travel-scout-salvage routine. Without Laura¡¯s touch as a preventive, Johanna was sure she would have gotten blisters too. That specific routine at the end of each day had expanded in scope. The soldiers didn¡¯t need it, mostly, but almost every levy had come to appreciate the healing touch. And it didn¡¯t interfere with the toughening of the feet¡¯ soles, as fewer and fewer blisters needed to be erased. Sergeant Mord commented that it even seemed to accelerate the process. Valetta wasn¡¯t the first levy run he¡¯d done that year, and some southern cities had needed more time toughening for a march. ¡°Pain is supposed to be weakness leaving the body, but you get your results.¡± As they neared the northern barracks, Adjutant Agnello took the team aside. ¡°You won¡¯t be put in the standard military barracks. Well, except you,¡± he added, looking at Peter. The small man glowered back, and the adjutant moved on to placate him. ¡°You¡¯ll have a pass to come, of course. And after your bravery, you¡¯ll probably be promoted quickly to corporal or better. But you still need instruction on military matters. I will suggest that you¡¯re detached as a bodyguard for your wife to the Warden, but you¡¯ll be useless if you¡¯re not ready for that.¡± ¡°As for you three, we¡¯re heading to the Warden¡¯s Keep. That will be your own lodging for your personal instruction. And given your¡­ performance, that will be a very interesting time. For us, and for you.¡± Edgard Maistry, Lord Warden of the Montana, would have given his other hand to go back to the field, rather than push papers as he did these days. But he was the commander in chief trying to sustain a major force, stuck at coordinating on a decade-old war against the tribesmen from the North and now their Wendigo allies. Plus, the affairs of the largest ¨C yet not richest, much to his dismay ¨C state of the Union. And so, he sat in a room, along with his secretary, sorting dispatches, reports, and trying to make sure his forces had everything they needed to lock the Kootenai Gap tighter this year. It looked much easier when Victor, his father, did it all the time until he died. The war had looked much easier back then. But getting the northern territories under the banner of the Montana was hard work, even if he¡¯d barely begun what his father had carefully prepared. ¡°Welcome home, Roman,¡± he said as the adjutant entered his office. ¡°Bugger me, I¡¯m getting old,¡± Roman Agnello offered as greetings. ¡°You¡¯re, what? One year older than me?¡± ¡°Yes, and you send me on the road instead, to get attacked by deep beasts.¡± ¡°Well, the last time I left on a tour, somebody spilled the beans and some enemy assassins almost got me by surprise. Worchester saved my bacon then, even if she wasn¡¯t supposed to be there.¡± ¡°There¡¯s that. No one bothers taking old Agnello seriously anymore. Just beasts on a rampage.¡± The two shared a laugh. ¡°Trouble?¡± the Warden asked. ¡°You could say that. Not much at Valetta. I mean, I came to requisition two hundred levies, and you could hear their teeth grinding to the roots from across the room. That¡¯s four percent of their population, and it does sting, even if you put enough exemptions that the important folk remain untouched.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me they threw you out in revolt? I¡¯m hard-pressed, but I can send a company to restore authority.¡± ¡°No. But¡­ well, one of them had an interesting counter-proposition.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s weapons, we do have that. I know they¡¯re good when it comes to smith works, but that¡¯s not what we need. And taxes don¡¯t take the field when the winter comes. Not that I dislike the funds, but funds mean I call more levies, not less.¡± ¡°No, but the offer was interesting. And I took it. And it looks like I was right to do so.¡± ¡°Well, you speak with my authority. What kind of deal could interest you?¡± ¡°Fifty fewer levies¡­ in exchange for Talented.¡± This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°Fifty recruits for one miserable Talented? Are you trying to persuade me you¡¯re really too old?¡± Maistry briefly considered the possibility that his adjutant and friend was going prematurely senile at 50. Roman Agnello was usually bold, but not that bold. Of course, Talented individuals, those who expressed a supernatural or near-supernatural competence or even magical abilities were nearly as common as hair on a Dwarf, but one should never discount those rumors. As a force multiplier, the right Talented would be an asset in the wars against the Northmen and their savage Changed allies, even if they had their limits. He was pretty sure his opponent general, back then, had been a sorcerer, when the lightning had stuck during their face-off and turned his hand to a useless crisp. He¡¯d survived that battle, but the war had almost been lost with that single encounter. ¡°Well no. It¡¯s not fifty for one. It¡¯s fifty for three.¡± Maistry blinked and sat in silence before finally replying. ¡°Well, so much for reliability. Three? Really? In Valetta?¡± ¡°A fire mage, a hero, and a saint.¡± The Warden couldn¡¯t help himself and laughed. ¡°And a legendary crafter and a magical ranger?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say no to that, but it¡¯s ¡®just¡¯ three. They got run out of their home when the villagers realized that they suddenly had Talents. Apparently, fear of them being Changed. They¡¯re ruins scavengers, and those places always bring superstitious dread to the peasants.¡± ¡°There haven¡¯t been any Manastorm strong enough to bring Change for more than a century, and certainly not in the North. And even if the cities are mana traps, getting a Talent has nothing to do with mana exposure. If it was, we¡¯d all know it by now.¡± ¡°Yes, but go tell that to a peasant who sees his neighbor¡¯s kid suddenly manifest a Talent after coming back from an expedition in some ruins.¡± ¡°Fire mage, uh? There are, what, four fire mages in the entire Union?¡± Maistry noted. ¡°Three. I¡¯ve heard Ranshao Shu died last year. He wasn¡¯t that old, but he always had been saddled with a weak constitution. A lot of Erlangs do.¡± Maistry grimaced at the mention of the three-eyed fire sorcerer. There were very few Erlangs in the western marches, or even the Union of the States itself, as any of them was probably an outlaw running from home or a weirdo. Or both. All the more reason for a mage of that race to be notable. Erlang mages stayed at home. Though I¡¯d probably have given my union yearly taxes to have gotten him rather than Elena. She¡¯s good at defense, but the Burning Walker on a battlefield, hmmm¡­ ¡°Well, a fire mage would be nothing to sneer at. Assuming that, of course, there is an actual fire mage.¡± ¡°It was easy to check ¨C they are pretty much immune to fire in theory. First thing I did,¡± Roman replied. ¡°What¡¯s the talent in this case?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s the other point¡­¡± Roman started. Maistry frowned, looking at his adjutant. ¡°She apparently can put out a flame in her hand¡­¡± ¡°Nearly useless then. Good logistics, but not much fighting.¡± ¡°¡­ and coat a weapon with fire.¡± ¡°Wait? Two talents? Two full fire talents? Are you kidding me?¡± Maistry exclaimed. ¡°And freeze people in place. Not all, some manage to crawl.¡± ¡°Now you¡¯re pulling my tail, Roman. Let¡¯s look for the legendary alchemist immediately. I¡¯m sure Vlasich has a hidden heir in Valetta,¡± Maistry laughed. ¡°You haven¡¯t seen them at work. I have. We ran into a Deep Changed in the Narrows.¡± Maistry winced. ¡°How bad?¡± ¡°Not that bad, given what it was. Some changed hedgehog monster. We lost thirty levies to running away, though. But as far as casualties¡­ none. Some major wounds, but they held the beast by magic and bypassed its defenses. Honestly¡­ it was impressive, given that they¡¯re obviously not trained in fighting.¡± ¡°That good?¡± ¡°I know, it may not translate directly into a human battlefield performance. But against the Changed, they completely turned the fight.¡± Maistry started thinking. ¡°I¡¯ll meet them soon, but¡­ where did you put them?¡± ¡°Normal guest quarters. They¡¯re married¡­ well one is married, but her husband is a normal untalented levy.¡± ¡°No kids?¡± ¡°No¡­ they¡¯re actually under 20.¡± Maistry stared. ¡°Under-20 Talented? I am still thinking you¡¯re pulling a prank. If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll put you on the front lines this winter. Actually, I should, if you brought me eighty fewer levies than you were supposed to.¡± The Warden turned to his secretary. ¡°Get General Adorno to work on figuring out how to best translate their talent¡­ talents into military options. Then put a note for later, pull the husband as soon as basic training is done.¡± The secretary jotted down quick notes in succession. Maistry turned back to Agnello. ¡°Get Elena to evaluate exactly how good she is. Not that I don¡¯t believe you, but if it comes to a sorceress¡­ she¡¯s probably a better judge than you.¡± ¡°Oh, and prepare your purse,¡± Agnello added. Edgard shot him a glance. ¡°There¡¯s an artifact for sale in Valetta. A sword that cuts everything.¡± ¡°It¡¯s going to be an interesting year¡­¡± Johanna was intimidated. Not only was the so-called Maistry Keep huge, but there were people all around¡­ including the one that was busy escorting her. The member of the staff had proudly explained that the Keep had been built by the Lord¡¯s ancestors, completed eighty years ago, and standing almost unchanged since, save for some minor renovations by the Lord¡¯s father. Her usher stopped at a door and knocked loudly. He was immediately answered by a ¡°come in¡± and opened the door, then gestured for Johanna to get in. She was surprised by the quarters she¡¯d been ushered to. She had been told she was to meet with a sorceress ¨C a real one ¨C and didn¡¯t know what to truly expect. But the woman in the tower was clad in a simple but good quality robe, and the room she was in looked¡­ pretty much ordinary. Certainly bigger than their rooms back in Valetta, but certainly not what she¡¯d pictured for a real sorceress. When Johanna was ushered into the suite in the small medieval-style castle, the first thing Moore noticed was that her host was a ¡°level 8 water shaper¡±. While neither woman seemed to go for any formal ¨C tactile ¨C introduction, the mere label allowed him to delve into the System search. Water Shaper was indeed yet another specialization, but a much higher level one. 16 Empathy, 17 Authority, and a level of 5. And it was¡­ well, a more specific specialization. He swept over the skills and immediately noticed the difference. On stuff where a Shaper like Johanna had a 1 or 2 multiplier, the Water Shaper offered one point higher, like the Frostbite low-level attack which jumped from 2 to 3 as its Authority multiplier. And more or less unsurprisingly, given the name, fire-based attacks dropped to a zero multiplier in that specialization. A water mage might have the skill, but it would only rely on level for its effectiveness, just as if an unspecialized person picked it. Given the elemental categories of magical skills, there had to be different ones, probably including a Fire Shaper. Assuming there was a logic behind it, all he lacked to find out was for Johanna to get level 5. If it was 16 Dexterity, and 17 Authority, all he might need was to remove her previous spec and push the new one to amplify her fire powers by a significant margin. She was close, but not quite there yet. Well, fuckety-fuck. Earthbind. The Agility-based defensive ability he had provided Johanna for her defense had no multiplier whatsoever for the Water Shaper. None of the spells with that stat requirement had any, save for Soften Mud, and Part Stone, which he assumed were some kind of hybrid element of water and earth. He had to assume that skill was going to have a zero version for the fire specialization as well. Meaning she¡¯d lose almost all of the benefit of it instantly ¨C anything over 20 Strength was going to be able to move almost normally, and its contribution to Johanna¡¯s mana pool was going to be a pitiful 5 mana. And I¡¯ll have to pay 2500 XP to remove the skill once it¡¯s useless. Plus, 1000XP spent for nothing in the stat. Goddamn, I want a wiki to plan their long-term build. If they¡¯re going to war, they need everything I can squeeze. 31. Mentor Always pass on what you have learned. Pre-Fall sage The sorceress didn¡¯t look quite as old as her mother, but she wasn¡¯t young either. And right now, she was slowly looking her all over, maybe trying to find something. Johanna stayed silent, fearing she was passing some kind of important evaluation. ¡°I was told you were young, but that¡¯s understating it. You are Johanna Milton, right?¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Elena Worchester, not ¡®maam¡¯. I am not going to insist on awkward formalities and titles.¡± ¡°Yes, m¡­ Mrs. Worchester.¡± ¡°That will work.¡± Then the sorceress shook her head. ¡°Let¡¯s take it as it goes. Come and sit,¡± she gestured toward a chair, before taking the other in the room and bringing it next to the first. ¡°You are a sorceress, versed in the element of fire, or so the Adjutant told me.¡± ¡°I am,¡± Johanna confirmed. She hesitated, then asked. ¡°They told me you were¡­¡± ¡°A sorceress. Of the mists or fogs. You sometimes add ice to the title, but that does require fairly cold weather, not just my magic. Show me.¡± Johanna startled, then raised her right hand, calling upon the flame. Worchester looked at the unnatural flame steadily burning over her palm, before a small smile came at her. ¡°There¡¯s always the idea you could be a fraud, some kind of faker managing to swindle a gullible soldier. But no. That size of a flame¡­ that¡¯s what you¡¯d expect of a real sorceress, not some adept faking it. Billy Jo would approve.¡± ¡°An adept?¡± ¡°How much do you know about magic, Milton?¡± Worchester asked back instead. ¡°Not much. What you hear about, stuff you see mentioned in the novels.¡± ¡°If you get your ideas about sorcerers from that, you¡¯d better forget it immediately,¡± she laughed, before explaining. ¡°I¡¯ve lived most of my life in the Montana, but I traveled a bit. Notably back when I found out I was a sorceress. And I learned a lot about magic. Adepts¡­ basically, that¡¯s the stage before a full-blown sorcerer. A kind of lesser sorcerer.¡± ¡°That exists?¡± ¡°Well, nobody is going to write a novel about a lesser adept. If you want a sorcerer in your story, it¡¯s going to be a legendary archmage with half a dozen spells or more, even if they don¡¯t really exist. Fire isn¡¯t that common for some reason. There¡¯s something like three people you can consider fire sorcerers in the entire territory of the Union. Four, now, once we account for you. But for every true sorcerer, there are maybe twenty or more lesser adepts. People who could call a small tiny flame in the hand, rather than the rather impressive one you have. Billy Jo Weirky has this one too, and his flame is about the size of yours, I¡¯d say. But an adept, you¡¯d have to check very closely for the flame.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°Yea. The other telltale is that you¡¯re immune to fire. Or at least mostly. Sufficiently powerful fire may burn you, Milton, but not most flames. Am I correct?¡± ¡°Yea. Hot food or drink¡­ I don¡¯t really notice anymore. I can pick up burning logs with no trouble. I just need to be careful with my clothes, because they¡¯re not fireproof. Unlike me.¡± ¡°Same difference for adepts. Any real fire will burn them. They can just tolerate hotter temperatures than anyone else. At least the fire ones.¡± ¡°There are others? You mentioned mist.¡± ¡°We ¨C sorcerers, that is ¨C tend to classify ourselves by what type of effect we have. Fire is rare, as I said. Water-associated abilities are more common. Fog and ice, and stuff like that. You get nature and growth too. The weirdest one is usually metal. People whose touch can rust even the best Ancient steel, that kind of thing.¡± Elena stopped, then took a deep breath, and blew. Fog poured out. Not just the small foggy breath one could see in winter, or in a colder room, but deep dense fog, which enveloped the sorceress in a second. She stopped immediately, though, and the fog quickly dissipated, leaving only faint traces. ¡°See?¡± ¡°Weird.¡± ¡°That¡¯s magic.¡± ¡°No, I mean, weird. I didn¡¯t see you doing it.¡± ¡°Well, the breathing should be obvious, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s just that¡­ I can see mana. And when people or beasts use magic. But not you.¡± Elena Worchester blinked in surprise. ¡°You see magic? Like Jade does?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t? Isn¡¯t that something, you know, a sorceress does?¡± ¡°No. There are things that go together, like all fire sorcerers being immune to fire. Myself, I¡¯m immune to cold, which is usually associated with water-type magics even if they don¡¯t deal in ice directly. I can go barefooted with a light gown a mile across a heavy snowfall in winter, and it¡¯s a simple walk for me. Well, except for the snow being a bother to stomp upon. But mana sight? No, that¡¯s a completely separate talent.¡± Elena frowned, then said, ¡°There is an item with magic here. Find it.¡± Johanna startled. She hadn¡¯t spotted any trace of magic anywhere. The usual splashes or ribbons of manalight were entirely absent. She stood up and carefully looked around, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. The mist sorceress remained seated, watching her carefully. Is this a trick question? Is there a real item? She moved around, watching all the corners of the room. The tapestries looked normal, faded but not Ancient. She looked at the table, the books on it. The oil lamp looked mundane. She doubted the rugs were magic. Johanna almost missed it when she looked at one of the shelves, but at the last moment, she noticed that one small stone on it shone a bit strangely. It was faint, at the limit of her perception. But now that she was aware, she could see that it was like the lightless light, the strange not-quite-there glow of manalight, hovering like a small could of fog barely visible. The collection of stones of all kinds of color looked fairly normal, but that one, in particular, was marked by magic, just very, very faintly. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. She picked it, rolling it in her hand, trying to get a feel for it. ¡°You know, I wasn¡¯t even sure it wasn¡¯t me in fact,¡± Elena¡¯s voice came from behind her. ¡°What? That¡¯s not it?¡± ¡°This stone came from deep in the northeast wastes. An expedition went to try their chance, bypass the Kootenai gap, and find some trail to get at the Northmen behind their lines. Nine scouts went, and only two came back after they¡¯d found themselves trapped in a Murid lair. That¡¯s where the stone came from. From deep, where mana had grown the monster, fed it fire and earth. I¡¯ve always wondered if it was really magical, if what I felt when I was handling it was a self-delusion or real. But it was always a bit too polished, a bit too clean¡­¡± ¡°What does it do? We¡­ we found a sword, back west. A sword that cuts anything like it¡¯s a light food wrap. That one, I could see its presence from near half a mile away.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not even sure. But when I¡¯m nearly out of mana, it does feel like I can quickly get some back with it. When I carry and use it, it extends my fog breath endurance to over two hours.¡± Elena laughed, adding, ¡°so much for being a repressed tier 7.¡± Johanna rolled the small stone between her fingers, trying to feel something. ¡°You won¡¯t feel anything. Not unless you¡¯ve really spent mana and need it back right now. By the way¡­ how long can you sustain your fire?¡± ¡°It depends. The flame in the hand, over an hour or so. The flame blade, it¡¯s half as much. Half an hour?¡± ¡°Flame blade. The only person ever recorded with it was Juan Suarez, and he died thirty years ago. Show me that one, Milton.¡± Johanna ended up demonstrating her ensnaring ability as well. Elena Worchester trying ¨C and utterly failing ¨C to lift her feet from the carpeting was a sobering experience, at least for the mist sorceress. Johanna knew the limits of that magic effect now. ¡°I can¡¯t even begin to describe how many rules you are breaking, Johanna,¡± she finally said. Mid-point through the exchange, Johanna¡¯s so-called teacher had broken up and started calling her by her first name. She still couldn¡¯t steel herself to use her mentor¡¯s first name yet, though. Right now, the sorceress was drumming her fingers on a heavy leatherbound book, looking flustered. ¡°Nobody, I mean, nobody, ever had four different confirmed abilities. Including two fire ones. Even among the Erlang, which I think are the ones with the most mages in the entire world given their weirdness, you¡¯d see dual sorcerers but always with a wood element and another. Triple ability? There is currently one, just one, arch-mage in all of the northern Americas, and that¡¯s Jade Winward, who has somehow manifested more abilities than anyone else. Oh, you hear stories, legends from back after the Fall, but nothing was ever confirmed. It¡¯s all stories, repeated and embellished, until you get the Chosun, the so-called Wonder of the World, able to use tens of Earths¡¯ talents. But that one¡¯s a story.¡± Johanna raised her finger. ¡°Who are the Erlang?¡± ¡°Changed people. They come from over the western ocean. Asia, if you know what it is.¡± ¡°I remember the basics. Large land, that touches ours in the North?¡± ¡°Correct. If you count fifty miles of straits ¡®touching¡¯, that is. They¡¯re very tall, and have three eyes rather than two like us.¡± Johanna¡¯s face must have expressed her shock because Elena shrugged. ¡°There are a lot of Changed around. The northwest of the Union is very isolated, and not at all cosmopolitan. The Changed ones around here aren¡¯t nice people. I had a severe shock when I spent a year south, in the Great Plains. There are cities with significant Changed populations down there.¡± ¡°Oh. Well, I met a Dwarf once, in Valetta.¡± ¡°You can mistake a Dwarf for a very small human. Not so with Erlangs.¡± ¡°Are there¡­ more?¡± ¡°Oh, yes. There are some weird Changed around. There are stories from the Fall about even weirder ones, but unless there were enough Changed around that they could start their own population, they got extinct, I think. No Changed can breed with unchanged humans. Or a different Changed.¡± Johanna shivered. The idea of being Changed wasn¡¯t something she associated with that. If¡­ if they were Changed¡­ then they might never have kids. No, grandkids. Well, the Bible said all people came from just two. But that was undoubtedly harder than that. ¡°And they have lots of sorcerers, you say?¡± Johanna asked instead. ¡°At least those that leave their home country often turn into adepts, at least, if not outright sorcerers. Among humans, you can find some sort of adept for every three-four thousand people on average. Erlangs we know about, it¡¯s rumored to be like one in a hundred. Almost always sorcerous and nature-oriented.¡± Johanna hesitated, then asked. ¡°How do you become a sorceress?¡± ¡°Becoming a sorceress is a dream. It¡¯s literally that. Ask any Talented. You get a Talent because you dream of it.¡± Elena noticed Johanna¡¯s frowning. ¡°Some people actually remember dreaming of this. The world, as it is, beyond what we see, the hidden edges of the real. For us true sorcerers¡­ we dream about magic. We once dreamt about mana. For that one precious time in our existence, we swam in the ocean of mana before sleep ended. The endless blue and its light lines that make angles no one can picture, and its half-unreadable, half-unremembered words.¡± Elena reached, uncorked the small flask of southern fortified wine she always kept in her room and drank a small swig. They called it Moonshine and swore that only the best products were made under the light of the full moon. And, well, it worked as advertised. Whenever she remembered the dream that made her a sorceress, she needed that. Remembering the Mana, the real magic¡­ that took a strength that was hard to get. ¡°And you wake up, and you are a sorceress. And you spend the next eight years of your existence chasing that elusive moment in your sleep where you became more than old little missus Worchester, and your fame is assured in the history books.¡± Johanna stayed silent for a while. ¡°That wasn¡¯t like that.¡± ¡°Not everyone remembers it. You go asleep, you wake up with magic.¡± ¡°I ¨C we ¨C didn¡¯t get it that way.¡± Elena frowned. Johanna hesitated, then started, ¡°we found this place in the ruins¡­¡± The drumming on the book had increased. Elena Worchester couldn¡¯t wrap her head around the successive surprises that Johanna Milton had brought her. ¡°I know, I¡¯m supposed to teach you all about magic, how it works, how to best use yours. But you¡¯re not a sorceress. You¡¯re an enigma. An anomaly. A legendary power, although probably not Changed, I think. Despite that blow-out of magic, you don¡¯t look Changed, at least, and all Changed¡­ aren¡¯t human. And your saint friend has four abilities as well, you say. That¡¯s even worse. I¡¯ve never heard of a saint with more than one miracle. Although that dreadful gaze¡­ it¡¯s supposed to be a sorcerer ability.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure the term saint applies. At least one of her healing abilities, I can spot when she uses it. I think that¡¯s all just¡­ well, magic. A different category, maybe, like the elements you spoke of.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think even Jade ever said that,¡± Elena said, sighing again. She finally reached a decision. ¡°We¡¯ll have other talks later. I need to write some letters now.¡± She pushed forward the book she¡¯d been toying with, and Johanna looked at it. ¡°That¡¯s basically the best reference about sorcerers and magic you can find. It¡¯s the last edition from three years ago. I suspect the next one will have to include you. With a very, very large chapter. Read it, it will teach you a lot.¡± Johanna grabbed the leather-bound tome before looking back at Elena. ¡°The usher will escort you back to your quarters. And yes. I¡¯ll probably have more questions later. We¡¯ll be seeing each other often.¡± Elena Worchester watched the girl leave her suite¡¯s main room, drumming her fingers on the table now. I don¡¯t think Maistry even realizes what he¡¯s got there. He¡¯s never ever going to let them go, term of service be buggered. And I can¡¯t really fault him. Maybe she¡¯s not that much of a game-changer in battle, but from her description, her friend might be. Elena shivered. A Most Holy Saint and Mind Sorceress? The whole exchange between the two women had been frustrating, as usual, as Moore could only infer some of what was going on. The Water Shaper had been some kind of examiner, he guessed, and despite all, the two had never touched each other, so he had been unable to use Johanna as a conduit to peer into what she did. The fog breath effect was impressive, though. Fog Cloud, based on the skills he had in his list for her spec. With a multiplier of 3, she could probably cover most of the keep if she pushed it all out, and keep it up for 80 to 90 minutes, if not more. Johanna had been asked to demonstrate her entire repertoire, including finding the small mana battery her inquisitor had hidden to test her.
Bestowal Tier 2
Effective: 34/34 mana (+30/hour) Passive: Increase your regeneration by 3 mana per hour Active: Transfer 3 mana per second Active cost: 1 mana per 3.4 second
That was a minor healer skill, with just 16 Empathy and a pre-existing 20 mana pool required, but one he couldn¡¯t see himself granting to Laura ever. Not with limited skill points. And adding a twenty percent ¨C or skill-divided-by-10 per hour, as it was written on the skill version ¨C of mana regeneration was definitively not making it worth the expense. But when the older woman had handed Johanna the large book, he had wanted to get a fist to pump it up. The Mages of America and Beyond was the title. The glorious title. Now, I do hope Johanna likes reading late at night. 32. Coaching Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. Pre-Fall sage. ¡°Morning,¡± the muscular ¨C and small ¨C woman announced with a cheerful voice. Johanna looked dubiously at the woman in the middle of one of the keep¡¯s courtyards. The weather was heavily overcast, the air felt wet, and it almost looked as if it was going to rain at any moment. She¡¯d had a wonderful breakfast, though, and now, the three of them were shuffling into the courtyard. She guessed Peter was training with the levies, as long as no one knew of his special talents. ¡°I¡¯m Francesca Pfeiffer, and Warden Maistry has personally tasked me with getting you the bare minimum training in the sword, in case you need to defend yourself seriously.¡± She tapped at the wolf-head pommel of the huge sword tied at her belt. ¡°This will be your teacher. I might not have the physical shape to get toe to toe with the enemy on the field with it, but there are few that can measure to me when it comes to knowing how to use this. So¡­ my minimum will probably be a bit more than what anyone else would do.¡± She looked at the three. ¡°Any question before I start checking how bad you are at fighting with a blade?¡± ¡°Yea. I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m better with a hammer. Or mace,¡± Tom said. ¡°Really?¡± The woman seemed to weigh him all over, before pointing to the end of the courtyard with a quick head move. ¡°There¡¯s a mace or two there. Those are training dummies, in case you didn¡¯t guess. Show me what you got, tough guy.¡± Tom crossed the courtyard, checking the barrel. He fished what looked like a medium-sized weapon with a spherical iron head. He wrapped his hand into the strap and went in front of the row of ¡°dummies¡±. He hefted the weapon, feeling its weight and balance, before swinging. Johanna thought the hit didn¡¯t look impressive. A bare thud sound, the dummy not even moving. Tom drew back and hit again, and this time, the mace bounced down. It didn¡¯t slip from his grasp, but he had to catch himself to avoid falling. Francesca laughed. ¡°You did well¡­ to pick an unmoving dummy. That was a rotating one? You¡¯d be on your back, and with a bruise to boot. A tribesman would laugh at that swing, tough guy. Now, dump that useless mace, and I¡¯ll try to show you what a real fighter does.¡± Tom looked back, aggravated. Then he called out. ¡°Laura!¡± ¡°Tom?¡± ¡°Ready?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± He raised his mace and sprinted. A second later, he¡¯d crossed the courtyard, the mace slamming into Francesca¡¯s side just as she tried reflexively to draw her sword. The woman was literally lifted and went down a couple of yards away, landing with a sickening crunch. Johanna could see her eyes rolling literally in her eye sockets. Laura was already there, putting her hand on the side where Tom¡¯s mace had hit and launched her. The swordswoman shuddered suddenly, her eyes refocusing. ¡°What¡­ what was¡­ what was that?¡± ¡°Maybe the dummy doesn¡¯t care, but that useless mace can cave you like a sack of wheat,¡± Tom said, drily. Francesca turned her head at Laura, who was still kneeling next to her. ¡°That¡¯s you¡­ doing that?¡± ¡°Fixing you. Yes.¡± ¡°A Saint. The Warden warned me, but¡­ hell yeah. When you¡¯re deployed on the field, they are going to love you.¡± She pushed herself up, grinning. ¡°All the more reason to get you some defense, because a nice girl like you shouldn¡¯t rely on big guy here.¡± Laura rolled her eyes before focusing back on her. Francesca shuddered as the shock hit. Suddenly, the nice girl was¡­ a menace. Like something coiled hidden behind her. She felt like freezing, her limbs suddenly leaden. But Francesca Pfeiffer was made of tougher stuff than that, and she grasped Fenrir, her sword, sliding it slowly out of the scabbard. She smiled and moved forward to the saint. Or rather, tried to. Her feet felt like they were stuck in some mud, or similar. She shuffled forward awkwardly for a step, then frowned. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°You¡¯re moving,¡± Johanna said. Francesca turned her head toward the other girl. ¡°Normally, people can¡¯t move when I stop them like that. But you do.¡± ¡°That¡¯s you who¡¯s doing it?¡± Francesca asked. ¡°Yes. You see, Laura and I aren¡¯t exactly defenseless.¡± Johanna smiled as she saw Pfeiffer frown. Then the woman¡¯s gaze flickered to the side, and she did a quick curt nod. The next thing, Johanna felt a push to her side, and she turned, seeing one of the guards removing his hand after a vigorous shove. She had nearly no time before she felt something cold just under her jaw. She turned her eyes and saw Francesca, with her sword connecting to her own neck, the cold metal threatening. ¡°You are. One distraction and your nice little Talent won¡¯t save you. Two smart enemies and you¡¯re done.¡± Johanna swallowed. ¡°Understood?¡± Francesca pushed. ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Good,¡± she said, removing the sword, and sheathing it back in a smooth movement. Johanna felt at her throat, removing her hand and finding some traces of blood on it. Laura was already there, lifting her jaw, and she thumbed across the neck. ¡°What was that?¡± Laura turned back to the swordswoman. ¡°Fixing the cuts.¡± ¡°You can do that?¡± ¡°Yes. Cuts, bruises¡­ scars.¡± Johanna could see Francesca¡¯s mind processing. Then, the maniac smiled again. ¡°Ooooh, that¡¯s going to be good. My personal Saint to fix stuff from training?¡± She gestured dismissively at Tom. ¡°Get to the side. I¡¯ll find someone better to train you with that lump of iron if you¡¯re more suited to it. But the girls and I need to get a proper introduction¡­¡± Johanna and Laura exchanged bemused glances before they realized what was going to happen. Elena Worchester was watching down in the courtyard with interest. A lot of justified interest, it turned out. The man was impressive as he charged at a speed that, from her perspective, looked entirely inhuman. No one sprinted that fast from a standing start. People tended not to take note of the talents of Heroes, as such fighting men were often called, but she was pretty sure he was in the top tiers of those. She hadn¡¯t caught everything from the Saint¡¯s own demonstration, Laura Donnall, but Johanna had explained most of her abilities anyway. Of course, the Warden¡¯s own swordmistress was a cut above anything you¡¯d see ordinarily. Many thought she had to be an adept, at least, if not a full Hero. She was adapting quickly to the new conditions. She¡¯d noted that the wooden training sword hadn¡¯t even burned with the flame that Johanna had used until she¡¯d been ordered to shut it down. It was a bit too late to rewrite some of her mail ¨C she¡¯d been writing until late last evening, sending notes to the society of arcane scholars back east, and to Billy Jo, telling him that if he wanted to see a real fire archmage in action, he¡¯d better haul ass to the north, freeze and all. She supposed she would have to write more. The flame blade was one talent that had been unique among already rare sorcerers, and every detail was good to take note of. Pfeiffer had alternated between the two women, probably trying to gauge their skill. She shuddered, remembering her own start with the madwoman back when she¡¯d arrived at the Maistry Keep. Her own earlier training with the swords had just served to prompt the swordmistress¡¯ justification to amp her training. Although she had to acknowledge she got results. As much as the early session had Moore laugh himself silly with Tom demonstrating how his mace skills were properly working ¨C apparently, wooden dummies didn¡¯t take to the Slam. After all, its description mentioned inflicting ¡°trauma¡±, so fake wood people apparently didn¡¯t get traumatized. The look on their trainer had been priceless after being mauled, then fixed. Although the Blade Whirler ¨C a new specialization for his growing list, at 17 Agility, 16 Strength, and level 5 ¨C had no skills to match her specialization once he got a peek at her descriptor, courtesy of Laura, which was a shame. Another aborted build, like so many, and a shame since she was obviously Strength-based. The training session hadn¡¯t been that interesting though, as both Laura and Johanna had been relentlessly drilled in movement and grip. By mid-day, both were barely standing up. Moore thought them strong, with the farming and scavenging and exercise, but apparently, swinging swords used different muscles or something. And a lot of endurance, the real kind rather than the sheet¡¯s version. However, Johanna had the afternoon free, and she¡¯d picked the Mages of America again. She hadn¡¯t read much yesterday, much to Moore¡¯s dismay, but he¡¯d started to get a peek at the way people saw and thought of mages, or ¡°sorcerers¡±. The tome was a reference work, a kind of dry compendium of facts. The chapters were numerous and very, very short, all devoted to a single sorcerer. A short bio, and an exploration of their skill or skills. Of course, it didn¡¯t list the real details, the ones Moore had access to, but the view from the ¡°real world¡± side of what the System allowed was an interesting perspective. Plus, he had to admit, he was starved for facts. None of his four were interested in reading history, or any serious topic. Trashy novels, every time. That was the first time he¡¯d gotten a real view of what happened and how the world operated. He¡¯d noted that the first mage¡¯s bio Johanna had picked after looking at the table of contents was one Elena Worchester. Based on the description, that was almost certainly the level 8 Water Shaper that had been cross-examining Johanna. The tome proclaimed her as one of the most powerful mist sorcerers ever, despite having apparently a single skill. The extent of the Fog breath ¨C as the locals called the Fog Cloud skill ¨C was reported as being the largest ever measured, and reported her endurance at an hour thirty, marking her a ¡°legendary tier 6 sorceress¡±, whatever that meant. He¡¯d tried to work the math backward, and assuming she didn¡¯t have any other skills to give her mana, that put her Empathy probably in the 20 range, not 16 as required by the specialization or skill. Although she probably had gotten points due to practice. Johanna was getting close to increasing her own Authority, as she¡¯d ground XP by lighting all those campfires. Johanna had also checked a sort of index of ¡°Talents¡±, where people had tried to label the skills from the System. A few names were almost correct, and some he¡¯d had to guess. Her Flaming Blade was apparently half-legendary but with the correct name. She also had checked a skill that, upon description, looked like Laura¡¯s Falter, listed as part of a ¡°mind sorcerer¡± non-existent specialization, along with that old Detect Lies. Well, Moore couldn¡¯t fault them for thinking those primary Fixer skills were sorcerous ones. They didn¡¯t see the stats or skill lists, obviously. But he also hadn¡¯t seen any mention of Fireball or anything looking like it. There were dozens of skills like that, that either got weird names he didn''t recognize or were entirely missing. As soon as I can give her a proper ranged skill at level 5 after she switches specs¡­ 33. Training Montage One If it doesn¡¯t challenge you, it won¡¯t change you. Pre-Fall saying ¡°So, you¡¯re a kind of mace specialist,¡± the army sergeant said. ¡°More like any blunt stuff. Fist, pommels, hammer, those mace things,¡± Tom said. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know anything about that Hero thing. The only one I know would be Warden¡¯s own swordmistress, and while she¡¯s a cut above anyone I¡¯ve ever seen¡­ it never felt supernatural to me.¡± Tom Milton shrugged. ¡°So, show me,¡± the sergeant said. Tom winced. ¡°It¡¯s kinda hard. I need a target. A real one, not a fake one. When that woman wanted me to hit those wood men, I couldn¡¯t do it. Not properly.¡± ¡°Sounds like you¡¯re a grifter, then. I can do it. Show me. Well, I can¡¯t really do it right now, but if I could just¡­¡± One of the soldiers interrupted the sergeant. ¡°I was in the main courtyard. He did it, sarge. Ran like a Felid, whacked Pfeiffer good. Without that Saint, she¡¯d be out. Maybe even heavily maimed.¡± The sergeant looked at the soldier first, before fixing his gaze back on Tom. ¡°That still doesn¡¯t help. How am I supposed to train you if you need real enemies?¡± Tom frowned, then paced slowly backward. ¡°What are you doing, Milton?¡± He raised his hand. ¡°Testing.¡± Then suddenly he sprinted. Before the sergeant could even flinch, he reached him and slapped the soldier on the arm. ¡°OUCH! What the¡­¡± ¡°Little tap.¡± ¡°Goddamn. It feels like it¡¯s going to be a bruise. You just slapped me like a welcome home. How can it hurt so¡­¡± The sergeant kept massaging his arm, frowning at the same time. ¡°Okay. You are really a Hero, looks like. Still doesn¡¯t help.¡± Tom shrugged. ¡°So, how do your talents work?¡± ¡°That¡¯s mostly it. I run very, very fast to any enemy. And when I hit them, I do a lot of damage. But that has to be an enemy. Can¡¯t do it on objects. Or my wife or my friends.¡± ¡°So¡­ I¡¯m your enemy then?¡± the sergeant said, half-laughing. ¡°Haven¡¯t volunteered for this,¡± Tom simply replied. ¡°Well, the real enemy is north, not here. If the wild tribes and their furry savage friends break through the Gap, don¡¯t think they¡¯ll stop with us. They didn¡¯t like old Victor, they dislike his son as much. You¡¯re from west, Valetta, right?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°Unless you¡¯ve got a big enough army to defend the Narrows, you¡¯re as much at risk as New Benton. Don¡¯t forget this, Milton.¡± An hour of sweaty work established a few things on Heroic talents. First, Tom could turn on and off the ¡°enemy¡± switch. He simply had to think about it. Was the soldier who had offered a suggestion helping? Then he found out he couldn¡¯t rush him. But if he decided he was an ally of the evil sergeant, then he could. As long as he ¡°tapped¡± him. That was the second, or maybe the first requirement for the rush. He had to try to hit his target, even if lightly. If he didn¡¯t, he did not get to rush, to have his legs pump suddenly without him consciously starting to run. That why it never worked when I tested. The sergeant put some armor on a few soldiers, so Tom¡¯s ¡°love taps¡± wouldn¡¯t cause massive bruising. Then, he had him rush back and forth across the entire outdoor training yard for almost an hour in different distances and groups of people, trying to see if Tom would tire, slow, or something. It made almost no difference in speed until, after three-quarters of an hour, Tom suddenly had a cramp, stumbling and almost face-planted mid-run. Then Tom started to sweat when he discovered he could no longer rush. He could run, but the rush failed to start, no matter how hard he thought about his ¡°enemies¡±. And his taps didn¡¯t bruise anymore. He was suddenly normal. For a few terrifying minutes, he feared he¡¯d broken something. As did the sergeant, grumbling about ¡°being eviscerated by the Warden for breaking the Hero.¡± Until, suddenly, he could start a rush. It almost immediately ended like the last one, stumbling with a cramp, feeling empty. ¡°Looks like you do need to rest,¡± the sergeant said. ¡°You¡¯re a Hero, but not one of those Ancient machines that always worked, never tired.¡± ¡°Like my wife. She can sustain fire for some time, then it stops coming. And it¡¯s hard to get back to full. You need a good night¡¯s sleep to be back in shape.¡± ¡°You never reached your limit before?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Well, think about it. Better to find it now than on the battlefield.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think I¡¯d be spending my time running.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll try to find the maximum range tomorrow, I think,¡± the sergeant said. ¡°But for now, we¡¯ll switch to some non-heroic exercise.¡± If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Tom¡¯s eyebrows shot up. ¡°Just because you can hit doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t be hit.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°Yea. You¡¯re going to run ¨C normally ¨C at me, and I¡¯m going to use one of those practice swords on my left or my right. You need to pass me on the other side.¡± The sergeant grinned evilly while massaging again his arm. ¡°If you fail, you get bruised.¡± Tom laughed. ¡°No biggies. Laura will fix that later.¡± ¡°What?¡± the sergeant blurted. ¡°Friend. She¡¯s a Saint, can erase wounds, bruises, burns. Even scars.¡± ¡°Well¡­ let¡¯s stretch that session then. So you will feel them for longer.¡± Tom sighed, then spread his feet to prepare himself. Going to be a long morning. Johanna finally joined Tom at dinner. It was served in a room dedicated to the Lordship¡¯s guests. They were supposed to meet with the Warden himself, but at the last minute, he sent someone to excuse himself. ¡°Too much work,¡± was the stated reason. Both she and Laura took seats at the large table. ¡°The guest-trainee contrast is weird,¡± she said. ¡°We¡¯re treated like honored guests, and then sent to be tortured by a madwoman, you mean,¡± Laura laughed. ¡°Normal army trainers don¡¯t seem any better,¡± Tom complained. ¡°I suppose Peter¡¯s going to suffer too,¡± Laura added. ¡°Suppose too,¡± he said. ¡°Recruit¡¯s training is supposed to make sure they don¡¯t die,¡± the voice from behind them said. Johanna turned her head and spotted a man that had just entered the dining room. He didn¡¯t look like the local service, and then she spotted a scarred and clawed right hand, and instinctively rose. ¡°Lord Maistry?¡± ¡°Managed to make it after all,¡± the Warden said, before adding ¡°Sit down, please,¡± as the other two rose. ¡°You must be a very busy man,¡± Johanna said. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t even come, as there¡¯s work for more than one man to be done, but then¡­ I have to make sure we¡¯re ready for when the cold sets in. It¡¯s only early October, but it¡¯s Montana. The tribes have retreated, probably for the harvest season. Even barbarian tribesmen need to eat. But when the temperature drops or worse, when the snows begin, that¡¯s when the Wendigos will come out.¡± Johanna¡¯s next question was cut by the waiter putting bowls of stew in front of them. She waited until everyone had been served. ¡°Why do they attack the Marches?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve been at war pretty much since the Fall. My ancestors have known conflict pretty much every generation. They sought to keep the Marches safe, and we¡¯ve strengthened the Montana at every occasion. But this one¡­ when my father Victor died, they sought to take advantage of the transition. Hoping I wouldn¡¯t be the worthy son of my father.¡± The man paused and smiled. Johanna thought he looked fearsome with that expression. ¡°They thought wrong. Although we all hoped the war would be short, for different reasons of course, we¡¯ve held our own, and they grow desperate. They wouldn¡¯t talk to the Wendigo savages otherwise.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you drafted levies?¡± ¡°We both took losses. The standing recruitment for the army isn¡¯t enough, so it¡¯s either the draft, or we risk losing. Although I was mostly expecting to simply hold this winter¡­ maybe the tide will turn.¡± He looked at the three. ¡°Agnello knows his business. If he says you can change the equation of war, I trust him. Having a hero, a saint¡­ a sorceress¡­ that can change things, indeed.¡± ¡°Lady Worchester¡­ seems powerful,¡± Johanna said. ¡°Mostly in defensive positions. Her fogs make it hard to conduct a proper attack¡­ both for us and them. She¡¯ll help to draft a proper strategy to best use your own talents in the field of battle.¡± He looked at Laura. ¡°Speaking of which, she wants to have a talk with you. Not today, but tomorrow.¡± ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Of course. Apparently, you might be some kind of saint and sorceress rolled in one, so she wants to figure out exactly what goes on. Before she makes recommendations.¡± ¡°I¡¯m surprised not to see her,¡± Johanna said. ¡°She usually takes dinner in her room. She¡¯s a busy woman as well and not too sociable.¡± Laura heard a small knock and simply said ¡°get in,¡± without looking. But an instinct made her raise her head as the door opened¡­ She wondered about who it was before she realized that Peter was there. In the room. She bounded off the bed and rushed him. ¡°Hi, babe¡­¡± he said in a small whisper. ¡°You got a pass already? On your second day?¡± ¡°What do you think?¡± he replied, holding her. She rolled her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you snuck out.¡± ¡°Why not. Okay, there are guards at the military barracks, but there¡¯s plenty of room to sneak behind them. And the castle is almost as easy.¡± She laughed and he smiled. Then he realized they were already next to the bed as she pulled him down. ¡°Whelp!¡± ¡°You said ¡®on top¡¯, remember. Or is it Peter Vogel already?¡± ¡°How are Jo and Tom doing?¡± ¡°Training hard. We got a maniac sword teacher. Once she figured out I can fix almost anything, and even clear some muscle soreness¡­¡± ¡°You can?¡± ¡°Looks like. It¡¯s not perfect, but it works.¡± ¡°They work us hard too. I probably need some.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see if that soreness can be removed,¡± she said, lowering her hand. ¡°Will they notice you¡¯re gone?¡± she asked. ¡°Some of the other levies ¨C the ones that arrived before us ¨C says they only start doing night inspection of the barracks later.¡± ¡°Then they will. And your secret life will come out.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± he admitted, ¡°I¡¯ll head out. Pass my hello to Jo and Tom.¡± ¡°Will do. Now shoo.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be back.¡± ¡°Hello,¡± Elena Worchester said, looking at yet another impossibly young woman. Of course, she¡¯d already seen her trying to hold a sword and mostly failing, but based on what she¡¯d heard from Johanna Milton, she was someone who she really needed to talk to. ¡°Evening,¡± Laura Donnall replied. ¡°Come, sit. It¡¯s going to be weird for me.¡± ¡°Johanna said you thought I might be a sorceress, not a saint?¡± ¡°Saints are known for their miraculous healing, which is what you do. I¡¯m not familiar with Saints and the Panoply of Miracles, though. New Benton is heavily new catholic, so we have a bishopric here. I¡¯ve asked them, and they don¡¯t have a copy, but it shouldn¡¯t take long. And they are very interested in the appearance of a Saint. Rumors have already started.¡± Laura winced. ¡°Can¡¯t be helped. The Warden will probably invite the Archbishop soon. What interests me, though, is the dreadful gaze. That one is sorcerous.¡± ¡°It is?¡± ¡°It¡¯s what is usually classified as mind sorcery. Talents like yours, detection of lies, empathic sense, muting people, or even telepathy.¡± ¡°Tele¡­ pathy? Like in the novels?¡± Elena laughed. ¡°Not you too. It¡¯s mind speech. Nobody¡¯s seen a talent to read one¡¯s mind, but sending a silent voice across distances, to communicate, yes.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you can do that?¡± ¡°No. I don¡¯t think so. Maybe I should see if I can¡­¡± Laura fell silent. Elena waited a bit before continuing. ¡°A big question will be how strong your gaze can be. How long you can sustain it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never tried. I¡¯ve used it in battle before, but¡­¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s see. Can you use it on me?¡± ¡°On you?¡± Laura asked, surprised. ¡°Yes. Based on what I know¡­ it¡¯s going to be slightly disturbing, but not too much¡­ oh. Oh.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve used it mostly on beasts,¡± Laura said. ¡°It is¡­ disturbing. Never met a mind sorcerer, but that¡¯s something. No, keep it up.¡± ¡°You want me to?¡± ¡°We need to know how long you can keep it up. You can affect multiple targets, right?¡± ¡°Anyone I¡¯m seeing. I can¡¯t turn away my eyes, or it stops.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see then. If you can talk at the same time, that is.¡± 34. Training Montage Two You want stealth? Be a rogue in World of Warcraft. Incomprehensible Pre-Fall quote ¡°Donnall, stop cutting that dummy,¡± the sergeant growled. ¡°Sorry, sergeant,¡± Peter replied. ¡°You¡¯ll never make corporal if you keep it like that.¡± ¡°Sorry, sergeant¡±, he repeated. ¡°Now try to focus. Center of mass, not the top.¡± ¡°Aye, sergeant,¡± he said as the man moved to the next trainee. That was the hardest part for Peter. He had to keep concentrating on¡­ missing. Because anytime he simply hit, his aim would correct itself, and he would spear the dummy at his most vulnerable point. Usually, strings that held it together, or the support that kept it upright, the bearing that made it turn, those kinds of spots. Thankfully, people kept misinterpreting the slips as a mistake, rather than the supernatural aim that the Skeleton had given him back in Anasta. After all, if he was instructed to hit point A, and hit point B at times, no matter how destructive that hit was, it was an ¡°obvious error¡±. Too eager, they say. He laughed internally, keeping a straight face as he pushed the spear, trying very hard to miss and keep it in its initial trajectory. Not that there were no benefits to be had. Even if it was hard for him to miss, the first days when you had to raise the spear repeatedly had taught him his limits, when his muscles started to scream about burning. It was very different between having to fight Lepuses until they died and having to push spears knowing that your enemy never ended until the sergeant said so. ¡°Close¡± combat also brought a second problem. Peter had sweated very hard initially because the blunt knives they¡¯d given him had the same problem. If he didn¡¯t focus, he¡¯d bring the knife to the most vulnerable point and deal significant painful damage even with training weapons. At least without a weapon, his supernatural aim didn¡¯t interfere. Fist fighting, grappling, all those were painfully normal, and he wasn¡¯t that good at it. His dodging also had to be reined in. Avoiding attacks, with or without weapons, was too easy, notably with the other recruits. The sergeants doing the training were a bit harder to avoid, but he could do it if he didn¡¯t force himself not to avoid the attack or grapple. ¡°Small and quick, that¡¯s me,¡± he had to joke to hide the fact. That earned him a nickname, Snake. Nimble, fast-hitting. And, even if they didn¡¯t know it, hiding in the corners, he¡¯d added for himself. So far, he managed to keep hiding his heroic status, turning his dodge into deception. ¡°Tom¡¯s the big one, the destroyer of beasts. Me, I just avoid getting hit. Not very heroic.¡± ¡°Being the hero means you¡¯re the guy who gets whacked. Don¡¯t be a hero, Donnall.¡± ¡°Fat chance.¡± ¡°Goddamn, Donnall, you run like a little boy,¡± the sergeant yelled. ¡°I do have short legs, sir,¡± Peter replied. ¡°That¡¯s an explanation, not an excuse!¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Privately, Peter thought that made it better, but he wasn¡¯t about to argue. The non-commissioned officers liked him somewhat, mainly because he always downplayed his role in the Narrows. Sergeant Mord, who was one of the trainers, seemed to appreciate that, although neither he nor Franz got special treatment for standing up to the beast along with the ¡°sorceress¡±. He wasn¡¯t going to ruin that standing by being a smart-ass. With the trainers, there was something like too much humor. ¡°One more lap around the camp wall, Donnall. If you can¡¯t do it fast, you can do it longer,¡± the sergeant yelled. ¡°Yes, sir.¡± That¡¯s when you curse your five foot three, he thought before starting to jog again. But then, Peter knew he was going to be ¡°surprised¡± tomorrow, and that made the running tolerable. Johanna made sure to be officially surprised when Peter appeared in the dining hall. That was his first official ¡°pass¡± to come and see them. Of course, he kept sneaking in almost every evening. She hadn¡¯t seen him, but Laura was passing messages and kept Tom and her in the loop. That was going to end, or at least be severely reduced, as he had ¡°overheard¡± the fact that they would start doing surprise inspections of the barracks starting next week. Most levies didn¡¯t expect that, but as salvagers, they all were used to being woken up at night to take up watch. Peter had told his wife he¡¯d start exploring the city proper after those ¡°surprises¡± rather than wake her up. Something she heartily agreed on. ¡°Hello, guys! Nice to see you¡­ all!¡± he said cheerfully. They hugged, and Johanna found herself happy to see him in person, even after just a mere week. ¡°Glad to make it, and just in time,¡± Laura said happily. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°In time?¡± ¡°Did you forget the day?¡± Peter frowned. ¡°And he did,¡± Johanna laughed. ¡°I¡¯m missing something. Help me, Tom,¡± he said, but the big man merely shrugged. ¡°I think I should drag it up further, but¡­ happy birthday,¡± Laura said, grabbing him and kissing him deeply. ¡°Oh, fuck. 19, already.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you dare forget next month,¡± she warned. ¡°No way. Is it the 17th or the 18th?¡± Laura took a swipe at him, which he dodged, barely moving at all. ¡°You¡¯re not helping.¡± ¡°I can stand very still. Learned to do¡­ that,¡± he replied. ¡°Goddamn, I wish we had that at the barracks,¡± Peter complained as he looked at the greenish¡­ jelly¡­ with fruits slices¡­ topped with cream¡­ that was on his plate. The slight dent showed where he¡¯d taken a small bit to sample. He thought it simultaneously herbal, sweet, and a dozen improbable qualifiers. And definitively outside of this world. ¡°We normally don¡¯t. It¡¯s usually well-made but relatively simple. But we asked the staff for something special for today,¡± Laura replied, smiling. ¡°And the staff delivered,¡± Johanna added. ¡°Hero and stuff privilege. They probably like having us there,¡± Tom stated. ¡°Can I¡­¡± Peter whined. ¡°No,¡± all three immediately replied to the implied and hidden question. ¡°Well, gotta tell you all about my adventures at some point,¡± he said. ¡°Later,¡± Johanna said before Laura could answer. The door was closed after Peter had slipped out to check and reported that the guards were still at their usual positions from when he snuck into the keep the other days. Now that they had an official reason to be together and something to celebrate, it was time to have a serious talk without ears around and no risk of being caught with someone who shouldn¡¯t be there. ¡°Okay. So, what did you find exactly,¡± Johanna asked. ¡°Told a bit to Laura already, but mostly the brass ¨C that¡¯s how the commanders are called, apparently ¨C is worried that those missing levies may be a problem.¡± ¡°The ones that slipped out in the Narrows.¡± ¡°Yes, and the ones that Agnello left in Valetta in exchange for us. Eighty fewer people aren¡¯t that much against a few thousand, but when you¡¯re pressed¡­ No one knows if you guys will make enough of a difference. Although they¡¯re ¡®cautiously optimistic¡¯, so they say when I spy on command.¡± ¡°A few other levies groups are coming in, but minor ones. They can focus on properly training everyone. I strenuously object to that schedule, by the way,¡± he added. The other three laughed. ¡°Keep discreet, Peter. If they realize you¡¯re also¡­ heroic, that¡¯s going to put all of us in a bad light for not telling anyone. I told Elena you were already out of the room when the mana trap exploded, and that I think that¡¯s why you were protected,¡± Johanna said. ¡°You told her?¡± he startled. ¡°Not everything. Not about exactly where it was, or about the Skeleton. But I wanted to know if other people had been¡­ changed by mana explosions, like us.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°And nothing. Every sorcerer seems to go to sleep normally, usually at home, and wake up with powers.¡± ¡°Well, we did get knocked unconscious by that blast,¡± Peter remarked. ¡°Yea, but that¡¯s probably not it. People have been trying to see if heavy mana pockets could imbue them with power, but it¡¯s never worked. Mana blowouts are rare, but not unprecedented, and no dice there either. She doesn¡¯t know much about Saints or Heroes, but I¡¯m going to assume it works the same for them. And she hasn¡¯t heard of anyone suddenly getting powers as we all did during the Lepus battle. New powers, that¡¯s years between them,¡± Johanna said. ¡°So¡­ we¡¯re completely different,¡± Peter said. ¡°No kidding,¡± Tom added. ¡°Anyway, what do we have to expect from that war thing? The Warden says it¡¯s serious, but how much is it? What can we expect?¡± Johanna asked. ¡°No idea. The cadre is all about the training, they don¡¯t mention the war itself. But I got to listen to the sergeants that train us. They¡¯re all veterans, they¡¯ve seen it all. Listening to them in the barracks¡¯ officer tavern is more instructive than the base commander¡¯s ramblings. I found the right spot where I can relax and not exhaust myself hiding.¡± ¡°The Warden said they started the war eight years ago when his father died.¡± ¡°That bit¡¯s true, I think. But his father, Victor, spent a lot on reinforcing the two forts at the Kootenai, and improving the roads leading there. And nobody among those that were there at the time seems to think it was to promote trade.¡± Johanna frowned. ¡°Meaning?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if you paid much attention to the history lessons by Mrs. Vanu, but they told us all about how the Wardens made the Montana.¡± ¡°So what?¡± Johanna insisted. ¡°It looks like old Victor Maistry may have wanted to grow Montana beyond the northern barrier. Emulate the glorious ancestors.¡± ¡°Conquest?¡± Tom asked. ¡°Less hazardous than restarting the wars of unification. These days, the constitution guarantees defense,¡± Peter said. ¡°And the tribesmen did not want to wait to see if Edgard was going to do the same,¡± Laura added. ¡°Yes. What a load of bollocks, as Franz says,¡± Peter said. ¡°That doesn¡¯t change our situation much. So, they wanted levies, as confirmed by the Warden,¡± Johanna noted. ¡°They want us to be as good as we can be. For the counter-offensive, they say. Or maybe the conquest of the tribal lands? We get the same kind of training as the normal recruits,¡± Peter said. ¡°Normal recruits?¡± Johanna startled. ¡°The professional soldiers. There are some recruited every year, but apparently not enough. Same as a guard job, you join the army, get trained, and paid. People used to be more interested in getting paid, less now with actual fighting going on.¡± ¡°They mentioned a stipend,¡± Laura reminded everyone. ¡°And we get the same level as the pros. Except for us not having had a choice, they mostly treat us the same.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Tom said. ¡°Well, I expect your pay to be bigger. Don¡¯t forget me before you spend it all,¡± Peter said. Johanna laughed. ¡°Apparently, we¡¯re supposed to be paid like top officers. Speaking of which, I¡¯ve discussed with the Warden¡¯s emissary who is on his way to Valetta. Grievar was lowballing, he says. Artifacts like what we found, yes, it¡¯s a small house¡¯s price or higher. No one knows how to find them, so it¡¯s all pure luck, and some ¨C like the sword ¨C are mighty impressive.¡± ¡°So¡­ we get how much?¡± Laura asked. Johanna sighed. ¡°As much as I wanted to screw him, say that he¡¯s owed ten thousand, period, and we get the rest straight from the Warden¡­ the lawyer that was there said it would probably cause him to contest my proxy and keep the sword until he finds a ¡®real buyer¡¯. Justifiably so.¡± ¡°So?¡± Laura insisted. ¡°He¡¯ll offer 80 thousand dollars,¡± Johanna said. ¡°WHAT?¡± ¡°Sush. Yes, that much. That¡¯s a ¡®reasonable amount¡¯, or so they say. If the sword is that much a big deal, we¡¯ll get a bonus once they secure it, but the quartermaster has to make a genuine interesting offer. Or Grievar might ¡®lose the sword¡¯.¡± ¡°He can¡¯t get away with it?¡± ¡°He probably will. Oh, if we find more artifacts, then we¡¯ll probably be able to thumb our nose at him, but until then¡­ it¡¯s all legal.¡± ¡°Dad says never use a lawyer if you can. I think I know why,¡± Tom said laconically. ¡°I think we can all agree we¡¯re not going to give him the satisfaction of ever getting richer from our work, right?¡± Johanna asked. All nodded in agreement. ¡°I spoke with Tom already, but I wanted to talk with you as well. If the deal goes through, I¡¯d propose to sell back the house in Valetta¡­¡± ¡°So quickly gone,¡± Peter interrupted, then immediately stopped to let Johanna continue. ¡°¡­ so, once we muster out of this draft thing, it will be sold already, we¡¯ll have the money, and settle here in New Benton instead. There are ruins south almost as large as the ones from Valetta. The ¡®jumble¡¯, they call it. I¡¯m sure we can find a way to sell salvage here.¡± ¡°Two years they said,¡± Laura noted. ¡°Or if the war ends quicker, we might get out early?¡± Peter asked. ¡°That¡¯s on the draft papers they gave us,¡± Johanna acknowledged. ¡°Might as well try to make it happen faster,¡± Tom said. ¡°We¡¯ll see. Changing the course of a war¡­ that¡¯s a bit too much,¡± Johanna wondered. ¡°Think of the tribesmen as bigger Lepuses,¡± Peter deadpanned. 35. Training Montage Three May you come to the attention of important people. Pre-Fall curse Johanna and Laura contemplated the squad in the middle of the courtyard, their wooden training weapons in hand; a spear for Johanna, and a sword for Laura. Tom stood at her side, a light bat in his hands. ¡°I¡¯m General Floriano Adorno, and the goal of these afternoon exercises is to build what we military guys call a doctrine, a general method for fighting, based on your abilities,¡± the man with an elaborate uniform said. The three stood straight, waiting for the explanations. ¡°I¡¯ve read extensively the notes we have on your abilities and got a few ideas. Now, both of you Miltons are good for single targets. Mrs. Milton, your ability to freeze people in place is good, but you can do it one at a time. Ditto for your flame abilities which are limited to your weapons, natural or man-made. Mr. Milton, you¡¯ve got the same limitation. You can incapacitate an enemy with relative ease, but one at a time.¡± They both nodded in agreement. ¡°Mrs. Donnall, however, is the one that has a massive advantage. The so-called Dreadful Glare appears to affect everyone you look at, up to a maximum distance of¡­¡± the general looked at his notes, ¡°¡­ 36 yards?¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct,¡± Laura confirmed. ¡°And you can turn it on and off at will? Does that mean you pick and choose?¡± he inquired. ¡°The only ones who seem to be unaffected are Tom and Johanna,¡± she said. ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°I can start and stop it near instantaneously, though.¡± ¡°Ah. So that¡¯s what the note really meant. Bugger.¡± ¡°A problem?¡± ¡°Yes and no. Means one of my original ideas just got an arrow in the head.¡± The general threw his hands in the air before pointing back at Laura. ¡°Was going to have you neutralize enemy forces while ours pushed through. But if you¡¯re looking at both¡­ do they have to look at you?¡± ¡°No, it works even if they don¡¯t look at me. I just have to see them.¡± General Adorno shrugged. ¡°Strategic Plan B it is then. Rather than a straight offensive force, you¡¯re going to be disruptors.¡± Seeing the incomprehension in the faces of the three, he immediately elaborated. ¡°Mrs. Worchester is powerful, but her fogs basically cut everything. Once she covers something, it¡¯s hard to fight there, because you can¡¯t see more than a foot in front of you. Arrows and bolts fired blind, and you can¡¯t even tell if you¡¯re trying to spear a friend or foe. That basically stops an attack, true, but for everyone. You only use it when you¡¯re losing.¡± He pointed again at Laura. ¡°You¡¯re much easier to work with since we can prepare our formations for your disruption effect¡­ and if you can turn it on and off, then we can do brief maneuvers, and as soon as the enemy rallies, it¡¯s back to being terrorized.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not really terrorized. It¡¯s a menace¡­ it just causes you to hesitate, and everything needs to be done more meticulously.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I meant. Any proper soldier will overcome his fear, but Mrs. Worchester confirms, both from trying, and her reference book, that the hesitation remains and significantly degrades one¡¯s performance.¡± Laura raised her hands defensively. ¡°With your range, you¡¯re probably safe from the kind of crossbows the tribesmen might eventually have, but good bowmen can still try to get you. We¡¯ll need to figure out how to protect you from range. But when it comes to melee, Mrs. and Mr. Milton will basically act as bodyguards for you. They are the last defense to make sure nobody can get to you. Mr. Milton can rush anyone who tries to get close, and Mrs. Milton makes sure they really do hesitate to get real close because a spear on fire in your face is going to be very, very hard to ignore. In the event things go wrong, you can heal them without stopping your effect?¡± ¡°I need to keep looking at my targets, but yes, I can do that. Did that, in the Narrows,¡± Laura confirmed. ¡°Then¡­¡± This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°But we have ¨C Lady Worchester and me ¨C no idea how much heals do drain from my reserves.¡± ¡°That¡¯s something we¡¯ll work on later. Trying to stretch your impact, because real large battles can last a few hours. But for now, we¡¯ll start on maneuvers, trying to see how it goes. The squad here will alternate between being all against you, or splitting into two half-squad, one red team, one blue team, and work out how to fight along with you against ¡®enemies¡¯.¡± He turned toward the squad, then hesitated and turned back to the three. ¡°Mr. Milton¡­ try not to damage our squad. I know Mrs. Donnall can heal them, but if we have to take a break every time it happens because she needs to be quick, it¡¯s not going to work.¡± Johanna called out, ¡°Is there a Strategic Plan C?¡± ¡°Yes. That one is you two on the front line, killing tribesmen as fast as possible using your enhanced weapon abilities and your Saint friend just behind trying to keep you alive.¡± The general smiled, adding ¡°not a fan of that one. If Mr. Milton had one of those Heroic skills of avoidance of attacks¡­ maybe.¡± Moore was curious about the various maneuvers. Then he slowly realized what was happening. Wait, are they using Laura as a battle healer, and dps as defense? That¡¯s not how it works! He had to admit, though, that trying to use Falter offensively, if that was what was happening ¨C given the drain on mana, she was using it continuously ¨C was the kind of idea that matched the belief that it was part of a sorcerer toolkit, not a healer. ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to slot you into the classification system,¡± Elena said. ¡°The tier system? I couldn¡¯t make heads or tails about how it¡¯s constructed in that chapter. The math is beyond me, I¡¯m afraid,¡± Johanna replied. ¡°You can time very accurately your mana endurance. It¡¯s fixed. If you have some form of continuous ability, you can keep it up for a specific time, and then you¡¯re simply out,¡± she replied. ¡°I know. I¡¯ve tested it,¡± Johanna acknowledged, omitting the part where she¡¯d compared it to Peter¡¯s stealth. ¡°Well, every sorcerer has their own endurance, and so, scholars have been making statistics the time. And there are some very distinct points where¡­¡± Johanna raised her hand to stop the mist sorceress. ¡°I know the word, but we never covered it when I was schooled.¡± ¡°Statistics? Not surprised, it¡¯s usually taught late, and mostly if you¡¯re going to inherit some specific businesses. Or going for scholarships in the south.¡± Elena shrugged, then resumed her explanation. ¡°Anyway, if you try to place the length over which you can sustain something over a common scale, you find that the points will cluster around certain values. There¡¯s a current hypothesis that the values follow some form of quadratic¡­¡± Her words trailed as she spotted Johanna¡¯s eyes glazing. ¡°Okay. No complicated math. But the point is that scholars have found certain points where a sorcerer¡¯s endurance tends to be. We call them tiers.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s a known quantity?¡± ¡°Yes. Although a sorcerer¡¯s endurance tends to increase a bit as they get older, it¡¯s usually by a small amount. The only ones who change tiers are those who find themselves gaining a second, or even third ability later.¡± ¡°Like I did.¡± ¡°So, tier 1 is usually around 9-10 minutes. It¡¯s not fixed, but you¡¯ve got nobody above 10 minutes until tier 2. That¡¯s around 20 minutes of endurance. Then, you get to tier 3, at around 30 minutes, up to 32-33. Tier 4 is then at 45, plus or minus 5 minutes¡­¡± ¡°Then I was probably¡­ tier 4, I think. When we were figuring this out initially.¡± ¡°You did check then?¡± Johanna realized that she couldn¡¯t tell Elena that she was extrapolating from Peter¡¯s original endurance tests. Their respective maximum endurance had matched within two minutes once they¡¯d compared the time, after gaining their newest abilities. But maybe she was extrapolating too much. Trying to bend rules for Heroes to Sorcerers, or vice-versa. ¡°Only briefly.¡± ¡°Then you get in some old archmages. Tier 5. That¡¯s a bit above an hour, around 70 minutes. That¡¯s where we don¡¯t have much historical data. There¡¯s been a grand total of seven archmages ever recorded in the Union of the States.¡± ¡°The compendium says you¡¯re tier 6.¡± ¡°Yes. When you have one hour and a half endurance, that¡¯s tier 6, the highest ever recorded. That¡¯s Jade or me, currently, and Ranshao ¨C another fire mage, before he died ¨C and one ancient Archmage, Casper Viktul. Those are the highest known mages. That¡¯s partially why I suspected the stone was working. Tier 7 at two hours would work¡­ but I didn¡¯t get a new ability after joining the Warden. So, there was no way I needed that stone as some kind of superstitious anchor.¡± ¡°I¡¯m between tier 5 and 6?¡± ¡°Unsurprising, since you are an archmage. I¡¯ll probably classify you as a low tier 6. You¡¯re young, and it¡¯s not that uncommon for a mage to grow a little bit in endurance with age, although it¡¯s usually an additional minute, maybe two every few years. If you were two decades older, you¡¯d fit comfortably in tier 6.¡± Johanna contemplated that pronouncement. ¡°But that¡¯s by using my oldest ability. If I¡¯m using either the ensnaring or the flame blade, my endurance is only half that.¡± ¡°People have been trying to separate the sorcerous abilities from the sorcerer¡¯s endurance. Ernesto Gomez has been writing on the topic for more than two decades, actually, and he makes a convincing argument that there¡¯s a baseline for abilities, and the endurance of a sorcerer is equal to the sum of his baselines, plus a fixed quantity, time the baseline of the ability you use. He¡¯s been pestering for years the Erlangs to provide data since those people have more dual mages than anyone else.¡± ¡°Does this work?¡± ¡°As I said, he makes a convincing argument. But the idea that the ability is separate from the sorcerer has been easily disproved.¡± ¡°By whom?¡± ¡°By me. There have been other sorcerers of the mists, including one down in the southern Marches next to Aztlan right now. Except they were all tier 3 only, not a 6, like me. It¡¯s the same exact ability, except my fog last twice longer, and cover far more.¡± Johanna considered the difference. She still felt intimidated by the sorceress. If tiers were simply the accumulation of individual abilities, then Elena, with a single ability, was almost her equal with four. That was humbling, and it showed how different the two of them were. ¡°Then, of course, there¡¯s your friend, Laura.¡± ¡°Who might be a sorceress.¡± ¡°She is¡­ she¡¯s a clear tier 6¡­ The Dreadful Glare is rare, but not unprecedented. Mind sorcerers are almost as rare as fire sorcerers. Almost as rare as Saints. To have someone who is both¡­¡± ¡°As I said, the ability to heal people of major damage is¡­ well, I can see it when she does it. I see mana in action.¡± ¡°Well, most dual sorcerers have multiple elements. Which explains her tier ranking if the miracles boost her mana endurance. Although¡­¡± Elena shuddered. ¡°If we ¨C sorcerers, that is ¨C start claiming that miracles are actually simple sorcery¡­ that¡¯s not going to go well with some people.¡± 36. City Life It¡¯s said that the Ancients could shop without leaving their home. I wonder, where is the satisfaction in that? Petra Van Sill, Old Angeles Gazette ¡°Corporal Donnall, reporting!¡± Peter said, saluting. Laura rolled her eyes. Johanna swallowed a laugh. Tom shook his head. The truth was that Peter was looking a bit different in some interesting leathers. Johanna was guessing it was the so-called ¡°uniform¡±. Valetta¡¯s guards used practical clothing and light armor, but hardly a uniform clothing style. But the army was about being interchangeable soldiers, even in the case of levies conscripted for war. Even as Talented, they were going to have one. Johanna¡¯s contention that anyone would immediately spot the huge flaming spear, the big non-standard hammer¡­ and of course Laura as the source of the dread they experienced ¨C all that fell on deaf ears. But outside of battle, they were certainly not going to keep wearing their old scavenger clothing. The Keep staff ¨C or, in Peter¡¯s case, himself ¨C had done their best to clean the clothes they¡¯d picked from Valetta, but they had little extra gear. Peter was going to be provided some warm attire for the winter, but no one would mistake him as a civilian with it. As an equivalent of a high-ranked officer, the three ¡°official¡± Talented were expected to wear proper clothing, and they had nothing for a Montana winter. They¡¯d even gotten a little extra on their first stipend ¨C which was a sizeable sum, while not entirely on par with what a good salvage run would yield ¨C and it was time to find out some winter field clothing. They¡¯d been offered to have a tailor come at the Keep and propose them clothes to fit, but all three of them had insisted on being able to find their own. Peter had snuck out to scout New Benton, of course, but that only frustrated Johanna. The training was hard, and they were confined to the Keep. Taking an official opportunity to get out was a boon none of them were going to pass. ¡°And I¡¯m now officially allocated as a bodyguard for the Warden¡¯s own Saint,¡± Peter proudly added. ¡°Really,¡± Laura said. ¡°Does this mean you¡¯re getting in the Keep?¡± Peter deflated slightly. ¡°Not yet. Even for those who are married and both on the draft, they still keep couples separated. I still don¡¯t know how anyone would volunteer for that.¡± ¡°I¡¯m assuming that changes if you aren¡¯t a levy,¡± Johanna mused, restraining herself from looking behind. Four additional bodyguards ¨C Keep guards ¨C had joined them. The fact that rather than having Laura be officially escorted by her husband, both Donnalls rated their respective escort showed a relative lack of trust from the Warden and his people. Johanna had decided to politely ignore the fact. Privately, she thought that, if they all wanted to make problems, four guards were not going to matter very much. The only question was, what for? Misplaced or not, the war was threatening Montana. Maybe Valetta¡­ and Anasta and her brother and family¡­ might be safe, but the tribesmen didn¡¯t follow the civilized laws of the Union. And even if they had not asked for it, the exercises clearly showed how much of a difference a mind sorceress could do against unprepared fighters. She was slightly jealous of Laura. But today, they were going out of the Keep and into the city, at last. And she was going to enjoy this first moment of freedom to the fullest. The Keep¡¯s outer walls abutted both the military compound to its north and the oldest sector of New Benton to its east. They just had to pass the gate to enter the city properly. As she did so, she checked the sky. Faintly in the distance, there was a small swirl of manalight. An artifact. And she already knew exactly where it was. Elena had known she¡¯d be able to spot artifacts ¨C since that was how Johanna had been tasked to demonstrate mana sight ¨C and so she had not hesitated to ask Adjutant Agnello whether or not the Warden had artifacts. She had not seen traces of any when arriving. It turned out that the Maistry family had three of such. But they were all deployed currently at the Kootenai Gap forts. The prosaically-named Hammer of Fixing was mostly logistics. It did look like an extra-large smith¡¯s hammer, except that, when you hammered anything with it, it got fixed, no matter how you struck. Put two parts of a broken spear, and you got a fixed spear, even if you hammered on the head of the spear instead of where the weapon had broken. Chainmail links? Restored ¨C if you didn¡¯t forget to put some small pieces of steel to provide raw material to rebuild the missing ones. Anything that included metal could be fixed by a simple stroke. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Siegebreaker was the legendary staff. Johanna had read of it in many novels and had been astounded to discover it was real, or at least based on a real staff ¨C just with minor exaggerations. Tap a wall with it, and it would split open. It took time to make an opening large enough to slip in soldiers, but walls were powerless against it. And, for some reason, a simple wood palisade would remain intact. Siegebreaker broke only stone walls. The last was the Mirror of the World. The oldest in the Warden¡¯s arsenal, with a flowery name given by its discoverers, it was a three-foot circular mirror pane, circled with Ancient steel and modern-made support to place it on the ground. If one looked at it, you could see clearly dozen of miles in the distance behind you¡­ and somehow knew exactly how many people you were seeing there. A perfect tool for battlefield commanders. But here in the city, she knew what was there in the distance. The cathedral of New Benton held relics, including a holy book that used to be the property of Saint Matthew of Bamford. The bishop of New Benton used it in grand ceremonies to cure the sick, as Saint Matthew once did. Based on what she could see swirling in the sky, the book had to be an artifact, like any other. And Johanna was not sure that Saint Matthew had actually been a Saint like Laura was¡­ or someone who had merely held on to an artifact, using it to heal people. They would not go there, though. Laura was definitively not looking at attracting the curiosity of the bishopric by going on their grounds. Rumors had probably reached the ears of the bishop already. New Benton, Peter informed them, was made of five major districts, built over time. The original core, adjacent to the Warden¡¯s Keep, was the oldest, dating back to the foundation of New Benton just after the Fall. Almost everything there was over a century old, although Johanna couldn¡¯t spot any Ancient buildings. Upon asking one of their escorts, she learned that the only Ancient buildings from the city¡¯s founding era were incorporated into the Keep itself, something she had not noticed before. Despite that lack, it was The upscale district. The ancient houses, small and large, still reflected the original layout of when the city had been a single unit, but even small buildings belonged to upper-middle-class citizens. And if she had once thought living in Valetta was expensive, the old district proved Johanna wrong. A quick check on the storefronts around told her that, no, she definitively did not want to shop there. Even with her pay. With Peter giving them ¡°I heard that¡­¡± advice, with just enough wink to tell her he¡¯d actually checked, they crossed over to a second district, much more popular. There, it looked almost¡­ Valettan. Stores, small marketplaces, what looked like factories for all kinds of trades, and good housing. The kind of place where they might set their sights on after the war. Although Johanna realized quickly that you could place all of Valetta in just that New Benton¡¯s district, with room to spare. And that was reflected by having the street they were in full of a dozen clothiers. They picked one more or less at random, after checking quickly what each had to offer. Less than five minutes in, however, they were out. The saleswoman just had to look at Tom and admit that, although they did some adjustments, they were certainly not going to be able to outfit him that easily. They needed a real tailor, not some half-assed version. The next store was better. A little pricier than what she¡¯d seen in Valetta, but certainly reasonable, and, yes, they could and would fit you, although they were certainly not going to make clothes to order. ¡°That¡¯s in Core Benton if you want to. If you really care about each detail, then yes, it will be good. But we have everything you want here, and for a reasonable price,¡± the tailor¡¯s helper said. So, they spent about half an hour checking the various types of winter clothes, before settling on the look. And pockets. Although the clothier looked sick when she asked if the pockets would be good enough to store some dried food. That¡¯s what you did as salvagers once you started to fill the backpack ¨C move the food out. While she didn¡¯t intend to do winter salvager here, she did intend to have that clothing available once they mustered out, in case. Then, of course, it took almost an hour to get properly measured. The tailor himself, who¡¯d come down from his first-floor workshop, promised that the fitting would be done within four days, and the clothes would be delivered at the Keep. Despite achieving the primary objective of getting serious clothes, Johanna and her friends didn¡¯t feel like heading back. So, they kept wandering a bit, looking at shops and stores. Johanna, in particular, was looking to see if there was a market for salvaging. A question directed at their escorts was met with pleas of ignorance. Their next New Benton experience was lunch. Namely, a pizza restaurant. Johanna¡¯s mother had her own family pizza recipes, but having an eatery dedicated exclusively to the venerable ancient recipe was still mind-boggling. You could only find that in such a huge city as New Benton. They found themselves on two tables, the four of them seated on one, their escort at a second one, which let them chat a bit more freely. ¡°Elena says cities are even bigger south,¡± Johanna said as she perused the menu, titled ¡°Hiro Shujinko¡¯s genuine Sicilian Pizzas. We deliver anywhere in New Benton, guaranteed!¡±. ¡°Kinda hard to believe, but she probably knows,¡± Tom said. When the waitress arrived, Johanna had to ask about Sicilian Pizzas. ¡°Oh, New Benton is home to a large community that traces its origins back from Europe, before the Fall. That is why you¡¯ll find unique recipes around here. The multi-century tradition is followed around here.¡± ¡°So his family is from Sicily?¡± The waitress laughed. ¡°Ah no. He¡¯s from the south. He migrated here twenty years ago, but learned all from a local family.¡± Johanna chatted a bit with the waitress, trying to figure out all about the south. The waitress herself was New Bentonite, though, and didn¡¯t know much about the central States of the Union. She pointed out the different pizzas, though, including the variants whose recipes came from there. ¡°Ultra spicy is more expensive since the genuine serrano peppers are costly to import from Aztlan.¡± The waitress took their orders and moved to the table where their escort sat, taking theirs as well. Other tables in the restaurant started to fill as groups of people and couples moved in. Once they got served their pizzas, she wondered how different that ¡°Sicilian Pizza¡± was from her mother¡¯s. Same rectangular shape, same tomatoes, same mushrooms¡­ the only thing that was different was the oil, maybe. The feeling of nostalgia was overwhelming. A pizzeria. And the right names and recipes, almost to a point. To find the stuff still there, unchanged after fifteen decades of the apocalypse, was genuinely comforting. And they even delivered, although how that worked without phones was a mystery. Who cared if the pizza was owned by a Japanese guy instead of some ¡°Enzo¡± fronting for the Sicilian mafia. The only regret Moore had was that even the sight of the four tearing into various pizzas didn¡¯t get him salivating even in the abstract. 37. Threshold Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection. Pre-Fall sage Moore was watching Johanna¡¯s morning exercise with a particular interest today. She¡¯d stopped using Earthbind every day, probably because her trainer considered it cheating, but she still accumulated regular XP from both fire skills and the occasional use of the Agility-based skill in the team-based exercises of the afternoon. The Pfeiffer woman was still hell on earth with a sword, a kind of medieval boot camp sergeant, relentless in drilling Johanna and Laura. And he had to admit, the swordplay got better and better, even from his ignorant perspective. All that exercise, however, never translated into XP in Strength or any other stat. The only thing that worked was using skills related to the stat, which made him wonder how the character sheet translated into actual reality. Did increasing Strength using XP translate into bigger, well, physical strength? Or was it all abstracted, not entirely grounded in reality? Obviously, there was the point where people, by default, always added to 91 before XP. Kids had exactly 15 in each stat until progression actually started. There were obviously athletic and non-athletic kids, but if they all had 15 in Strength, then what of it? Still, he¡¯d noticed that the sex of a person seemed to influence stuff. Men tended to have higher physical scores, women were higher in non-physical ones. That gender stereotype seemed to play out in the sheets, although there was nothing preventing monsters like that 18-base Strength ¨C plus three allocated points!!! ¨C Blade Whirler trainer. But all of this was idle speculation, and he was waiting for the instant where Johanna¡¯s lighting up her sword for the morning exercise was going to translate into what he wanted. She started her exercise, and he looked. Victory! 5k XP total! Time slowed as Moore raised and then committed Johanna¡¯s new level 5, emptying the global pool from residual Anasta XP and the Erinax¡¯s kill, leaving 4 paltry points. Fire Shaper. It was there, just as he¡¯d speculated when Johanna had been introduced to the other sorceress and he found the higher magic specializations. And yes, as he expected, all fire-themed skills he¡¯d spotted so far got a multiplier increase in that new specialization. While¡­ Earthbind dropped to zero. As expected too. There were also a few stamina-based skills now appearing in the list available. Not too many, but all with some kind of heat theme. Can¡¯t be helped. You¡¯re either a jack-of-all-trades average mage or a powerful elemental master. All he had to do now was to wait for the next 1k XP to remove the specialization and replace it¡­ The specialization could be replaced, right now. He tried it at a whim, and the change was allowed. He briefly toyed with Explorer, the AGI-based basic one, but he couldn¡¯t get it to stick, just like Discreet. He still needed 1k experience to switch to that one, as it had been back when he¡¯d selected Johanna¡¯s initial build. He pondered the difference for a while before he realized the simple fact, mentally facepalming. He was simply raising the specialization. Going from AUT 16 to AUT 17, level 5, and an additional stat. The other advanced spec he could also pick for Johanna, Earth Shaper, didn¡¯t need XP to select as well. Just going out of the original Shaper version. It was just trying to get to a non-AUT specialization. He switched to Tom¡¯s perspective and checked another spec change. Just Explorer required dipping into the XP as well, but switching to the obviously Agility-based Duelist did not, as it also required 16 STR. He no longer had global XP to spend anymore, or he could have checked if putting 3k in DEX for a score of 16 allowed him to switch to Maker, with its STR16/DEX16/Level2 for free as well. Okay, so all that¡¯s needed is that all of the previous requirements are the same or higher. Well, that¡¯s handy. He would test with Peter soon. He was now operating under the assumption that there would be an advanced version of the specialization at level 5 for everyone. Grinding skills day and night had brought the Discreet almost to 5k as well. He¡¯d been aiming originally to get 6k XP and unlock a Strength skill, but if there were further specializations hidden at level 5, and some multipliers dropped, it was better to know about it first. That was the new plan: everyone to 5, and see what popped out. He still smarted internally about the 2500 XP he¡¯d have to spend to abandon Earthbind and recover the skill point, even if he was going to re-use it immediately for a new skill. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Well, if the new spec didn¡¯t require any additional XP, there was no reason not to switch now, so he canceled the test on Tom, switched back to Johanna¡¯s view, committed, and let time flow again. Welcome to the big fire leagues, Jo.
Johanna Marcia Milton Female human, 19 years, 6 months
Fire Shaper Level: 5 (8000 XP needed) 15/134 mana (+14 per hour) 1 unallocated skill point XP: 0 + 4
STR: 14 AUT: 18 (1754 XP needed) Fire Handling (59)
AGI: 16 (1910 XP needed) Earthbind (5) PER: 14 (941 XP needed) Mana Sight (33)
DEX: 16 (630 XP needed) Flaming Blade (37) EMP: 15
Johanna swung her sword, parrying the incoming strike, as she tried to push her fiery trail into Francesca¡¯s move, using the flame as a distraction. The swordplay was not yet routine, and she still wanted to catch her by surprise, although that was probably a doomed attempt. Then the sword dimmed, a brutal cramp seized her, and the flame petered out and she dropped on all fours. To her credit, Francesca immediately stopped, recognizing it as a genuine problem, and not some trick to get her guard down. She rushed and put her hand on Johanna¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re okay? What happened?¡± ¡°I¡­ I had some kind of cramp. Like I got squeezed out in the gut.¡± ¡°That¡¯s never happened in our training.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s like¡­ my mana got thrown out or something.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve lost your magic?¡± Francesca said, alarmed. ¡°I¡­¡± She put her hand up and tried to call the fire. Much to her relief, the flame instantly came up. Then she stared at her palm. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bit¡­ bigger than usual?¡± Francesca said, frowning. ¡°It is. It¡¯s never been that big before. It¡¯s¡­ always the same size. I mean, I think it¡¯s grown a tiny little bit since I became a sorceress. But not that big.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± the voice of Elena Worchester came from behind them. The mist sorceress had been usually watching their training sessions, at least most of them. Seeing her falter, she¡¯d instinctively crossed the courtyard to check on her fellow sorceress. Then she realized that the flame that Johanna had called was much larger than usual. Where it had been almost 4 inches tall, it was half again longer now. The flare of the flame at the root was more pronounced as well. Despite the added length, the flame still didn''t flicker much. ¡°How is¡­¡± Johanna turned her head and winced. ¡°No idea. I just had the wind knocked out of me¡­ and it looks like my flame¡¯s got a lot bigger.¡± ¡°I can see that.¡± ¡°It had gotten a tiny bit bigger before¡­ but not like that. Definitely not like that. Does it ever happen¡­¡± Johanna started to ask. Elena shook her head. ¡°Of course, not¡­ Well, maybe.¡± ¡°Maybe?¡± ¡°I remember the story of Fred Goetz. He used to be an adept. He could cool down water somewhat by dipping his finger in it, but not that much. But one morning, he woke up and found himself doing full-scale sorcery, freezing water into solid ice. I think there might be one or two other instances of adepts that found themselves able to do real sorcery after half a decade or more.¡± Johanna immediately spotted the implicit significance of Goetz. ¡°The difference between an adept and a sorcerer is one of scale¡­ and the difference between that tier 3 sorcerer down south ¨C whatsisname, Diogo Amengual??? ¨C and your tier 6 is a scale too. You cover almost twice the surface.¡± ¡°So¡­ there¡¯s adept, and sorcerer¡­ and greater sorcerers. And you can move up in scale?¡± Elena said, blinking. ¡°You might have started directly there. After all, most people are sorcerers immediately,¡± Johanna noted. ¡°But they could maybe upgrade¡­ As you just did?¡± ¡°I told you¡­ it doesn¡¯t happen when we sleep. Just at¡­ odd times.¡± The two were interrupted by the voice of Pfeiffer. ¡°As much as I¡¯m loath to interrupt sorceresses¡¯ serious discussions¡­ do you need to stop today¡¯s exercise to figure out things? No, Milton, you don¡¯t get to vote, I know you¡¯ll jump on the occasion to skip.¡± Johanna almost laughed. She had to admit the idea was appealing. ¡°Maybe¡­¡± Elena started, before being interrupted by Francesca raising her sword in salute. The two sorceresses turned their heads and automatically straigthened, seeing the Warden himself crossing the courtyard. ¡°Lord Maistry,¡± Elena said. ¡°Lord,¡± Johanna added. ¡°Well, it does look like training time is over. At least training here.¡± Johanna noticed Elena stiffening. ¡°Bad news?¡± ¡°Just got a dispatch. Scout parties spotted multiple groups coming to reinforce the tribesmen¡­ and a warband of wendigos. It looks like harvest time is over and their winter offensive is a go. Pack and get ready, you¡¯re leaving at dawn tomorrow.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll miss you, Milton¡±, Francesca said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, General Adorno will take care of her,¡± the Warden said. ¡°He¡¯s the one in charge?¡± Elena asked. ¡°He¡¯s joining General Pasqual at the Gap. I would love to see this through, but unfortunately, my days of leading a campaign are gone,¡± the Warden said, massaging his intact-looking inert hand. ¡°But maybe this winter will be decisive enough,¡± he added, before turning around and heading toward the main gate. Elena watched the man depart, then she sighed and turned toward Johanna. ¡°See you tomorrow,¡± she simply said before, heading toward the central keep. Johanna stashed her practice sword and headed toward her quarters as well. She instinctively watched her palm. That must be why, she realized. 38. The Path of War Any sufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology. Pre-Fall quote ¡°It¡¯s ridiculous,¡± Elena Worchester complained for the fourth or maybe fifth time. As if on cue, light snow had started to fall before the moving army had lost sight of New Benton. So, far, it was a light dusting, and while temperatures had dropped in this late October, it was probably not cold enough for it to stick. But with an expected three days to the garrison at the entrance to the Kootenai Gap, the risk of delays was mounting already. The ridiculous thing, however, was the flame steadily burning in Johanna¡¯s palm. For nearly two and a half hours now. The Sorceress of the Mists had requisitioned room on a supplies wagon, pulled by a large draft oxen team, for the duration of the trip, complaining about her age. And then, she¡¯d dragged in Johanna, to figure out ¡°what the blazes had happened yesterday¡±. ¡°You¡¯re off-scale. Even with my Stone of Mana, I can¡¯t even reach your endurance.¡± ¡°Maybe you will get another mist spell one day,¡± Johanna offered. ¡°Or maybe there¡¯s a step above a greater sorcerer.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve just invented the term, and you¡¯re already proposing a new stage? Preposterous, as Billy-Jo would say.¡± Johanna smiled at the name of the sorcerer. She¡¯d gleaned more details beyond what was recorded in the Mages of America. The fire sorcerer, who had a flaming hand like her ¨C well, more like hers¡¯ used to be ¨C had served as a mentor for a younger Elena Worchester, introducing her to the semi-formal community of sorcerers across the Union of States. The Mist Sorceress obviously kept thinking fondly of her former teacher. Even though he still had to reply to her invitation to come and meet Johanna. ¡°Besides¡­ by then, you¡¯ll probably have left me behind in the dust,¡± Elena complained. Johanna winced, but the Sorceress of the Mists wasn¡¯t done. ¡°Everything about you happens at a frenetic pace, unprecedented in history. You¡¯re a sorceress at 19 when most find their magic in their mid-thirties or even forties. Your minor growth occurs after mere months. You start a dual mage and then gain two new abilities in weeks instead of a decade. And now, you¡¯re somehow jumping tiers, which simply isn¡¯t done without an ability¡­ again, in months.¡± Elena looked at Johanna¡¯s palm and shrugged. ¡°I can¡¯t even begin to guess that tier. You probably jumped over several. Besides, when there is only one example, categories lose meaning. May as well call it S-tier.¡± Johanna was about to answer when she felt the pinching, the blink-and-its-gone feeling, and the flame winked out. Elena startled. ¡°Done?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m feeling¡­ empty.¡± The older sorceress checked her pocket watch and sighed. ¡°Two hours. Forty-one minutes. Fifteen seconds. Un-be-lievable. You doubled your endurance.¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to check the other spells¡¯ endurance tomorrow,¡± she continued. ¡°There¡¯s no point trying to do that today, not until you regenerate to full. But I¡¯m going to assume the same insanity applies.¡± Elena settled on the wagon¡¯s seat, muttering ¡°nobody¡¯s going to believe me, ever.¡± Moore had waited all day long for this to pass. As night fell, and the army encamped, guards standing watch and all, Peter had finally slipped outside the bedroll in the small tent he shared with Laura and slipped into his stealth mode before going out, earning Dexterity skill XP. And reached just over 5000 personal XP. Moore committed the level 5, and immediately went into the specialization list now offered. There were two new entries in the list that Peter had available, which only cemented Moore¡¯s hypothesis. While you had weird specializations all over the place, all of the baseline ones ¨C the ones requiring just 16 in a single stat ¨C were going to offer a new enhanced version at level 5. He even already had an example of Agility¡¯s version, after all ¨C the Blade Whirler. First came 17 Dexterity, 16 Perception. The specialization was named Sharp Discreet, which made Moore non-blink when he saw what changed. Thankfully, it did improve the discretion skill, but it also added a whole lot of mana-based skills. Detect Lies, which had been a Fixer-only skill previously, observation abilities, and a few other skills. Even Mana Sight became an option. The damning point in that spec was that it didn¡¯t add anything to melee, either defense or weapon skills, not even the Perception-based Accurate Pierce. And Peter was going to need those. The other one was 17 Dexterity and 16 Agility. Whose name was Improviser. Just that. No Discreet anywhere in the name. Okay, who names those things? Can¡¯t they stay consistent? That one was much better. It did not only enhance his stealth, but it did definitively improve his defense, got a +1 multiplier for the Forced Attack skill he had selected for Strength, although it did not raise the current precision bonus on his attacks. Also, just like Sharp Discreet, it did add a few skills that had not gotten a multiplier value for Discreet, mostly around piercing weapons ¨C like bows¡­ and blades. Well, that¡¯s a proper rogue spec. Just before committing, however, he hesitated. He¡¯d seen what happened to Johanna yesterday when he upgraded her specialization. The best explanation for the blink-and-you-miss-it, even with his time acceleration when using the interface, was that it had disrupted her control of the spell, and briefly reset to zero her multipliers, sapping her mana reserves. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. If he committed right now, stealth was going to drop¡­ and Peter wouldn¡¯t have much stamina to keep sneaking around. Seventeen minutes at best. If he expected to be able to do his usual. They talked, right? He has to know what happened to her. Moore decided to commit now. That way, Peter would know what happened. Better than waking up, and not figuring out he was better now. But before he switched specializations, he went back to the skill list, while Peter infinitesimally slowly raised the tent¡¯s cloth opening. Right now, Peter had two unused skill points, and that started to grate on Moore. Sitting on such an unused potential was not his way of doing things. However, unlike Johanna, for which the next move was obvious ¨C to recover the wasted skill and reallocate it ¨C he had three different paths open to him. The first was to wait out 6k XP and invest those to raise Strength to 16 to take Forced Attack, which had been the original plan for level 4. Then, as Empathy-based skills still did not look very appealing, not having any better multipliers than the baseline Discreet, he would need to wait out 8k for level 6, a second point, and get a new skill in any of the four stats that already had one.
Forced Attack Requires: Dexterity 17/Strength 16/Level 3
Effective: N ¡Á Strength + Level (adds stamina) Passive: Enhance your effective Strength by up to (Eff/10) for skill checks Active: Your piercing and slashing attacks penetrate (Eff)% deeper than the actual blade. Action cost: +1 stamina
Improviser DEX 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Blade Whirler AGI 17/STR 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Discreet DEX 16/Lvl 1 N=1
The alternative was to invest immediately two skill points to purchase a second Agility, Dexterity, or Perception-based skill. Then wait for 8k to gain a level and a point, then wait for another 6k for Forced Attack. You ended up at the same point, but Peter would immediately have a new skill to use, and get level 6 faster. While there was no genuinely interesting skill at 16 Agility ¨C it was either 16 Agility and level 6, or 17 Agility and level 4 ¨C there were two other options for the newly promoted Improviser. The second path added the staple of rogueish builds, the expected¡­
Ambidextrous Requires: Dexterity 18/Level 4
Effective: N ¡Á Dexterity + Level (adds stamina) Passive: Your accuracy, strength and grip with your off-hand is (Eff)% better when it comes to weapons. Action: Instantly swap one-handed weapon?s between main and off-hand. Action cost: 1 stamina per (Eff) ounces.
Improviser DEX 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=3
Blade Whirler AGI 17/STR 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Discreet DEX 16/Lvl 1 N=2
Battler STR 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Although Moore was a little leery of that one, lacking a way to communicate the ability directly to Peter. He assumed that he could count on Peter discovering his ability quickly, as some instinct guide had seemed to be the case for most of them. The third path, a Perception-based skill, however, was even weirder, even if it went into the mana-based hybrid build he had eschewed before. It involved a previously orphan skill that now had multipliers.
Recall Blade Requires: Dexterity 17/Agility 16/Perception 16/Level 5
Effective: N ¡Á Perception + Level (adds mana) Passive: You automatically know the balance and sharpness of any blade you see Active: Recall an echo of any bladed weapon you held in your hand in the last (Eff) hours, provided you handled it for (Lvl) seconds. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds
Improviser DEX 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Sharp Discreet DEX 17/PER 16/Lvl 5 N=2
For once, he could see a genuinely different build. While he was certain of his choice of Improviser as Peter¡¯s advanced specialization, it was now a question of how it would go from there. Ambidextrous tremendously improved Peter¡¯s stamina reserves, his scouting capacity, and his capacity to sustain a fight. On the other hand, Recall Blade was going to make sure he was never truly disarmed, and it worked with a spear and shield, which was what Peter had been mostly using recently. In addition, it suddenly made raising Empathy and the Pay Attention skill more attractive, as extra mana was now helping and it would be cheap at one skill point. Not as powerful as it would be if Moore had gone with Sharp Discreet, but still not useless. Of course, ultimately, he could pick both. But with Ambidextrous, he was only committed until level 8, where he could decide based on whatever new skills had shown up how to go, whereas Recall Blade was locking him to level 9 ¨C assuming he went with Pay Attention at level 7, because level 6¡¯s skill was certainly not changing ¨C albeit with a potential second skill in Empathy if an interesting one got unveiled. Welcome to¡­ well, improvised sneaking I guess, Peter.
Peter Malik Donnall Male human, 19 years
Improviser Level: 5 (8000 XP needed) 15/214 stamina (+13 per hour) 0 unallocated skill point XP: 19+4
STR: 13 AUT: 14
AGI: 16 (823 XP needed) Deflect (53) PER: 16 (460 XP needed) Accurate Pierce (37)
DEX: 18 (1746 XP needed) Reconnaissance (62) Ambidextrous (62) EMP: 15
Peter stumbled as if he¡¯d been suddenly winded. He blinked furiously, realizing he was on one knee on the ground just in front of his tent. Okay, what the fuck? ¡°You okay, Donnall?¡± he heard. He turned, spotting a soldier patrolling the camp. One of the levies from Lakeview, near Valetta, although he didn¡¯t remember the name. He waved lazily. ¡°Catching my breath, that¡¯s all¡­¡± Fuck, stealth disappeared just like that¡­ what a minute? ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°Yea. They say my wife is a Saint, but believe me¡­ I know better,¡± he joked. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Really.¡± ¡°Did she bring out the ropes?¡± the recruit asked, and Peter blinked. Then he shook his head and turned back into the tent without speaking. ¡°What happened?¡± Laura immediately asked as Peter re-entered their tent mere seconds after leaving. ¡°I¡­ feel faint. I think what happened to Jo also just happened.¡± ¡°Wait, you just got¡­ improved? Like her?¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s what I felt. My hiding stopped working, and I felt winded as if I¡¯d spent all my energy hiding¡­ like her, yes.¡± ¡°But why? I haven¡¯t felt that,¡± Laura said. ¡°No. But if what Tom says¡­ then I might need much longer scouting soon. If that¡¯s what the Skeleton thinks I need.¡± Laura shuddered at the thought of the Ancient back in the ruins. ¡°Well, you know what happened to her. You¡¯re going to be useless until tomorrow,¡± she finally said. Peter looked dubiously at her. She tapped the extra-large bedroll. ¡°Don¡¯t bother arguing.¡± 39. Fields of Strife Just because we now look like beasts, doesn¡¯t mean we will be. Norbert Eicke, First Wendigo Snow had stopped early morning, and Johanna spotted the palisades of the Eastern Kootenai Gap garrison. ¡°We¡¯ll be there by mid-afternoon,¡± Elena said, checking the distance. ¡°It looks big.¡± ¡°There¡¯s room for most of the standing army. A bit rough, don¡¯t expect the same comfort as the Warden¡¯s Keep.¡± ¡°Shame, I could get used to it. But better than a tent, right?¡± ¡°Probably. Most of the soldiers with us will have to make do.¡± The Gap was, Johanna knew now, the product of a massive Changestorm in the early years of the Fall. Hills had risen, creating a significant 20-mile-long valley, and raising the mana levels on both sides to significant levels, as indicated by the vegetation. The eastern side was usually called the Golden Heights. 50-feet trees crowded it, with a sparse cover, but the color came from bushes that covered the hills. The bushes had a fall color all year long, leaves shaped like ferns in all kinds of orange-reds. The berries, like most products of the mana-rich zones, were inedible. A single one would give you the runs for a day, a dozen would end up in incapacitating cramps that made you wish you were dead already. And, of course, lots of Felids. They¡¯d spotted one, watching from afar the army column as it passed. But since the hulking changed beast didn¡¯t look like it was going to come close, no one had been inclined to engage the beast. On the western side, barely visible from the road, were the same dark-blue trees that Johanna had seen in the Narrows. That mana zone extended hundreds of miles to Valetta, even to the northwest of the Ancient ruins they¡¯d harvested for nearly two years. Canids and even weirder beasts like the one they¡¯d fought at the Narrows prowled those areas. Both zones were part of the so-called Northern barrier, a series of mana-rich elongated blobs that stretched from coast to Great Lakes to coast. She tried to remember her geography and history lessons from years ago, but, well, it had not been very important. Not at the time. The only relevant fact had been that everything north of Anasta after a dozen miles was mana-rich, spewing changed beasts. But the Kootenai Gap, and its various counterparts across the Northern Barrier, had been the single deciding factor in the shape of the re-construction of the Union of States there. The Montana had a natural frontier on its northern side, thanks to that barrier, and its name, the Montana Marches, alluded to its border with the wildlands beyond. By comparison, the Gap itself was ordinary. Sparse trees, a small river running along the valley, and some low vegetation were visible over the white-powdered ground. From what she heard, nobody was sure if the river was actually the Kootenai that you found on Ancient maps. Like many features of the land, it could have shifted a lot from its pre-Fall position. The garrison itself stood near the Golden Heights, its presence controlling the pass between the Marches of the Montana and the northern Tribal lands. Elena had taught her a bit more of history than what Mistress Vanu had mentioned, of the Three Wars¡­ and the fourth that was now underway. As the column made its way across the snowed road, she saw more and more details emerge. Building tops were poking behind the palisade, with a few plumes of smoke rising. And once she got close, the plumes were joined by one, then a second swirl of manalight. The Artefacts. Elena didn¡¯t know which ones were there. She could just hazard guesses. ¡°I¡¯m assuming it¡¯s going to be the Hammer of Fixing. Given it¡¯s the main forward base, it¡¯s where it can help best. And I¡¯m also assuming the Mirror.¡± They were a third of a mile from the walls surrounding the Garrison when a trio of riders came out to meet the column. Despite the horses being too precious and rare to use for direct military operations, the army kept dozens, for scouting parties who needed to move fast, and messengers. Johanna saw the lead scout talk to the general, who was also riding ¨C a mark of status rather than necessity ¨C and then turn around, heading back to the walls. Word quickly traveled across the column. ¡°Everyone inside. It¡¯s going to be packed a bit, but we¡¯ll manage,¡± the sergeant relaying the instruction said once he reached her wagon. Johanna thought most of the army was going to be happy. The alternative was to build a camp just outside the garrison proper. You¡¯d be cold as hell, even with winter double-walled tents, which the column carried. That was the reason the four of them never tried to scavenge during the cold season. The army restarted from its brief stop, and they slowly reached the doors. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Although the garrison had looked big from the outside, it seemed almost bigger inside. There were tall wooden barracks, and Johanna stopped wondering how they were going to fit everyone. It seemed the builders had thought of it. ¡°Come, we¡¯ll need to report to General Pasqual,¡± Elena said as she carefully dropped from the flat wagon. Tom, Laura, and Peter joined them and Johanna followed Elena toward a tower-like building standing in the middle of the garrison. The Sorceress of the Mists had been to the garrison often enough, and she knew her ways around. She pointed to a set of buildings. ¡°Officer quarters there. You¡¯ll probably get assigned a room¡­ a large version for two¡­ there. Even for the non-officer,¡± she added looking at Peter who kept a straight face that belied a repressed smile. ¡°Welcome to Kootenai East,¡± the general who was reading reports said as he rose and went around the desk. ¡°Good to see you, Lady Worchester,¡± he added, shaking her hand. ¡°You know me, Ulrico. Late Fall and Winter are my time. I don¡¯t need them for my fogs, but they get way worse when it¡¯s cold already,¡± Elena replied, smiling. ¡°And you and Floriano bring gifts,¡± he said, looking at the four. ¡°We do.¡± ¡°He sent me a draft doctrine. Where is he, by the way?¡± ¡°Still outside, organizing the arrival and unloading,¡± Elena replied. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll chat with him later. We have scouts¡¯ reports from the enemy side, and they¡¯re definitively moving already. Anyway, we have a dedicated company to take advantage of Lady Donnall and her support team. We¡¯ll start training tomorrow early,¡± the general said, eyeing the two women, unsure. ¡°I¡¯m Mrs. Donnall,¡± Laura said, greeting him. ¡°General Ulrico Pasqual. So, you must be the Fire Sorceress then,¡± the general said, turning to Johanna. ¡°Johanna Milton¡­ at your service.¡± ¡°Although, things may have changed a little bit,¡± Elena injected. ¡°How so?¡± the officer asked. ¡°Not much¡­ Johanna¡¯s grown in endurance, and it¡¯s advantageous in some aspects. But¡­¡± the mist sorceress started. While the two traveling sorceresses had both been impressed by Johanna¡¯s newfound endurance with a flaming blade, more than double her previous duration, they¡¯d been completely floored when it came to rooting people in place. That ability was almost completely gone. Elena felt a hint of difficulty when moving, but remained mostly unimpeded rather than locked down in place. Johanna could maintain the effect for a quarter of an hour rather than her previous forty minutes. It was still there, granted, but it was nearly useless now. ¡°If I didn¡¯t know better, I¡¯d swear you were an adept. Except an adept would be hard-pressed to maintain the effect for long. It¡¯s insane ¨C again ¨C because you seem to be both a greater sorceress and an adept. Simultaneously.¡± ¡°Maybe we¡¯re thinking all wrong. Maybe it¡¯s not about being a greater sorceress. Maybe it¡¯s about adept-level talent, sorcery, greater sorcery. Each skill, individually ranked.¡± ¡°As Gomez maintains, you mean? When his model is that each skill contributes separately to endurance?¡± ¡°Both fire skills have vastly improved. My earth one has regressed to adept-level. And, well, the mana sight seems mostly unchanged. I can see the mana on the stone, same as before, but I still don¡¯t see any mana coming out of it, like other artifacts. So, I can¡¯t do the math, but maybe it adds up correctly?¡± ¡°Maybe¡­ but three different skills changed. At the same time. It sure has to be something meaningful¡­ unless¡­¡± the mist sorceress rambled, lost in her thoughts, finger drumming on the wagon¡¯s wood. Of course, Johanna wasn¡¯t about to tell Elena Worchester the other surprise coming out of the trip. She had been flabbergasted by Peter¡¯s changes. That he had been improved, just like she had been, was undeniable. But he¡¯d shot up in endurance to incredible lengths, being able to sustain over four hours of active sneaking. Not only that but rather than losing most of one ability, as she had, he¡¯d gained a new one. He was able to switch his knife from hand to hand instantly. The knife simply vanished from one hand and appeared in the other, as if he did not cross the distance, and his balance was much, much better than it had ever been. To the point where he thought he¡¯d be able to fight almost equally as well with any hand¡­ or maybe both. All the gear was stashed in the room she¡¯d been assigned to with Tom, and while the rest of the levies were helping unload the wagons of supplies, she found herself adrift. So, she went up and looked at the Kootenai Gap, the ground on which the tribesmen fought the Montana, trying to grasp that prize. The gateway into civilized lands, where they would¡­ what? Conquer? Settle? Or worse, enslave civilized people. She was watching the snowed-in expanse from atop the palisade when she spotted something very odd in the distance. She squinted a bit before realizing she wasn¡¯t seeing some weather reflection. It was manalight instead. A large, swirling funnel of mana flowing and flexing at the edge of her perception, a couple of miles away. There¡¯s a huge artifact there if I can see it from that far away, she realized. She turned and immediately headed downstairs from the wall, toward the command building. She doubted that what she was seeing was Siegebreaker being deployed¡­ meaning it was an artifact in the hands of enemies. Who were not far away, spying on the army of the Montana. Snowbound Glatteis reached the scouting post, where Northcome Blauerschnee was waiting for him. ¡°It looks like the southrons have reinforced early,¡± the field commander announced. ¡°No kidding,¡± Glatteis said. ¡°The thousand-pound-steak question is, did they bring their sorceress here, or are they using her for sneak tricks?¡± Glatteis laughed as he pulled out his glasses from his side pouch. ¡°Let me see.¡± Blauerschnee waited, then frowned. It wasn¡¯t common for Glatteis to take his time to ascertain the situation. Finally, the other wendigo turned. ¡°We may have a problem, North.¡± ¡°She¡¯s not there?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m pretty sure she¡¯s there. The problem is that I can see not one, but no less than three plumes of mana breathing. I can¡¯t really identify whose swirls it could be at this distance, but I¡¯d say one major and two slightly lesser.¡± ¡°Wait, the southrons have three sorcerers arrayed? Where did they find them? You¡¯re sure it¡¯s not their artifacts?¡± Glatteis threw him a pitying look and Blauerschnee wilted, despite his official rank. ¡°The mana plume of an artifact is impossible to mistake for the mana swirl of a sorcerer¡¯s mana breath. It¡¯s day and night in intensity. Looks like they still have their two artifacts and a lesser one that came along. But it does seem like they¡¯ve been busy little bees during summer.¡± Blauerschnee swore, ¡°Damned mercenaries, where did he find them? So much for the hope that Edgard is not as good a planner as his father. We should have committed to the war early. I knew waiting was no good.¡± Glatteis turned back to survey the distant fortifications of Montana¡¯s forward garrison. ¡°Reinforcement and sorcerers? This isn¡¯t going to be easy. Not easy at all. Let¡¯s find the tribal commanders. We must persuade them to start. Now. Before they advance on their own,¡± he said. ¡°No plan survives contact with the enemy,¡± Blauerschnee replied. 40. Grim Tide A clarion call to the Davids of the land to come back from the field and confront the Goliaths of their era. Pre-Fall writer The sound of brass bugles and the clamor of shouts is what woke up Johanna, from a dream of walking across a land on fire. In this particular nightmare, she was burning all the time, her mastery of fire forgotten, as her feet dragged, leaden by unseen shackles. ¡°Attack! ATTACK!¡± the call came, barely muffled by the door. She shook Tom, who had yet to stir, and started fetching her clothes which she¡¯d carelessly discarded in a corner of the small room that was their bedroom. Then she realized what was coming, and shoved these under the bedframe, and picked the leather uniform of the army. She wordlessly handed Tom his own, as her husband was still blinking from sleep. As she exited the bedroom, she immediately went to the adjacent room and hammered the door. A muffled, half-incoherent word came from behind, and she immediately rushed along the corridor, only stopping after she¡¯d stepped out in the garrison courtyard. An officer she immediately recognized waved at her. Captain Devereaux. He was in charge of the company that was going to be their vanguard, having trained at Maistry Keep. They were supposed to take the day to practice, but it looked like the enemy had not waited for the reinforcement from New Benton to settle down. People were rushing and assembling, and she focused on Devereaux. ¡°What¡¯s going to happen? We should be safe in here, right?¡± ¡°We can¡¯t afford to stay put. If we let them pass, then we have to come out later and catch them. Otherwise, once they get out of the Gap, they can attack anywhere, and cause untold damage to the Montana. No, we have to stop them here. And no, we can¡¯t do that holed behind walls.¡± A sergeant shouted, ¡°Donnall? What you doing?¡± ¡°Sarge, I¡¯m¡­¡± ¡°You want to protect your wife, it¡¯s from the front where the enemy will be coming from. We¡¯re going to be pushing, not standing around. GET. IN. POSITION.¡± ¡°Aye aye, sarge!¡± Peter said reluctantly as he ran toward the rest of the company. More soldiers were slotting in position. As Johanna watched, the gate opened, and a first company then another slipped out. ¡°Time to move,¡± Devereaux said, looking at Laura. She swallowed and looked at Johanna and Tom for comfort. Johanna grinned back, despite not feeling very confident suddenly, and a flame briefly sprang into her palm, dancing for a few seconds before she extinguished it. She lifted her spear and looked at Tom, who was taking the position on the other side of Laura. All three joined the company and they moved to the gates. Once out, Johanna spotted the enemy forces. Three armies ¨C battalions? whatever ¨C were visible across the Gap. For a few moments, she wondered about the wendigos, before she realized what the white and grey furs she was seeing were. There are wendigos along with all armies. They¡¯re not fighting separately. That went against what they¡¯d been told during training at the Keep. The Wendigos were savages, barely above Changed beasts. They fought as ¡°irregulars¡±, joining the battle as they wished, but not along with the tribal troops. And why not? When the snow and ice covered the ground, they would be pretty much better off on their own. Or so the officers had trained her to expect. It wasn¡¯t really freezing in this early November, though. Yesterday¡¯s light snowing had almost evaporated. So¡­ they were going to fight wendigos like they were tribesmen. Crossbow bolts were already flinging across the field as a deterrent, and a few bowmen were shooting over the barriers of the frontlines, but to little effect so far. Most of the levies were melee, though. There had not been enough time to train them to use crossbows well, let alone real bows. And the frontlines were drawing closer and closer, as shields and spears were pointing at each other. The enemies were less than a mile from the garrison itself, and the army of the Montana was moving to meet them. Devereaux pointed forward and their company started to jog forward. By the doctrine, their place was at the front line, not as support or in the reserve. Their goal was to break the momentum of the enemy, not wait. Johanna looked around the battlefield and spotted the swirl of manalight. ¡°Captain? Enemy artifact to the left, on their west side.¡± Captain Devereaux had been clearly briefed about Johanna¡¯s yesterday surprise and didn¡¯t ask any questions. He barked briefly an order and the company turned slightly. Strategy left room for tactics, and it was almost a given that any group important enough to bring an artifact to bear was a priority target. A mixed-arms company moved behind them as support, following. On their right side, enemy forces moved to intercept, and suddenly, the first clash happened¡­ and the enemy hesitated. Johanna and Tom were at the edges, like the captain. Laura was very careful about not looking at them, and keeping focused on her front. The company, forewarned and, for many, trained already, adopted a more defensive position. Hesitation and heavy arms could be more easily ignored if you didn¡¯t push an attack and reacted instead. Then, Laura relaxed her gaze, and feeling the oppression lift, the Montanan soldiers surged, clashing against the still hesitant enemies. Moore went googly-eyed, metaphorically speaking, when he saw the enemy forces. He had an extreme focus, a distance of sight that a 20-20 air force pilot might have envied him now, and that allowed him to take the forces coming to meet the American army. And those forces included wendigos. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. The fact that the system label was lower-case, instead of upper-case like all monsters were, could only mean those were people, just like ¡°humans¡± or that one ¡°dwarf¡± seen a couple of months ago in Valetta. So, what frightened him was that the small albino Chewbacca-lookalikes sported high levels. The human enemies were all level 3, 4, 5, and a few higher, but the wendigos were all 5, 6¡­ even a few 9s. Given that they lacked a specialization moniker, and couldn¡¯t grind skills, it meant these enemies earned XP the hard way. Grinding. Fighting. Killing for XP. Of course, the lack of specialization meant they couldn¡¯t bring skills to the battlefield¡­ Okay, Ghosthound Battler. That¡¯s a new one. Love the name, wonder where it came from. Moore briefly slowed subjective time, checking the specialization. A level 5 Strength with Dexterity mix. One of the specializations that Tom would not get immediately upon leveling, since Moore hadn¡¯t spent points in DEX yet. But seeing it let him delve in advance to the multipliers for it. He quickly dismissed it. A fast weapon user, more spear or pike oriented, with a weird mix of multipliers and counter-attack oriented skills. Worth picking if you had made an entire build aiming for it, but Tom¡¯s current skills were unsuited to it. It would take tens of thousands of XP to shift that specialization. So, Moore dismissed it and resumed normal subjective speed. Let¡¯s hope that one doesn¡¯t have skills to complement that specialization. Just like the others. And then, what he¡¯d simultaneously feared and hoped happened. XP came in. Only 49 points in all pools, but still. Killing people gives XP, like monsters. For a few minutes, everything seemed to work well. Johanna had been gripping her spear hard, up to the point where she realized that some pain was seeping into her knuckles and she relaxed, as she¡¯d been trained. For some reason, she wanted a sword, not a spear. Francesca would be proud, she laughed internally, before realizing the fact that she was finding humor as people were spearing themselves in front of her. Laura, she saw, was keeping focused straight ahead. And she quickly realized that she wasn¡¯t looking at the enemies. No, she focused on Peter, on the front line. This time, he wasn¡¯t trying to avoid using his abilities. He kept his shield loosely, relying more on his instinctive moves, avoiding the enemies¡¯ spears rather than blocking, all the while pushing his own spear into the enemy line. His only problem was that tribesmen¡¯s shields did interfere with his aim. He¡¯d realized during training that aiming for the most vulnerable point did not help much when said point had a shield between him and the spearpoint. At the moment, Tom and she were useless. Just backup. She wanted to light her spear, but all this would do would put a target on her, mark her as a sorceress, and potentially dangerous. Which, ultimately, was her role. Laura was the one affecting the battlefield. She was there to protect her friend. She turned, tracking again the artifact. The swirl of manalight had moved further to the side, onto a small hillock. She pointed toward the target, and Devereaux acknowledged. ¡°Looks like a small company. And they want to go in position to get on our flanks.¡± The captain smirked. ¡°Let¡¯s not let them, then.¡± The company smashed again into the tribal formation. Despite their slightly smaller stature, the wendigos fought extremely well. Their thrust with spears was highly accurate. And they barely succumbed to the Dreadful Gaze of Laura or at least didn¡¯t seem to. Unfortunately, or rather fortunately for the Montanan, they were few. The tribesmen had attacked before their main reinforcements arrived, Johanna surmised. She asked briefly Devereaux, who was of the same opinion, ¡°Yea, thought there would be more of the furred savages. Can¡¯t complain. If they want to attack before it¡¯s best for them, let them. Where¡¯s the artifact?¡± ¡°Hasn¡¯t moved for a minute. I think they¡¯ve noticed us,¡± she replied. ¡°Sergeant Zane, pass the word. Next time Donnall relaxes, we push fast. I want to get them before they decide to escape,¡± the captain ordered. ¡°Aye aye.¡± The maneuver went almost flawlessly. Despite the lack of training with the rest of the company, the switch between static, ponderous attack under Laura¡¯s gaze, and the brutal advance as soon as she dropped it worked well. Although Johanna started to see a change. The tribals had losses, true, but they started to recognize the change. Still, so far, they had the tribals slowly retreating, suffering a fair number of wounded. She was more worried about what could the artifact do. Now that she was closer, she could see the unit on the small hillock had a lot more wendigos. And it looked like one of them was the source of the manalight funnel swirling over the battlefield. Arrows flew suddenly. The mixed unit on top let a volley, mostly stopped by the shields, but one of the Montanan soldiers screamed, with arrows wounding him. The ranks closed up. ¡°Too far,¡± Laura muttered. ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate, but we¡¯ll deal with it,¡± Devereaux answered. That¡¯s the moment where the wendigos jumped. They literally grabbed tribesmen¡¯s shoulders, using them to hoist themselves up, and flew a handful of yards, crashing on the shields of the left flanks. Johanna realized they were opening a breach, as the wendigos immediately ducked under the enemy spears before the surprise dissipated, and half a dozen of Montanan soldiers fell, as weapons pierced them at various points, killing and incapacitating. Laura shifted slightly her gaze at them, but that was the moment where a new volley of arrows came. And she suddenly realized that the arrows weren¡¯t aimed at the front soldiers or anything. As they ducked, she realized that they were shooting at the center. At them. She felt powerless and reflexively raised her spear, ready to light it and try to burn arrow shafts. Captain Devereaux grabbed her arm, restoring sanity. ¡°Milton! Don¡¯t make us a target,¡± he said, equal tone as impressive as a shout. ¡°Too late. They¡¯re already shooting straight at us. I think they¡¯ve noticed we¡¯re not normal soldiers in reserve.¡± A new volley fell just in front of them, and she realized the enemy was trying to soften the side. The unit on the hillock was already splitting, archers keeping up position along with the artifact bearer, and the rest rushing suddenly down the slope. She pointed, ¡°THEY¡¯RE COMING!¡± Moore had been almost entirely focused on the fight, but that did not mean he wasn¡¯t checking their status if only to see if they were exhausting their reserves. That was the problem with field battles. Laura had exceeded 5k XP a few minutes ago, and he¡¯d immediately raised her level, adding one point in each of her skills. But he did not dare switch specializations, lest she¡¯d lose most of her mana mid-fight. He merely confirmed she had three specializations opening at level 5. Deep Fixer for the Agility, Combat Fixer for the Dexterity, and Tyrant Fixer for the Authority version. Tom was just behind, at 4300XP already. He¡¯d see about specialization for both later. As for now, he had over 3000XP available for Johanna from both global and personal pools, and it was time to finally fix his mistake. He expected her maximum mana to dip by 5 during the commit, but she would still have plenty of reserves, so that was definitively not a problem. 2500 points vanished into the skill removal, and a second skill point popped in Johanna¡¯s edited status. Now, he faced the same type of dilemma that he had with Peter. There was a 1¡Ámultiplier Steam Breath skill that was linked to Empathy, but it required both 17 in Dexterity and in Empathy. He also had a 1¡Á Burning Coals to reallocate a skill back into Agility¡­ but that one was requiring level 6 anyway. Meanwhile, he had more fire-based skills immediately, or almost immediately available in both Dexterity and Authority for two points. Who am I kidding? I know she¡¯s getting that one. 547 more XP vanished from the global pool, and Dexterity finished rising to 17. And Fireball joined the Flaming Blade skill as he committed the global change.
Fireball Requires: Dexterity 17/Authority 17/Level 5
Effective: 2 ¡Á Dexterity + Level (adds 39 mana) Passive: Grant bodily immunity to fire, up to 690¡ãF (890¡ãF/477¡ãC currently) Active: Launch a ball of 39 cubic inches (640cm3) of plasma up to 117 feet (35.6m) Active cost: 1 mana per 39 feet (11.2m)
41. Bright Fire A Wizard is never late, nor early. He arrives precisely when he means to. Pre-Fall wisdom ¡°They reacted quickly,¡± Arturus Windmiller noted. ¡°A southron army is always ready,¡± Snowbound Glatteis said, peering over the battlefield with his wraparound glasses. ¡°I¡¯d have thought levies would be less trained,¡± the tribal chieftain replied. ¡°That was an interesting thing your spies gave us. I wondered how they¡¯d get enough troops.¡± ¡°Will those new sorcerers be the same, you think?¡± ¡°Levies? I doubt it. Finding one Power among your citizenry by chance? Sure. Two? That¡¯s very, very unlikely. Even among humans. I assume they come from down south.¡± Windmiller¡¯s troops were arrayed to the side of the valley, ready to move and exploit any opportunity. Multiple wendigos had joined, the slightly diminutive furry figures readying themselves with spear and sword, eschewing shields, unlike the more conventionally geared tribesmen. Bowmen were still stringing their tools. ¡°One sorcerer to the center, with a second plume, a minor item of power. I don¡¯t see¡­ ah, the other two are coming out as well,¡± Glatteis said, pointing to the gates from which squadrons and companies were pouring out. ¡°They¡¯re not using their main artifacts?¡± ¡°If your spies¡¯ report is correct, those are useless on the field. I¡¯d be more worried about the minor. Even a lesser item can be a bigger deal than a sorcerer.¡± Windmiller grunted. The wendigo¡¯s remark was true, after all. ¡°Let¡¯s see how that develops. I¡¯m guessing the central mana breath is the old sorceress. If the middle is lost, that¡¯s where she can throw the fogs for best effect,¡± Glatteis added. ¡°I¡¯m curious about the mercenaries. I wonder what they can do,¡± Windmiller answered. ¡°They¡¯re turning,¡± the wendigo noted. ¡°Doesn¡¯t it look like¡­¡± the tribal leader asked. ¡°They¡¯re heading toward here? Yes, it seems.¡± ¡°But why?¡± Glatteis suddenly swore. ¡°They¡­ at least one of them has to see me.¡± ¡°They see you?¡± ¡°Not me, this,¡± he replied, tapping his glasses. ¡°Is that possible? I thought only you could¡­¡± ¡°We do not have many artifacts from the flight from Vancouver, but we wendigos know that all we found are the same as Powers, be they sorcerers or heroes. My Ancient Glasses of the Hunter are nothing more than a sorcerer talent, like the Heart of the Mountain¡¯s, amplified to unmatched levels.¡± Windmiller turned back to the battlefield. ¡°So, one has the same power as you get?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I think. And since I doubt they¡¯d recruit someone simply because that sorcerer could see magic, it will be a powerful one.¡± Glatteis grinned. ¡°But meanwhile¡­ I am the bait. We can steer them to wherever we want. The right position¡­¡± Windmiller frowned, then smiled and turned to bark orders. ¡°Why are they hesitating?¡± Windmiller said as he watched the two companies clashing. ¡°They should press.¡± ¡°The Montana isn¡¯t pushing too,¡± Glatteis noted. Then the Montanan troops surged, spear pushing between shields, and the allied had to take a step back before rallying, slamming shields to break the advance. For a second, combat surged, and a few soldiers fell back, then combat stalled. ¡°Okay, something¡¯s wrong,¡± the wendigo realized. ¡°Sorcerous?¡± ¡°One of the two, I¡¯m betting,¡± he said, pointing at the middle of the formation. Glatteis hadn¡¯t spotted the telltale sign of talents being activated. If the magical talent was contained, it might be possible to miss it from the distance. The Glasses granted mana sight but did little for normal sight. For some of the beasts he hunted, if you didn¡¯t watch the claws, you could miss their skill activation. There was nothing distinguishing the soldiers at the center from the distance, as the Montana practiced the same caution as soldiers everywhere, avoiding too elaborate outfits for their officers. But unfortunately for the Montanans, Glatteis could see the breaths of mana connecting to the two women. The mana was pouring into the sword-bearing one, while the alternating flow hovering over the spear-bearing one indicated that she was in reserve at full mana, not using whatever her power was. And with his attention focused on the sorcerous duo, he spotted the large man at the side of the active sorceress, and his definitively non-standard hammer firmly grasped in his hands. Glatteis felt dread suddenly. ¡°They have more than Sorceresses. They have a Hero in there too.¡± Windmiller turned his head, doubt visible in his eyes. ¡°You didn¡¯t see¡­¡± ¡°Not Heroes. The wendigos have almost no sorcerers, but heroes¡­ like me¡­ we do know and have. Heroes don¡¯t rely on mana. But I¡¯m quite certain a soldier wouldn¡¯t use a hammer instead of a spear¡­ unless he was far, far better with it.¡± Windmiller turned back to squint at the center of the formation. Then he barked orders, and bowmen raised their bows, shifting their targets. ¡°Get ready to charge. I want them taken out. Watch for the hammer!¡± The wendigos immediately reacted, running their usual maneuver, only made possible by their natural physical prowess. The bowmen loosened a first volley, then drew their next arrows, to be done as a simultaneous release. Glatteis had a small moment of satisfaction as the sorcerous enemy flinched. ¡°Gotcha.¡± For a second, he thought the spear bearer had noticed him, but she pointed at the vanguard that was crashing at the side of their formation. And suddenly, the mana breath flow stilled, then started to pour into her. Glatteis blinked, because, once again, he hadn¡¯t seen any hint of a skill being activated. If he hadn¡¯t been a wendigo, he¡¯d have sweated. ¡°PUSH!¡± he yelled. Then, the sorceress''s hand briefly flashed with mana use, and a bright flame appeared in it before vanishing immediately. Johanna felt the pressure, a warmth that flew from her wrist into her hand as she pointed toward the attackers, spear lowering to be ready. The sensation disturbed her¡­ but in a way, she recognized it. There was power ready. Not in her palm, as she usually felt when lighting a fire, but deeper, connecting all of her hand to the wrist, to the arm. She cupped her hand, trying to reach the fire, but as the usual flame sprung in her palm, she realized that wasn¡¯t it. The flame extinguished immediately as she let it go, trying to feel the other fire. Glatteis saw the ball of fire form briefly in the sorceress¡¯s hand before it flew. Not unlike a flame arrow, yet not quite as fast. It went in a straight line too, not the curved line of an arrow¡¯s flight. Stolen story; please report. And it smashed into the face of a tribesman, where it exploded, showering flames across the man. A scream rose. More flames splashed across the people next to the hapless tribal who was falling on the ground. He briefly saw the black of burned flesh. What the wilds? Each sorcerer was special, but he¡¯d never ever heard rumors of such sorcery. Terri Warren Blackfeet had been one grand power, calling lightning before he fell in the war a few years ago, but one who threw fire across the battlefield, like a jar full of fiery distilled spirits? He heard shouts, and the sorceress cupped her hand again, and a new ball of fire appeared, flying again. A wendigo screamed, fur becoming suddenly a tapestry of flames. He fared a little better than the first casualty, falling to the ground and trying to extinguish the flames, as the rest of his comrades spread out to avoid the fire. ¡°FORMATION!¡± Windmiller yelled. A third flame ball landed, a bit further in the unit, and Glatteis realized their position on top of the hillock made them more vulnerable. The balls traveled in a straight direction, and while the sorceress managed to avoid hitting her own soldiers, aiming upward made it easier to do so. ¡°We¡¯re vulnerable here,¡± he said, grasping the tribal commander¡¯s arm. ¡°We must¡­¡± the man replied, before a new flame ball exploded in mid-air, not too far from their position. Thankfully, this one was a miss, despite the flaming embers falling around. Johanna realized she had a maximum range as the fireball exploded mid-flight. She¡¯d aimed at the mana swirl, but the ball had broken up. ¡°Can¡¯t hit them from here,¡± she briefly yelled at Devereaux. ¡°Cover her,¡± he said, looking at Laura and Tom. The two realized the sudden change in strategy, and a barked order later, the third and second rank of the troops started to part, as Johanna advanced to the front line. She ducked again because the bowmen were shooting all they could at her, but the front troops raised their shields, intercepting most of the arrows. A few whizzed close, but she squinted, aligning her hand and the hillock. A new ball flashed, this time almost reaching the distance. ¡°Need closer,¡± she said. ¡°PUSH!¡± Devereaux yelled. ¡°They¡¯re advancing. She¡¯s got a limit, I think, but she¡¯s far too accurate. No curve.¡± Windmiller wanted to press, but the wendigo was right. ¡°Pass the word! Disengage! We retreat. Arrow cover, get ready.¡± More arrows flew at the front line, trying to prevent their advance. ¡°This is going to be a rout,¡± Glatteis grunted. ¡°You run,¡± Windmiller said. ¡°No way. Your council may acknowledge your bravery and sacrifice, but they¡¯re also going to say Wendigos leave their allies to die. We both run.¡± Moore spotted the massive rush of XP. It looked¡­ well, it looked like when the four had chased the level 1 Felid. You got some experience when defeating people even if you did not kill them. The enemy soldiers were now retreating. Once Johanna had started chucking flaming missiles at them, the balance had changed. That looked like some abuse, so he expected that free XP to be limited. But it felt better to get XP without killing enemies. The briefing and papers he¡¯d read ¡°over¡± his team¡¯s shoulders had given him the idea of wild native savages, but, save for the wendigos¡¯ odd presence, the enemy had looked more like professional hardened soldiers rather than barbarian warriors. The only trace of unorganized fighters was the more diverse leather armors. A few troops were even running, while the rest covered their retreat. Enemy commanders? One wendigo was an Explorer, the other was a simple level 6 human but with slightly more ornate clothing. Johanna threw a last fireball at the enemy troops, but they were throwing a heavy barrage of arrows, and then the company stopped. ¡°They¡¯re defeated. Let¡¯s break the center now,¡± Devereaux said, holding Johanna¡¯s arm. ¡°Okay.¡± The company slowed, as the retreating tribals threw a last flight of arrows. The captain turned and barked a few orders, and their auxiliary company moved to the side, bypassing them to pursuit. Meanwhile, the troops turned. The center of the battlefield was still heavily disputed. Arrows flew, and companies were clashing. Devereaux¡¯s force started to jog, and Johanna readied. She had a better idea now of how that ball of flames worked. It flew true, but it was limited in range. If she aimed too far, it would break into flaming debris before crashing into something. The splash of flames was very obviously intense, hotter than her flaming hand, while much, much larger. They ran toward one fight, and she threw one ball as they closed in. This one fell short by a yard, but the enemies noticed and started splitting their focus. ¡°Good,¡± Devereaux said at her side. Then, she heard horns. The tribals, Johanna realized, used them to signal where the Montana had bugles. An invisible wave coursed across the battlefield, and she realized the enemies stopped pushing. ¡°It¡¯s a retreat. We won,¡± the captain said. The tribals were good at covering their tracks. ¡°Do we pursue them?¡± Johanna asked. ¡°Can you?¡± ¡°I have no idea how many of those I can do. Elena ¨C Lady Worchester ¨C says action-based effects are hard to gauge, but it¡¯s like continuous effects. After a while, you exhaust yourself, and need hours to recover fully.¡± ¡°Then we leave the pursuit to the common troops. Once we know more¡­ we¡¯ll break them. Eventually. Good job, Milton,¡± he said, slapping her on the shoulder. They stopped, watching the army pushing the tribals. A handful of wendigos and tribals held their ground while their own armies moved backward. The battle was over, Moore noted. Hurrah for fireballs, he mentally cheered. He waited until they were back at the garrison camp, cheered by soldiers. He saw the officer, Adorno, coming to offer his own felicitations, and waited a bit longer. As the general ¨C if that was what the fancy stars on his uniform meant ¨C turned back to address the troops, he opened up the interface for the last two of the team. Tom went first. He¡¯d looked a bit at what was in the cards both for him and Laura at various points during the battle, stealing moments extended by the slowdown effect. He did not have to think long about it. The DEX specialization he¡¯d spotted on the battlefield was about piercing weapons, spears and pointy things, and the newly unlocked AGI version, Swordbringer, was all about swords. By comparison, the Empathy-based Specialist Battler was actually more¡­ generic, and fit better the blunt/smash build, as it enhanced general skills rather than weapon-specific ones. Including the ridiculously-named Double Tap. As for Laura, her specializations options were simple, comparable to Johanna¡¯s. Each of the three options he saw simply added a +1 to multipliers for any EMP-only skill, as well as +1 to any skill that used the stat selected as a secondary, even if it wasn¡¯t based on it. Water Walking, for instance, got a +1 on both Tyrant and Deep Fixer and stayed at 2¡Á for the Combat Fixer. And that was it. No other skills popping, no skill loss. Moore wished it had been that good for Johanna. The five stamina-based skills that gained multipliers, like Burning Blood were not worth the loss of multipliers on the rest unless she turned into a full spellblade, a magical fighter. Is this a plot to make low-level mages less powerful like in D&D? Not that keeping multipliers didn¡¯t mean a serious choice. Once again, Moore wished there was a way to communicate. Even if it was just one of them writing down a wish list or plan on how to use their skills ¨C he¡¯d be able to read it and incorporate it into the build. But until that happened, he had to guess what was the best option to suit them. Combat Fixer, he quickly settled upon. All specializations offered interesting situational enhancement, but he liked the reduction in cost and the significant increase in duration to bring First Aid. What clinched it was the perspective of Succor, a skill that would let Laura literally teleport to a wounded teammate. As a general Fixer skill, it was a bit limited in range, but at 2¡Á it was already impressive ¨C and reasonably expensive. All she needed was some Strength, and suddenly, the hazards of battle were lesser. And besides, he did have just enough XP for that.
Succor Requires: Strength 16/Dexterity 16/Empathy 16/Level 5
Effective: N ¡Á Strength + Level (adds mana) Passive: You instinctively know the severity of any wound. Action: Instantly move to a person within (Eff) feet that has suffered physical trauma or open wounds Action cost: 1 mana per level of target
Combat Fixer EMP 17/AUT 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Deep Fixer EMP 17/AGI 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Fixer EMP 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Tyrant Fixer EMP 17/AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Tyrant Fixer¡­ well, if Laura was destined to be a real offensive support type rather than a heal-bot, it would offer perspectives. Including at level 6 with a new skill point, the possibility of a massive Bolster. The skill was an enormous buff to the team, adding 53% of Laura¡¯s stats to a team member to raise his or her skills. If he picked that specialization. But that wasn¡¯t enough. For a game, maybe. For a situation where death was real¡­ your healer had to be able to save you, no matter what else. 3000 points went into Strength, and Moore committed the whole package. Welcome to the big leagues, Tom and Laura¡­
Laura Anna Vogel Female human, 18 years, 11 months
Combat Fixer Level: 5 (8000 XP needed) 25/188 mana (+14 per hour) 0 unallocated skill point XP: 0 + 202
STR: 16 (3000 XP needed) Succor (37) AUT: 16 (1370 XP needed) Falter (37)
AGI: 16 (925 XP needed) Cleanse Toxins (21) PER: 14
DEX: 16 (861 XP needed) First Aid (37) EMP: 17 (102 XP needed) Close Wounds (56)
Johanna heard the gasp, as General Adolfo was haranguing the army. She turned her head as another deafening cheer rose, and spotted Laura looking slightly pale. ¡°You ok?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ it¡¯s just that¡­ it¡¯s happened.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°What you describe. I just got that empty feeling, as if my mana was squeezed out almost completely. It¡¯s disturbing,¡± Laura explained. ¡°Me too,¡± Tom said. Johanna turned her head to the other side to look at her husband. His clear eyes merely blinked. ¡°A brutal¡­ tiredness.¡± ¡°Right now? Both of you.¡± She turned back to watch the general, who remained blissfully unaware of what the four were talking about behind him, immersed in his grand speech. He turned and gestured at them, and they came forward again, waving, to the massive cheers of all, and Johanna fell silent, merely offering smiles. Why now? Why not before the battle? I can understand not during, if you get all your endurance squeezed by that¡­ rank up in power. But why is it needed? What is coming up? 42. White Surprise You never really know your friends from your enemies until the ice breaks. Ancient Northern saying Moore spotted the dirty white figure. Both Johanna and Tom were sleeping, but Moore¡¯s unsleeping perspective and the almost-finished candle allowed him to see what was happening, as Tom slept on his back. So, when he noticed what looked like a furry at a comic convention, his first question was, what is that level 7 explorer wearing? He immediately realized his mistake, of course. It was a genuine fur, covering the entire 6-foot humanoid, like some diminutive albino version of Chewbacca. With just a sash that wouldn¡¯t be out of place on a Wookie and an incongruous-looking pair of wraparound glasses that framed large orange eyes, still somehow visible under the slightly smoky glass lenses. He realized that it was almost certainly the same wendigo he¡¯d spotted yesterday on the battlefield, directing the battle from a safe distance, before he¡¯d been driven away. Then the figure drew a long knife from his sash, and Moore panicked. He automatically pulled up the interface, slowing down the furry¡¯s movements to a halt. Goddamn, can¡¯t wake them up. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Both Laura and Peter were similarly sleeping, so Moore had no idea if there was anyone close that might spot an assassin that had somehow managed to sneak in. Wait, how did¡­ oh, yes. Explorers get a 1¡Á on Reconnaissance. I¡¯m betting he has it. If he¡¯s real careful, with decent stats plus that level¡­ Moore considered his options. He had never felt as powerless as right now. The only interaction he knew that might trigger something was a re-specialization. The brutal shock to mana/stamina reserves might be enough to wake them up since they all visibly reacted to the change in specialization, but after improving their builds, he no longer had the 4000XP required to even think of dropping even Peter¡¯s specialization and then re-add it for free. And besides, draining their reserves with an enemy present was certainly a bad idea too. Moore released the UI. There was nothing. Nothing to be done, but pray to whatever deity ruled this afterlife to save them. The figure bent and¡­ stopped. It was sniffing, Moore realized. Sniffing and bending over Johanna. Wait, is that a wendigo pervert? Someone who gets the hots for the¡­ non-furries? The wendigo rose, but even though Moore couldn¡¯t read his facial expressions under the fur, he would have sworn it was some sort of confusion. About what? Moore had no idea, although he welcomed the distraction. Anything to avoid assassination, anything in the hopes that someone would notice something. The wendigo turned and started searching the room. Moore was barely seeing it. Although he had a good view from the perspective of Tom, and a partial view from Johanna¡¯s perspective, his enhanced sight was far from omni-directional or anything. Then, he spotted the wendigo at the door. The furry silhouette seemed to take a breath, then slipped out, leaving the two sleepers alone. Okay, I¡¯m confused. What was he after? Things remained unchanged for almost twenty harrowing minutes, as Moore kept watch through all four perspectives, and Johanna and Tom¡¯s candle dwindled. But the wendigo didn¡¯t show up in Peter and Laura¡¯s bedroom, as he half-expected to, and whatever he was after, he couldn¡¯t guess. After all that waiting, Moore suddenly spotted the wendigo next to the door, closing it. He hadn¡¯t realized it was there, which only cemented his hypothesis that the Explorer had access to stealth. Of course, at that level, he needed to be parsimonious and careful, avoiding contact where Peter would breeze through, but that didn¡¯t make it less useful or dangerous. Then the wendigo drew his knife again, and Moore¡¯s abstract anxiety returned. He knew he was acting on memories of what it was ¨C his non-brain immune to the neurotransmitter floods that would have paralyzed him if he was alive. But even with the abstraction¡­ he was still paralyzed. Powerless. The wendigo put his knife at Johanna¡¯s throat, then reached with his furry paw, and Moore briefly looked at the descriptor that broke through as the changed creature started waking up her.
Snowbound ¡°The Great Hunter¡± Glatteis Male wendigo, 37 years, 2 months
Explorer Level: 7 (21000 XP needed) Endurance: 9/32 (+17/hour) 5 unallocated skills points Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. XP: 17522
STR: 17 AUT: 13
AGI: 18 (3000 XP needed) PER: 18 (2811 XP needed) Accurate Pierce (7)
DEX: 18 (229 XP needed) Reconnaissance (25) EMP: 13
Johanna woke up with a cold sensation at her throat as she was rolled slowly on her back. The first thing she saw was a face full of white fur, with glowing eyes. She briefly blinked, forgetting the cold metal at her neck, because that was manalight. An enormous amount of manalight, with swirls connecting to it from outside of the room. From all four corners, as if the angles served as anchors. The view was almost as powerful as what she¡¯d seen with the Skeleton, but not quite. As strong as what she saw yesterday, on the battlefield. The furry figure raised his other hand, putting a finger where a mouth would be, in the universal gesture for silence. She stifled her cry of surprise, realizing finally that the wendigo was holding a knife at her neck. She¡¯d have risked something if Laura was around. But the time to reach her¡­ assuming a throat cut was fixable¡­ ¡°You are way too young to be a power,¡± the wendigo said, with a weird accent. Johanna blinked. Whatever the wendigo wanted, that wasn¡¯t what she¡¯d expected. She swallowed, still feeling the cold of the knife. The wendigo stayed silent, until she ventured, ¡°I hadn¡¯t realized it was a question.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Then what?¡± she asked before she realized her position. ¡°A remark. An interesting one. Powers in the world are rare. But all are older. Even I earned my heroic feat in my early thirties. I normally wouldn¡¯t risk sneaking in. Too many things can go wrong. Some people¡­ can too easily see what is not meant to be noticed.¡± Johanna blinked. Because that sounded suspiciously like what Peter did. Not that she was going to mention it, not to an enemy assassin. ¡°I guess your mate is a Power too. I noticed him yesterday. That¡¯s something I realized after I saw you on the field. None of you should be a power.¡± ¡°What makes you think I am?¡± ¡°You are a sorceress. Throwing those balls of fire is hardly the mark of an ordinary officer. And besides, I can see the mana swirling around you,¡± he said, tapping the glowing glasses on his face. She winced. ¡°And now you¡¯re in my bedroom. Talking to me. With a knife at my throat. Why?¡± ¡°Why indeed. I was wondering how the Warden of the Montana had managed to secure great powers. Powerful mercenaries are hard to get by. Finding three¡­ I was curious until I saw you. Until¡­ I smelled you.¡± Johanna blinked. Whatever she¡¯d expected, it wasn¡¯t to be told she stank¡­ maybe? ¡°That¡¯s what being a wendigo gives me. A keen sense. It helps with the hunt, mainly,¡± the wendigo laughed lightly. Johanna wondered why the conversation had turned from sorcery into such a mundane thing as smells while hunting. ¡°But that¡¯s the kind of smell I¡¯ve known twice before, in the tribes. It could be you, but I¡¯ve looked in your room. And I couldn¡¯t find it. That¡¯s the kind of thing you¡¯d keep close by if that¡¯s what you use. But no.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°You smell like a pregnant woman, but not quite.¡± ¡°What?!?¡± she exclaimed before the pressure of the knife stifled her, as the wendigo put back his finger on his barely visible mouth. ¡°Wait¡­ you¡¯re saying I¡¯m with child?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m saying you think you¡¯re with child, but are not.¡± ¡°Now I¡¯m confused. I¡¯m either with child or I¡¯m not.¡± ¡°If your body thinks you¡¯re already with child, it won¡¯t let you add another. That¡¯s an Ancient bit of knowledge. Quite obvious, if you think about it,¡± the wendigo stated. ¡°And?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not entirely unfamiliar with the law, as it¡¯s practiced by your Montana. If you had a child, you¡¯d be exempt from military duties. Until the child is old enough.¡± Johanna frowned. ¡°That¡¯s not something you can command.¡± The furry humanoid snorted. ¡°No. You can¡¯t make it happen. But you can prevent it from happening. There¡¯s a company, down in the south, that has an Ancient secret. A vat of strange microbes that makes it, a powerful mix of substances. They guard those well. But if you are interested in preventing conception¡­ all you need is one dose every day. And that¡¯s what the Warden is slipping you, I¡¯d say.¡± ¡°He what?¡± ¡°Given your power and that of your colleague, the Warden will be quite anxious to keep you around. He can¡¯t do that ¨C by his very own laws ¨C if you are pregnant and give birth.¡± ¡°He could¡­ just do it?¡± ¡°Rulers who break their word, who flout their laws, invite more problems than they solve. Better not break it ¨C technically ¨C rather than risk making people wonder when he will next break the law.¡± ¡°And how do I know you¡¯re not just lying?¡± ¡°They¡¯re slipping it to you every day. Should be obvious. And you¡¯re probably not bleeding anymore,¡± he replied. Johanna startled. She¡¯d noticed her latest was almost non-existent. ¡°You really are too young. Just now, you¡¯ve realized what I say is true.¡± ¡°But¡­ why?¡± ¡°What do you know about the wars of the Montana, young power? The righteousness, the way to bring security to the Montana? I assume they teach you that when you are kids.¡± ¡°The history of the Three Wars, yes,¡± Johanna replied. ¡°Did they tell you the Maistrys started each of those three wars? ¡®Before the enemy strikes¡¯, every time. The Warden¡¯s ancestors always tried to push beyond their boundaries, and the only reason why this one was started by the North is that the Tribes did not want the latest Warden to start when he was ready? Each generation, the Montana has grown richer and stronger, and it¡¯s been harder to stand against it.¡± ¡°The Warden says you attacked as soon as his father died.¡± ¡°The tribes knew what was coming. Better attack while he¡¯s unsure of himself. The Maistrys have been nothing if not consistent. You can blame the Treaty of Union. Since the Wars of Reunification, the Montana has always looked toward its non-united territories north.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re saying your side is in the right, and the Montana is wrong.¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m saying there¡¯s the Montana¡¯s side and the Warden¡¯s side. Don¡¯t mistake one for the other.¡± The wendigo suddenly stood up. ¡°Think about it, young power. And next time we meet, tell me of your answer to this.¡± He slid back to the door, and, without slipping his gaze from Johanna, added, ¡°You¡¯ll probably appreciate if nobody knows I was there. Too many awkward questions otherwise.¡± He opened the door and turned, finally saying, ¡°Good luck.¡± ¡°He said what?¡± Tom asked, the voice deceptively low. ¡°That we ¨C Laura and I ¨C were fed some kind of Ancient-made drug that prevents conception. To make sure¡­ to make sure that they can keep us in the war legally.¡± ¡°And he slipped away?¡± ¡°All he said was¡­ good luck.¡± ¡°That¡¯s insane.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get¡­ let¡¯s get the others.¡± ¡°You had them, and you let them live? Are you insane, Glatteis?¡± Blauerschnee yelled. ¡°They are Powers. You¡¯ve seen them on the field. I don''t know the Hero, but the two are worth an entire company, even more. We¡¯ve already lost this winter. The tribals are already calling her the Fire Demon. So, the best we can do is dig in, and hold, and we won¡¯t turn the tide by simply removing them. Far better to turn one of the Warden¡¯s allies into his enemy. They¡¯ll do far more damage than simply being dead. Even if they just run, he¡¯ll never feel safe.¡± Snowbound Glatteis smiled, which made his teeth visible behind the fur. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going to happen, but it is certainly not going to be in the Warden¡¯s favor.¡± 43. Coming Out It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend. Pre-Fall Poet ¡°It took me time to find it,¡± Peter said. Johanna managed to avoid swearing too loudly. Part of her did not want to believe Glatteis. But it didn¡¯t make sense for the wendigo to come into hostile territory just for a lie. ¡°Didn¡¯t steal anything. If they notice it is gone¡­¡± ¡°You did good,¡± Laura said, squeezing him. ¡°Just knowing is enough.¡± ¡°The box was in a dresser. With one of those Ancient symbols that we saw a few times in the ruins, the one with three curves and a circle.¡± ¡°Meaning life-based stuff,¡± Johanna almost automatically added. ¡°And a printed instruction note saying one dose per day, no more, no less. ¡®reduces the rate of conception by over fifty¡¯ it states.¡± ¡°Means what he ¨C that wendigo ¨C said is correct,¡± Tom said, his two hands on Johanna¡¯s shoulders, massaging her. She shook herself a bit. ¡°Will you stop,¡± she snapped. She didn¡¯t need ¨C no, didn¡¯t want ¨C to be reassured. ¡°Technically, if the war is still ongoing, they can draft us on the next day we muster out, you mean? I wouldn¡¯t be surprised,¡± she said. ¡°Then what?¡± ¡°We can¡¯t stay,¡± she replied, stating the obvious. She craned her neck to look at Tom, before checking the other two. ¡°We won¡¯t,¡± her husband said. She looked at her hand. ¡°I so want to send one of those fireballs into the Warden¡¯s face.¡± ¡°I think murdering the ruler of the Montana is not going to go well,¡± Peter deadpanned. ¡°I mean, I can understand getting dumped on the Warden by the council of Valetta. Giving up 3 people that are fit for the levies anyway for 50¡­ makes sense. But, then he does that?¡± ¡°We¡¯re not people for those persons. We¡¯re¡­ how they call it? Assets?¡± he replied. ¡°Okay. We need a plan. If we desert¡­¡± Johanna started. ¡°We become outlaws. They stressed it multiple times whenever we were complaining during the training. They can hunt us down, and given that it¡¯s war, they execute deserters,¡± Peter informed them. ¡°I doubt they¡¯d want to execute us,¡± Laura noted. ¡°If we¡¯re that important, they will hesitate to do that.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t slipping that drug invalidates the Warden¡¯s right to draft us?¡± ¡°We need a lawyer,¡± Tom snorted. ¡°And where would we get¡­¡± Johanna stopped. All the others realized the same thing. ¡°We need to leave the Marches. That¡¯s the only way. It¡¯s going to be harder to hunt us¡­ and we can get a judge to hear us and clear our names. At least in the legal sense.¡± Peter immediately stood up. ¡°Need proof.¡± ¡°Until we run away, leave it in place,¡± Laura said. Johanna tried to remember her old lessons in geography. ¡°We can try for the State of Yellowstone south. Or the Marches of the Dakota east¡­¡± ¡°We need a map,¡± Tom said. ¡°We do.¡± ¡°Enough food? What else?¡± he asked. They settled to plan. After Johanna forced herself to eat the breakfast and its treacherous drug, she found herself facing Elena Worchester. The sorceress of the mists had a thousand questions about Johanna¡¯s newfound ability, but she could only think of one thing. Did she know? Was she okay with it? She kept a careful mask, hoping that her lingering seething was not going to be visible. Even then, exploring the new perspectives on her magic was still interesting. ¡°Wait, you¡¯ve entirely lost your rooting Talent?¡± ¡°It¡¯s gone. Nothing. I¡¯m not faking it.¡± ¡°And you throw fire from your hand instead. I¡¯ve been trying to find a trace of that,¡± Elena said, tapping the Mages of America reference book. ¡°And?¡± ¡°Nothing. No one¡­ absolutely no one has ever seen anything like that,¡± she replied. ¡°If I hadn¡¯t seen it toward the end of the battle, I would still have problems believing it.¡± Johanna thought briefly. ¡°I¡¯m wondering if that doesn¡¯t mean you can have only four abilities. That might be why I was losing my earthly one. It was being dislodged by the new ability.¡± ¡°Well, nobody¡¯s ever had four abilities. Or tried to have five. Who knows. Once again, we¡¯re in completely unknown territory. But it might make some kind of sense, I guess.¡± The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. She almost volunteered the idea that her new ability might translate into an increase in her tier but stopped at the last moment. Elena Worchester continued, oblivious to the turmoil raging inside Johanna. ¡°We need to set some kind of testing. Outside, I assume. Range, everything. Do you realize how rare such a thing is? The last sorcerer¡¯s ability discovered was twenty-five years ago, Cormag¡¯s steaming breath.¡± Johanna sighed internally. She was going to hate every minute. Although the celebration spirit was lingering, Captain Devereaux pulled them for training after breakfast. Johanna, Tom, and Laura lined up. Despite the victory, it seemed Generals Pasqual and Adorno were still going to make sure everyone was going to be ready ¡°for the next battle¡±. The army was going to push into the tribal territory as soon as possible. If Johanna had anything to say about it, they¡¯d slip out at that time. It was probably going to be easier to sneak out on the road than from the garrison. Then she realized that hiding their supplies hoard was going to be slightly harder that way. She temporarily shelved the idea for later and went out to the front of the garrison. A squad was raising targets, planting flags, and getting everything ready. She spotted Elena just as the Sorceress of the Mists did. Worchester left General Adorno¡¯s side and came immediately over. ¡°First thing, we¡¯re going to test this¡­ fireball¡­ of yours. Laura¡¯s dreadful gaze is very useful, but this kind of fire¡­¡± The sorceress snorted, ¡°and now, you¡¯re a true Sorceress of the Flame, if your earth aspect is gone.¡± ¡°Tom and Laura?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see later how to incorporate them into maneuvers around you. Right now, the idea is to have you just behind a wall of shields, Laura using her gaze to defang your enemies, and your husband as a guard.¡± Johanna breathed a little easier. None of them had had time to determine what had changed, but she was sure things had changed. She didn¡¯t have time to mention it yesterday after the victory celebration, and now, she hoped to keep it secret for a bit longer. Besides, the fact that both of them had changed, mere days after her, was going to raise even more questions, even if nobody knew about Peter¡¯s change. Recalling the fire was easy, as easy as the flaming hand. She had to cup her hand a little, and a ball of bottled fire sprang, before releasing. She estimated it around 20 oz. worth, maybe a bit higher, but that was hard, as she couldn¡¯t hold it. Once the ball formed, it had to go. The ball was shot in a perfect line. As she¡¯d noted on the battlefield, it went a bit slower than an arrow, but it ran straight. Where an arrow¡¯s flight would bend the ball¡¯s flight was fully linear, unburdened by gravity, and unaffected by wind. She could aim the ball relatively easily, although she had to cup her hand carefully, lest her fingers throw her aim off. With the right position, it followed her arm¡¯s direction almost perfectly. ¡°Looks dodgeable,¡± Tom said at her side. ¡°Yea. If you pay attention and not too close¡­ it¡¯s not an arrow,¡± Johanna replied. ¡°It won¡¯t matter if you¡¯re firing at an enemy formation,¡± the general said. ¡°Possibly.¡± Finding the exact range took a few shots at various targets. It turned out that her range slightly exceeded Laura¡¯s gaze. She could aim at 39 yards instead of Laura¡¯s 36. Johanna felt briefly smug, before realizing she had no idea of her friend¡¯s potential new limit. As she¡¯d noted in battle, that was a hard range limit. The ball of fire would blow up upon encountering anything in its path, or it would simply splash mid-air at that 39-yard limit. ¡°We¡¯ll keep you at the same distance,¡± the general said, jotting down notes. ¡°Your earth was limited to 20 yards before, I think?¡± Elena asked. ¡°Correct. That was before it dropped to adept level,¡± Johanna replied. The flames burned hot. They splashed like liquid fire, flash burning hotter than a pyre, but left no trace of anything. No ash, no unburnt liquid, nothing beyond the flames it started on anything combustible. Just pure fire. The training field quickly turned into a smoking ruin, burning targets and blackened rings when she aimed at the ground. The balls didn¡¯t impact as an arrow would, they just burned whatever they hit. She tried to shoot multiples but hit a limit. She couldn¡¯t throw a second ball until the first had blown up and fully dissipated. It took under half a second to cross her maximum range, but even after that, there was still some time needed to launch a second. She was still trying to figure out if she could affect the ball¡¯s trajectory, curve it even a little bit because firing it in front of her meant she would have to aim carefully not to hit the shieldbearers protecting her from enemy bows when the familiar pinching sensation came. The ball she¡¯d just launched blew short of the intended range. ¡°I¡¯m out,¡± she announced. ¡°Out?¡± She raised her hand, trying to bring up her flame, but nothing came. ¡°No more mana reserves.¡± ¡°That¡¯s 67 fireballs,¡± Elena announced, scribbling notes for herself. General Pasqual uncharacteristically whistled. ¡°I¡¯ll be okay for a few more in an hour or two, but until tomorrow, I¡¯m out,¡± she informed the general. ¡°Noted. We¡¯ll have to use you tactically, not shoot everything in sight. Unlike bowmen, we can¡¯t just hand you a new quiv¡­¡± Elena shoved a small, smooth round stone in Johanna¡¯s hand. Johanna¡¯s eyebrows rose, and she felt the lack of mana recede already. She kept rolling it between her fingers, as the general looked. ¡°Mana recharge,¡± Elena said. ¡°What¡¯s that? I didn¡¯t know¡­¡± the officer asked. ¡°Minor sorceress artifacts. Useless if you¡¯re not one,¡± she informed the general, while Johanna kept the stone rolling. She handed it back, hoping it had given all she needed, and lifted her hand, ready to fire. ¡°We need that stone for you,¡± Tom said as the four gathered in their small bedroom. ¡°Twelve additional fireballs are serious, but¡­¡± ¡°We may as well steal everything we can use before we leave,¡± Peter immediately added, pre-empting Johanna¡¯s answer. She sighed. It was one thing to rob the dead and scavenge ruins from centuries ago. It was another to steal precious items, like an artifact. Even if they became hunted for deserting, compounding their ¡°crime¡± by stealing unnecessary supplies made it look more opportunistic than justified¡­ She¡¯d spotted a third mana plume coming this evening. The army was making ready for their unexpected campaign into the savage lands, thus bringing in Siegebreaker for deployment. She didn¡¯t know how rich the tribal lands were. But any tribal stronghold good enough to sport stone walls would be tough to crack without that artifact. Ordinary siege weapons, she had been told, were good against wooden palisades. If you did not want protracted sieges¡­ ¡°So, how do we go at it?¡± she said. ¡°As soon as we¡¯re ready, we run,¡± Laura said. ¡°Deserting from a camp will be easier,¡± Johanna noted. ¡°Yes, maybe, but we¡¯ll be in tribal lands then. Do you know how to go from there?¡± she objected. ¡°Maps?¡± Tom asked. ¡°Got one from planning office. They had plenty of duplicates, so it¡¯s not going to be missed,¡± Peter said. They pored over the map. ¡°You have good roads to the south. If we avoid going near New Benton¡­¡± ¡°It also makes pursuit easier. I don¡¯t know for you, but I don¡¯t know how to ride, and they will have horses,¡± Laura noted. ¡°We can deal with them. Johanna¡¯s fireballs¡­¡± Peter countered. ¡°I¡¯d rather not,¡± Johanna said. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°The soldiers who will hunt us aren¡¯t our enemies. Maybe they work for them, but they have no choice. What would we do if¡­ say, we have Franz Nader there? Bertram? Ngozi?¡± Peter winced at the idea of having to fight against their neighbors from Valetta. None of the levies were responsible for the Warden¡¯s men manipulating Johanna and her friends. ¡°So we avoid them. As much as possible. Yellowstone is relatively far away.¡± ¡°Once we¡¯re in another State, we should be good. The Treaty of the Union is clear ¨C the laws of the Montana apply only to you while you¡¯re resident in that State. If we¡¯re registered as outside residents, Maistry has no authority anymore.¡± ¡°Except through lawyers,¡± Tom said. ¡°I¡¯d rather deal with lawyers than soldiers,¡± Johanna replied. ¡°We may hope¡­¡± Johanna looked at the map until an idea struck. ¡°What about the Heights?¡± ¡°What do you mean, the Heights?¡± Peter asked. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s the perfect way to lose soldiers.¡± ¡°Are you mad? It¡¯s a mana zone!¡± Laura blurted, before dropping the volume of her voice. ¡°I know. But listen¡­ we do have all those powers. Devereaux himself said we¡¯d probably be good even in the deep parts. And¡­ well, our powers got boosted since we fought that Deep Changed hedgehog.¡± ¡°Any monster comes at us, I¡¯ll know in advance,¡± Tom added, remembering the Narrows. ¡°They will hesitate to pursue in the wilderness and it will be easier to shake them. And we don¡¯t need to keep to the deep parts. All that we need is to make sure they lose our track. And then we run to the frontier.¡± 44. Golden Heights The path to true power is long, save for those willing to take the risks. Wisdom of the Ancients, Book 1 ¡°Everything¡¯s ready,¡± Laura said. ¡°Miss our real backpacks,¡± Tom said wistfully. ¡°Can¡¯t be helped. We¡¯ll do with those shoulder bags,¡± Johanna said. She tapped her own. The bag was bulging with food. One of the advantages of having the army getting ready to push into enemy territory was that the kitchens were producing lots of packed field rations, and nobody was going to miss some. She, Tom, and Laura also had their civilian warm outfits ready. Peter, unfortunately, would have to do with his army-issue winter gear. Out of them all, he¡¯d be the one most standing out. Most of the money they¡¯d brought from Valetta was in their respective pockets, with the addition of the rest of their first stipend. Enough silver fifty-dollars to go by for a couple of months, using their old frugal scavenger lifestyle. ¡°I still say we should have tried to grab one from the Vault to sell. There¡¯s a guy in the barracks, he likes to show you how to pick small locks. Says it¡¯s really easy, all you need is practice. Waiting in the evenings until I could slip away, I had time for that,¡± Peter added. ¡°Sure. Trying to sell those is like painting targets on us. I want the Warden to hear about us first from a lawyer, not someone telling him where we are,¡± Johanna said. ¡°Besides, they¡¯re bulky? Maybe the hammer,¡± Tom said. ¡°You just want a magic weapon,¡± Peter replied, half laughing, before turning back to Johanna. ¡°So, I¡¯m sneaking onto the eastern battlements. Knock down the guards ¨C they¡¯re never by twos, so that doesn¡¯t give me away.¡± ¡°Make sure you don¡¯t kill them. If we want to get legally off the hook after this, we want to be seen as normal people, not murderers.¡± ¡°Besides, the guards haven¡¯t done anything to us,¡± Laura added. ¡°Rope ladder ready,¡± Tom said. ¡°Then we make a run for it before anyone notices.¡± ¡°Guard change in twenty minutes. The new guards will be less bored, but nobody will check on them for a while.¡± Johanna nodded, and Peter moved to the door. It was uncanny. Even though she watched him, focused, she somehow could tell he was slipping in his hiding mode. Despite keeping her eyes on him, she found it harder to pay attention. He was there, but he wasn¡¯t¡­ he wasn¡¯t important. She realized now that the wendigo had been the same way. As he had opened her door, he¡¯d stopped being important, despite having just held a knife at her neck. Not to the same degree Peter had, but similar in a rough way. She couldn¡¯t quite classify it¡­ but if you assumed the same gradations, maybe he was some sort of adept, or lesser hero, whereas Peter was now a greater hero. While he didn¡¯t have much time to experiment before the battle, he thought his aim hadn¡¯t much changed, while his dodge felt easier. Like her, he¡¯d gotten two talents improving, one remained unchanged¡­ and well, one additional had appeared. He didn¡¯t have a fourth to lose. Johanna wondered about Tom. And Laura. Her husband seemed to have only two talents so far, his rush and his crushing attacks, so he was certainly going to gain something from the change. Laura¡­ she had four. The time-limited trauma heals, the slow surface wound removal, the weird cure of all kinds of ailments from hangovers to Changed attacks, and of course the dreadful gaze. Two should raise, one stay unchanged, and one will drop. Or be entirely replaced, she guessed. They would not wait until they found out what had changed. Or the Warden¡¯s men found out Laura had changed. ¡°Guards changed. The way to the palisade is clear,¡± Peter suddenly announced, and Johanna realized she hadn¡¯t noticed his departure or coming back. They waited at the officer¡¯s barrack door until he gave the all-clear signal. Then they crossed the separation under the light of the oil lamps, reaching quickly the covered stairs leading up. Once Johanna left the stairs, she found one guard on the floor. She hoped he¡¯d be all right. It was better if Peter had neutralized him. If it had been Tom, she was certain he¡¯d be dead. There was no way Tom would be able to disable his attacks, not under the circumstances. There was almost no light. Almost; the Golden Heights were slightly luminescent under the glory of the Milky Way. The Moon was close to new, so there was no other light shining over the Kootenai Gap valley. The rope ladder unrolled, as Tom tied it securely over the fence of the palisade. Then, silently, one by one, they hoisted themselves over and started climbing down. Tom had to help Peter, then he vaulted over and followed. Johanna threw one last look at the garrison and they started. The starlight was barely enough to see silhouettes, and they moved carefully, trying not to trip over the ground. The early snow had almost vanished anyway, leaving slightly soggy but not slippery earth. They walked for half an hour, listening and looking behind them, as they reached the rising slope that led to the Heights. The sooner they reached the first ridge, the better. Once they were out of sight of the garrison keep, they¡¯d have an easier time. She might use her fire hand to light the lamp she carried, and move across the Changed forest. ¡°So far, so good,¡± Peter said as the started into the wood. Trees were sparse, but they offered cover, at the price of light. Now that they were in it, she noticed that the bushes seemed to give off a kind of light. It wasn¡¯t as good as moonlight, almost like starlight rather, but there was some, a reflection of the mana-rich changes brought on the vegetation. They had about one more hour before dawn broke. That was a balancing act, trying to get as far away to avoid being spotted, while not risking an encounter with a Changed night predator. They moved slowly and carefully, the garrison disappearing behind the lip of the hill. ¡°So far, so good,¡± she finally acknowledged. ¡°I still think we should have used the road,¡± Laura whispered next to her. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°I also hope they¡¯ll try that before looking for us this way,¡± Johanna replied in the same whisper. The sky was slowly brightening, and Johanna allowed herself to breathe more easily. The woods were still very sparse, but they were headed into denser areas. Everything seemed right until Tom suddenly shuddered. ¡°Something?¡± she asked. ¡°Something yes. Some enemy coming, I think.¡± ¡°Beast ahead?¡± ¡°No. From behind.¡± She looked behind, to check, and froze. There was a funnel of mana swirling behind them. They were no longer close enough for the garrison to register, but she was still seeing an artifact. For a few seconds, she thought that the wendigo was coming after them. Some elaborate trap, maybe, to get them to run away and be captured, instead of being assassinated discreetly in their sleep. He could have planted the box for us to find, she realized belatedly. But the mana swirl wasn¡¯t big enough. It was close, just behind¡­ Three leather-clad men crossed over one of the lips of the hills that made the Heights. They were a bit too far to be sure, but the general look was more of the army rather than the tribal attire. And while one was focused on the ground, probably trying to find tracks, the other two were looking around, and one of them spotted the team, raising a shout. ¡°Fuck. Pursuers.¡± Johanna quickly estimated the distance. They were all too far away for her to simply throw fireballs. ¡°Run?¡± Laura asked. ¡°Won¡¯t help,¡± Tom replied, unclipping the medium-sized hammer at his side. Three more soldiers came over the hillock, running. Two raised crossbows, but the four others brought up bows. ¡°And shit,¡± Johanna said. ¡°Spread out,¡± she immediately added. The six soldiers seemed in no hurry to rush them. She could understand the feeling if those had seen her in action during the battle. Although she was pretty sure that someone could dodge her missiles at that range. It turned out they were waiting. More soldiers came over, nearly fifteen, all bearing bows and crossbows. Save for a figure she recognized even across the distance. ¡°We weren¡¯t too late,¡± Captain Devereaux told his squad, the voice clear over the distance. Johanna looked at her sides, seeing Tom balancing his hammer, ready. Laura grim-faced but her gaze steady. It was probably too early, the range too short, but¡­ well, despite all their efforts, she¡¯d never managed to include them into her dreadful gaze. At closer range, the enemy would fight one-handed, while they had all their abilities intact. Assuming it¡¯s not the one that got reduced. They hadn¡¯t been able to test it. Laura said she felt it still worked, despite the lack of targets¡­ but so did Johanna¡¯s foot freezing, even pitiful as it had been. Then she realized what was missing from the tableau, and she turned back to look at the enemies who were slowly advancing. Devereaux drew off his sword, and she realized the swirls of manalight attached there. And that it had a small curve, rather than a classic straight line like the ones she¡¯d trained with at Maistry Keep. A curve that looked familiar. ¡°Where did you get that, Devereaux?¡± she shouted across the field. She noticed that the other soldiers were also spreading. It would be easier to shoot them fireballs if they stayed close, but no. They were too smart for that. ¡°Someplace called Valetta. You may have heard of it. Apparently, some scavengers found it¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even know how much you ended up paying for it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not privy to that, and I don¡¯t really care. An Artifact such as this¡­ it¡¯s the kind of weapon that balances the scales against you.¡± Artifacts were supposed to be almost indestructible, she realized. It took immense efforts to damage them, melting at temperatures far above the normal for the metal they seemed made for. It might resist the fire of my projectiles. If he can parry with it. If he¡¯s good enough to gauge where I aim. She nodded to the other two, and they slowly, cautiously advanced. ¡°Why did you run, Milton?¡± Devereaux asked, keeping his sword raised. ¡°Don¡¯t you know? Or maybe you don¡¯t. Anyway, you probably won¡¯t understand. It¡¯s a woman thing, after all.¡± ¡°A woman thing? You did well on the battlefield.¡± She snorted in disgust. ¡°The Warden decided he needed to keep us. Even after the draft.¡± ¡°He should. Have you realized how much you change things? That kind of powers, at the core of an army? This war would be over in a few years. And the last of the continent brought under civilized rule.¡± Keep talking. We¡¯re almost there. ¡°Shoot,¡± Devereaux suddenly ordered. ¡°Drat.¡± She threw her first fireball. The soldier flinched, and the crossbow bolt went wide, yards to the side, despite the fact that the ball had blown up in a shower of unnatural flames half a dozen feet in front of him. The soldiers demonstrated good discipline too. They weren¡¯t all shooting at the same time, covering their comrades while they used the fast recharge springs to reload their crossbows. The real bowmen, with their extra range, kept shooting from their safe points. She threw a second fireball at Devereaux, who had started jogging toward them. The captain raised his sword, and¡­ the fireball splashed on it, dispersing. Despite the interception, she heard a half-curse, as the man flinched, the flash of fire probably still dangerous. Then she saw a near-blur run past her. God, he is faster now, she thought, realizing it was Tom. Her husband arrived at a crossbow shooter, and the man raised his arm reflexively. For all the good it did; Tom¡¯s hammer shot, and she could merely imagine the crunch sound as the man¡¯s arm bent. From where she stood, it almost looked like Tom had struck twice. One of his comrades shot, but the bolt went half a foot over Tom, who turned, seeking another soldier. Only to find Devereaux bearing on him, curved sword raised. Tom cast his gaze, spotting another soldier, and ran away, using the unnatural speed that carried him to his enemies. Devereaux¡¯s Swordcutter hit him as he passed too close. Momentum gone, Tom crashed halfway, clutching his side. ¡°NO!¡± Johanna yelled, starting to run. Devereaux ignored her, rushing toward the fallen man. She raised her hand to fire a fireball, and flinched at the last moment, as a bolt whizzed next to her. She felt the sharpness of the edge and raised her hand reflexively, but cut it short. A fireball launched, but her aim was off, splashing a tree that instantly started to burn. A soldier who was trying to use it as cover screamed and threw himself aside, to avoid the fire. Johanna hadn¡¯t even tried to shoot him, she was aiming at Devereaux instead. Then she blinked. Because Laura was next to Tom. Johanna hadn¡¯t seen her run, hadn¡¯t seen her close. And Devereaux stopped in his track, startled. Laura seemed briefly confused, but she wasted no time, kneeling and touching Tom before she rose again, only to see Devereaux running again, sword drawn. ¡°LAURA, RUN,¡± Johanna screamed as she rushed. Her friend looked panicked at her and started running¡­ and bowled into her. Somehow, she¡¯d simply moved. Crossing a dozen yards as if they did not exist. Devereaux turned his head, having lost his target. Johanna saw his eyes go wide as he spotted Laura, but the captain immediately turned and bore down on Tom who was pushing himself upward. Johanna ducked, as two crossbow bolts whizzed. She could see that Devereaux was hesitating slightly, Laura¡¯s gaze working its magic. She raised her hand to fire again straight into him... and Devereaux froze. Peter was standing just behind him. A pair of hunting knives shone in the dawn light, one into Devereaux¡¯s side, one under his armpit where he had raised the arm to strike. The captain made a single step, then fell down on his knees, before turning over. Peter dodged a crossbow bolt, then reached and pulled out one of his knives. The blade vanished, appearing in his other hand, and he grabbed the other. The act, almost casual, achieved to do what the balls of fire hadn¡¯t. She saw two of the soldiers dump their crossbows, turn and run. Then, suddenly, the rest of the squad started running. Johanna suddenly felt a hand on her cheek. ¡°You got a nasty cut there,¡± Laura whispered. She looked at her hand, finally noticing the blood on it. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. There, done¡­ it felt faster.¡± ¡°Yea. That was a surprise, what you did.¡± ¡°Completely baffling. I was somewhere, then I was somewhere else. I almost fell down, because I was still running.¡± ¡°You¡¯re good?¡± Peter said as he joined the two. ¡°We¡¯re fine. Tom?¡± ¡°Good as new. Although my jacket is ruined.¡± Johanna took stock of the battlefield. A pair of trees were still burning, and some bushes were completely gone already. She spotted two more soldiers on the ground. It looked like some of her fireballs had managed to take people out. She had not realized it at the time. She walked toward the swirl of manalight that ran down on Devereaux. His hand was still clutching the curved sword artifact. ¡°Yea. Sorry Tom, you didn¡¯t get a magic weapon, but I do,¡± Peter said as he joined her. He had to dodge a swipe by the man, who mock-growled. ¡°Your fault. You should have stolen mine.¡± ¡°Hey, maybe it would fix the armor before you finished hitting. I thank the fact that he didn¡¯t have chainmail, only padded leather, by the way.¡± Johanna rolled her eyes in disbelief. Men. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s grab that sword, and go. I don¡¯t want to kill more soldiers,¡± Johanna finally said. END OF ACT 2 45. Mana Zone Your best teacher is your last mistake. Pre-Fall politician ¡°Slow down, Ulrico,¡± Elena Worchester managed to slip in between two fast sentences filled with expletives. ¡°They ran away,¡± he finally said. ¡°Who?¡± ¡°The Talented. They deserted.¡± The Sorceress of the Mists of the Montana blinked. ¡°Johanna, Laura, Tom? But why?¡± ¡°Yes. A friend of someone on watch was bringing hot tea. Found another guard knocked from behind. Concussed, still hasn¡¯t regained consciousness. But there was a rope ladder over the walls, so we pretty much knew someone was making a runner.¡± ¡°That could have been pretty much anyone,¡± she noted. ¡°I got my people to start inspecting the barracks, but one of the mess cooks then reported the box had been stolen. It didn¡¯t make sense at first, then I figured out it had to be them.¡± Elena frowned. ¡°The. Box. What box?¡± ¡°The Warden was quick to figure out they were going to be a major factor. He just wasn¡¯t sure how to keep them. That was a way to uphold the letter of the law.¡± ¡°Ulrico. What. Box?¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t want them to get out of the draft,¡± the voice of General Adorno came from behind. ¡°So, it was decided to put them under Zeroluck,¡± Pasqual added. ¡°Zeroluck¡­¡± she repeated, trying to jog her memory about when she¡¯d heard that name. Then her eyes grew wide. ¡°You didn¡¯t?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a seller in New Benton for those who want to ensure not too many heirs. Picked two boxes, and the Sorceress and Saint got their daily dose in their breakfast. No chance of them becoming mothers, and getting a lawyer for an exemption. Even with their husbands still drafted, too much of a risk they¡¯d bail out. The Warden would not like to have to override the law, it¡¯s always a source of problems.¡± ¡°And who thought it was a good idea? No, don¡¯t answer. If you wanted them to stay, you needed to cultivate them. Not drug them. I would have gotten them to support the Warden before the end of their draft if you¡¯d left me at it without interference. Johanna is likable and she enjoyed our sessions. But no. Military people¡­¡± ¡°Actually, it was¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear it. Even not predicting how much their power was going to grow prior to the campaign doesn¡¯t excuse you, or anyone. You may get away with pissing off a normal mage, but even then, a reluctant talent is worse than no talent¡­ Do you realize that? Ulrico?¡± ¡°Hey, I was not part of that decision process!¡± She threw the garrison commander a dark look, although Elena had to admit a decision made in New Benton was unlikely to be Pasqual¡¯s responsibility. He would just have rolled with it. That stinks. Of all the stupid ways to bind them¡­ She¡¯d been happy to see them embrace the idea of defending their homelands. The perspective of savages at the gates was a wonderful motivator, one that Edgard had pursued after the northerners had presented him with a casus-belli. Although the Warden had never thought he¡¯d need more than the oversized regular army of the Montana. She¡¯d joined him when he reached for her. Her distant family had always been a strong supporter of the Wardens, after all, and her husband had only been too happy to let his wife-now-legendary-sorceress tromp back to the North. ¡°And now, you¡¯ve got a renegade mind sorceress-cum-saint and a legendary fire archmage. And a hero, a bonebreaker. Just because someone thought some pills would do what words wouldn¡¯t.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve dispatched a search team. We have good trackers, they already spotted tracks leading to the Heights. No doubt they will skirt the zones¡­¡± ¡°And they¡¯re going to do what, exactly?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve sent Devereaux to offer them clemency. They must realize that they¡¯ll be outlaws in more than half of the Union. If they refuse to come back, he¡¯s got orders to shoot to kill. Can¡¯t let them escape to help any of our enemies.¡± ¡°I hope you¡¯ve got real good troops. You¡¯ve seen Johanna at work yesterday.¡± ¡°We haven¡¯t done a doctrine to deal with that already, but adapting the one for Laura Donnall should work. Bow at 45-yard range. You lose all accuracy, but you can pin them down, and let crossbows at closer range. They don¡¯t have a shield cover, after all. Besides, we have Devereaux armed with an artifact weapon in the worst case. Even a Hero can¡¯t heal being sliced in two, and it¡¯s almost indestructible. It will resist Milton¡¯s fires, and her fireball is very predictable.¡± Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°An artifact weapon¡­¡± ¡°Yea, there¡¯s¡­¡± Elena felt like slamming her head into the walls of the office. ¡°Johanna¡¯s an arch-arch-mage. She¡¯s got the mana sight. You were there when she reported on that artifact she spotted from two miles away, right? You may as well advertise they¡¯ve got a hunter on their tracks. They will know Devereaux¡¯s coming, and they¡¯ll be able to prepare. Maybe even ambush him.¡± She saw the two incredulous looks of the generals. ¡°You¡¯ll be the ones to explain to Edgard how he lost the biggest game-changers in history. Not me. Once he asks me, I¡¯ll explain the why, not the how.¡± She exhaled slowly, trying to get back in control of herself. Given their powers, she didn¡¯t see a way for Devereaux to come with them alive. He would come with their bodies or not at all. Moore was flabbergasted. He¡¯d read a few things, of course. Not enough, never enough. But that let him decipher the map the four had been clustered around as they plotted what turned out to be desertion. Manazones, as shown on the map, seemed silly on paper. After all, nobody ¨C save those with Mana Sight, that is ¨C saw that. The notions of areas that spawned ¨C if you believed a few of the novels he¡¯d read along the four ¨C monsters and inedibles seemed more like nuclear waste from abandoned and ruptured reactors. But after the end of that fight, when he¡¯d checked the status for XP, something had been immediately off. Sure, 2260XP for everyone, that was a significant amount. Less than a full-fledged army battle, but good. But that wasn¡¯t the point.
Tom Virgil Milton (Welter) Male human, 19 years, 9 months
Specialist Battler Level: 5 (8000 XP needed) 139/175 stamina (+25 per hour) 0 unallocated skill point XP: 3390 + 2462
STR: 18 (1871 XP needed) Slam (41) Double Tap (41) AUT: 14
AGI: 17 (263 XP needed) Intercept (56) PER: 14
DEX: 14 EMP: 16 (1603 XP needed) Optimal Strike (37)
The regeneration was too high for the Strength. In fact, once he¡¯d checked, everyone¡¯s regeneration was off. Peter, Laura, and Johanna, all got about 40% more per hour. He wished now he¡¯d been more obsessed about checking statuses. He¡¯d learned over the weeks to simply observe, and go with the flow of their daily lives. It wasn¡¯t as if he could change anything about XP earnings, so there was little point unless things happened ¨C like the fight against those soldiers. But if he had, he might have seen exactly when the regeneration started rising. That fact belied what he¡¯d dismissed as a mere ¡°modern¡± superstition. There really was something special about where they were, and it provided them with extra resources, in the form of that accelerated regeneration. Might as well call it a mana ¡°gas¡±. The trees were growing more clustered, and they finally took a small break, picking a small breakfast, before restarting. Johanna saw no other signs of pursuit, and each mile into the Golden Heights made them simultaneously safer and more exposed. Now that the day had begun, and the wan November sun was shining, the weird magical feeling from the small luminous bushes was gone. Save for the color of their leaves and the shape of those, it was more normal. By comparison, the trees were a bit weird. For one, they were almost all of the exact same height. Rectilinear bare trunks reached up, with a handful of branches at the top. The leaves on those were in clumps, dark green under the slanting sunlight. It didn¡¯t take long before she spotted a splash of light. ¡°Mana blanket to the left,¡± she called out. ¡°What does it look like,¡± Tom asked. ¡°Not too much. Maybe two dozen yards in diameter. Funny, the trees in it aren¡¯t conducting the mana. It¡¯s not like the ruins, where it followed the walls and buildings.¡± Then she spotted Laura picking up one of the few berries from the bushes. Before she could say anything, her friend put it in her mouth. ¡°It¡¯s weirdly sweet,¡± she commented. ¡°What are you thinking?¡± Johanna asked. ¡°I¡¯m trying. Since we got run out of Anasta, I never get hangovers. Or anything similar. Beer and that spirit thing we had at the wedding¡­ I enjoy. They work out fine. It¡¯s the consequences that don¡¯t affect me. Or Peter.¡± ¡°Or us.¡± ¡°Well, when you ask. So, I¡¯m wondering¡­ if I can cure whatever those berries do, maybe we can eat them. Anything to supplement rations can help.¡± ¡°We only need to make it to the frontier. And besides¡­ your heals got better¡­ your gaze is still there. You probably lost that skill to make room for the instant transport.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°Yea. If it fails, you¡¯re going to have to stop to go behind the bushes all the time. That¡¯s what every veteran said. Very few of the things from mana zones are edible. Even dogs know better than eat changed meat,¡± Johanna objected. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll stop there. And pray. Like a good saint should.¡± ¡°Stop taking risks like that, that¡¯s all I ask.¡± ¡°Thanks for warning me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s my job. Used to be, rather.¡± ¡°Still is,¡± Tom replied. With light and the sun climbing, sounds had started. Bird noises were almost familiar. Johanna didn¡¯t know if she was finding them slightly weird because they actually were, or just because of where they were. Peter pointed to the north of their path. She looked and startled. The furred shape, elongated legs, and the horn were unmistakable. That was a Lepus up there. But rather than swarming with his comrades, the single Lepus was more focused on a bush. The Changed beast was grabbing leaves ¨C and probably berries, although they didn¡¯t look like they were its priority ¨C stripping the bush of the fern-like cover, letting bare branches remain there. ¡°We avoid it,¡± Peter whispered and Johanna nodded in confirmation. As they passed, the beast paused. She was quite certain it had noticed them. And, as a confirmation, it turned its head, casting a sideways glance. Then it moved until it was behind the bush, turning to face them. Then, as she watched, it started to nibble again. More slowly. More carefully. More deliberately??? They didn¡¯t do anything to provoke a further reaction from the beast. After all, there wasn¡¯t anything to gain by antagonizing it. The further they went, the better. Moore watched them progress in the wilds. The presence of the Lepus startled him, but the single level 2 beast was not very dangerous. A bundle of free XP, maybe. Although he wasn¡¯t sure they¡¯d spotted it, the Level 4 Prime Thunder Corvid up in the branches, very obviously looking down at them, was more of a worry. He didn¡¯t know what the Prime qualifier hid, but he wasn¡¯t specifically anxious to figure out what it meant, even with a level 4 versus a level 5 team. The regeneration factor held steady at around +40%. 46. Safe Harbor Enemy-occupied territory ¨C that is what this world is. Pre-Fall writer Bushes were becoming sparser as they moved on. And while the trees remained roughly similar, the leaf cover on them increased. They moved across a small shallow valley, refilling their canteens at the brook running there while munching the cold lard-packed ration bars. The bird noises were more subdued within the valley but resumed as they climbed out. Johanna had briefly debated on following a track they¡¯d found. In the mana zone, such was made by beasts ¨C Changed ones ¨C rather than people. But it helped them to move a bit faster. She pored over the map that Peter had obtained from the Kootenai garrison. It was not entirely useless, as it showed a rough outline of the mana zone and some of the valleys that ran into it. ¡°I asked about any good maps around Kootenai Gap,¡± Peter told her. ¡°I didn¡¯t get one that had the old, pre-Fall spots. The officer running the maps and scout division said it was almost useless anyway. Too many Changestorms ran through.¡± She looked at the sky between the treetops. So far, the weather was holding. ¡°Let¡¯s hope we find easy shelter. Although¡­ well, Devereaux said there were dangerous lairs.¡± ¡°Not looking at checking caves,¡± Tom announced. ¡°Me neither,¡± she confirmed. The sun was already setting down. November days were short and becoming shorter still. They¡¯d avoided a pair of Lepuses, and another solo Lepus, but they hadn¡¯t seen any other obvious Changed beast. They¡¯d almost killed a deer that had come out from seemingly nowhere, running across them. Johanna wondered if the normal-looking beast was mundane enough to be edible. If they didn¡¯t have their bags still full of rations, she might have tried hunting and killing it. As it was, they had just enough to get to where they planned to find civilization, not too far from the Marches of the Dakota. So far, Laura seemed fine from her berry dare. The orange bushes were still there everywhere, although sparser now. Similar black-blue leafed bushes seemed to have mostly replaced them, but those didn¡¯t seem to have any fruit or berries. They finally found a small clearing, and Johanna decided it was probably the best spot they were going to find before the sunset. They quickly decided to avoid keeping a fire running through the night, unwilling to notify predators. Changed beasts did not usually fear man, after all. Tom assembled quickly a small fire, to let them eat a more satisfying meal. Johanna lighted it, and before long, the lard-and-hardtack rations dissolved in the tin''s water, as smells started to come out. ¡°Still no problems,¡± Laura announced. ¡°Does this mean they¡¯re edible?¡± Peter mused. ¡°Or my skill is still working.¡± ¡°That would be weird.¡± ¡°Or maybe we only think we can have four skills.¡± ¡°Speaking of which, Tom?¡± ¡°Yes, that was a bit weird. When I hit that guy, it was as if my hammer rebounded and hit again. And yes, that felt instinctual.¡± ¡°So, a new skill. I noted you ran fast.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t feel fully in charge before, but this time, it¡¯s even worse. I run, but it¡¯s more like my legs move. And way too fast.¡± ¡°Not as fast as Laura,¡± Peter said. They all looked at her, and she shrugged. ¡°What can I say. It¡¯s unnatural. I knew how deep the wound went, even from here. And when I wanted to run before my ability to heal that damage stopped¡­ I just ended up next to Tom. I almost fell over him, so sudden it was.¡± ¡°It¡¯s helpful, although you were very exposed. Devereaux might have cut you down. Can you fix yourself?¡± Johanna asked. ¡°I¡¯m not going to test that one, no,¡± Laura said, as the blood drained from her face. ¡°But you bounced back,¡± Tom said. Laura looked thoughtful. ¡°I was looking at Johanna. Just like your cut, I knew she¡¯d got one. A shallow one, not as deep as you.¡± ¡°And you¡­ jumped to me,¡± Johanna concluded. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Yes.¡± Peter stood and moved slightly away from the fire. ¡°Try it?¡± Laura stood up as well and looked at her husband. She stayed there and frowned. ¡°Can¡¯t seem to do it.¡± Peter pulled his hunting knife and nicked the end of a finger. ¡°And now?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a small¡­¡± She sighed. ¡°Still can¡¯t do. Wait!¡± Peter had moved the knife across his palm. ¡°And now?¡± Laura was just next to him, reaching. She realized her position. ¡°Okay. That one does it,¡± she said as she slid her thumb over the cut. ¡°It needs to be at least somewhat significant.¡± Tom looked thoughtful, and he and Johanna exchanged glances. ¡°Worst case, one of us can slice¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s going to take too long a time if we need to do it. And I, for one, don¡¯t want to slice myself before we even fight,¡± Johanna countered. ¡°I wonder how far away it works?¡± They tried it around the clearing, with Peter slicing himself again, and keeping his fingers on the palm to avoid bleeding. The effective range was around a dozen yards only. ¡°Not impossible¡­ yet impossible. That¡¯s clearly magic¡­ but it¡¯s also associated with healing.¡± ¡°I already said that healing looks like it¡¯s some branch of magic, not some holy gift from God,¡± Johanna said. ¡°From God¡­ or the Ancient?¡± Laura asked. ¡°I know it¡¯s said they lived like gods, but I don¡¯t think they were gods. There¡¯s only one God,¡± Peter said. ¡°Well, we¡¯re not going to solve that anytime soon.¡± Johanna picked the first watch and turned to keep track of the woods until the lack of light forced her to simply listen, and trust her instincts. She was still listening when Tom¡¯s hand startled her, and she tucked into the double sleeping bag with Tom¡¯s warmth still there, trying to find sleep. The morning was not as good. The light through the forest canopy was dimmer, and Johanna could see only grey-white. The temperatures had not dropped yet, but November weather in Montana could be pretty varied. As long as they did not face a blizzard, it was doable. Tom had done his best to mend his clothing, but it was never going to be as good as before. That was probably a record in terms of duration ¨C less than a month between brand new gear and the first major damage. They quickly gobbled breakfast as Peter reported. With his improved stealth, he felt he could almost walk normally without being noticed, so he¡¯d checked quickly the path ahead. ¡°Only thing I noted was a Canid lair, at least I think. A kind of stone overhang. No Canid there though. Just tufts of fur.¡± ¡°So far, so good,¡± Johanna said. ¡°And here come the hunters,¡± he deadpanned back. ¡°Last time, it was you who said that first.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m not going to say it,¡± he replied, trying to keep his smile contained. The first drops of water began mid-afternoon, soon after they crossed another small valley. The tree cover did very little to stop the raindrops from hitting the forest floor. Johanna knew very well they would soon be miserable. Learning to tolerate it while going to the ruins didn¡¯t mean they liked it. The rest of the afternoon was the same way. A steady drizzle of cold water fell on them from above. All had hoods, but the wet was slowly saturating the atmosphere, and got into clothes. But their fortune turned slightly as they came out of a denser copse of woods. Tom pointed further. Johanna looked and spotted what had attracted his attention. Logs, stacked. She squinted and realized she was looking at the remains of some kind of log building. It had not burned or anything, but time had rotted some of the logs, and what looked like a small cabin had started to fall apart. It looked far too intact for something built before the Fall, but she did not think anyone would have built anything in this deep mana zone. Changestorms might have moved it there¡­ at some point. ¡°Might be a good spot for today. Rain is starting to become worse,¡± Tom said. ¡°The sun will set soon as well. Hopefully, it has some roof still intact,¡± Johanna replied. The trail they were following didn¡¯t lead to the cabin ruins, so they left it and headed to the building. From closer, it did look a bit better. In a manner similar to the Ancient city ruins, parts looked entirely gone while half seemed nearly untouched. There were even the remains of a door, laying on what looked like a small stair leading from the forest ground to the building. They were almost at the building when Johanna spotted a patch of white that didn¡¯t belong, in the middle of the darkness behind the almost-intact doorframe. She blinked, and it came out bounding. White fur. White claws. Even white eyes, she realized as the Felid turned to face them. All-white, without the slightest hint of anything in them. She wondered briefly if the cat was blind like you¡¯d expect from such eyes among people, but she didn¡¯t have time to muse further. The cat jumped at Laura, and she was saved by Tom taking a swing with his fist, not having time to draw his hammer. The cat twisted mid-jump, barely avoiding the fist, but losing its aim. It also raked Tom¡¯s hand with its rear paws, showing unnatural coordination. Johanna almost fired a fireball before realizing that if she missed, she¡¯d probably set fire to the cabin just behind, destroying their putative shelter. The Felid turned and faced them, its head swiveling and looking at Peter. The short man suddenly remembered his hiding skill, but the albino Felid also noticed when he activated it, and instantly ran at him. Peter grabbed his sword, trying to slide it out of the scabbard they¡¯d looted, just as the cat reached, rearing to claw him. Johanna slammed the blowtorch that came out of her palm into the side of the Felid. The white beast yowled in pain and turned toward her. She raised her other hand, ready to send a point-blank fireball in its maw, but the beast stopped. Its eyes blinked, then the Felid slumped abruptly on the ground. Peter flicked his katana, and the drops of blood vanished from the blade to spatter on the ground, leaving no smear on the unnatural blade. ¡°Easy peasy,¡± he commented. ¡°Showoff,¡± Laura replied. ¡°The aim talent works with the sword,¡± he noted as he sheathed back his sword. ¡°If you can pull it out,¡± his wife mocked him. ¡°Hey. I thought I might ruin the scabbard if I wanted to cut too early.¡± Then he frowned, looking at his hands. He extended one and put the other on the pommel¡­ and suddenly, the sword was in his other hand. ¡°Just realized it should work. And it does.¡± ¡°That¡¯s bullshit,¡± Tom called out, and Peter shrugged in reply. ¡°What do we do with the giant white cat?¡± Laura asked. ¡°You¡¯re right. It might attract some predators. Which, here, is a bit more dangerous than anywhere else. Let¡¯s dump it further away,¡± Johanna said. Johanna knelt in front of the beast. Up close, she could see a bare hint of a slit in the white of the eyes. It wasn¡¯t blind¡­ it just had Changed eyes. Tom and Peter grabbed one limb each and started dragging it. Thankfully, the katana had not cut all the way in, just a foot deep. The four had crossed a small shallow ravine half a mile before. It would be a safe dumping ground away from their newfound refuge there. Moore kept reflexively checking the mana regen during the short fight against the basic level 6 Felid. The albino puma/panther thankfully didn¡¯t seem to have any serious skill. Just a constitution ¨C not a System stat ¨C and coordination worthy of an apex predator. Given that the regeneration factor was now slightly above +40%, it probably was not one. 47. Living in the Past I firmly believe that nature brings solace in all troubles. Pre-Fall book The intact half of the cabin offered a surprisingly good shelter. The one part that truly mattered was the roof, but the cabin even had a stove without even the slightest hint of rust. It looked surprisingly modern, although when Johanna checked for a maker¡¯s mark, all she found was a 1944 stamped on its side, meaning it had been made long before the Fall. Laura and her picked some of the branches fallen in front of the cabin, not trusting the rotted logs for burning. She filled the thing and proceeded to light it with her hand, and they both moved away, wary. But the brick chimney seemed to be in working condition as well, and smoke did not leak. They even found a set of cooking implements, pans, and cookpot, equally well preserved. A shelf still held knives, forks, plates, glasses, and everything necessary for dinner. Clean, unmarred, as if whoever had lived there had stepped out a day or two ago. The only thing clashing with that was the fact that the other half of the cabin was a jumbled pile of half-rotted logs, leaving the cabin open to the elements. Still, the drizzle of rain didn¡¯t do much, water following some barely present slope and dropping out of the cabin at a corner. A half-destroyed doorframe showed where a second room had been, which Johanna guessed had probably been the bedroom, but that was in the destroyed part. She risked a look anyway and found the floor vanished, leaving only brown earth with pieces and bits of wood still there. Like the cabin itself, a quarter of it was almost intact, while the rest was exposed to the elements. The preserved area held a bedframe pulled up to the wall, but no actual bedding. A pair of shelves completed the view and held toys. A stuffed bear, a doll made of porcelain, a wooden flying beast, a wool red fox, and an additional weirdly shaped toy. Her scavenger instincts twitched immediately. Unfortunately, the toys were half-rotted or broken, up to the last that was so badly damaged it was fully unrecognizable. She had been told ¨C back in Valetta ¨C that there was some kind of market for that, but it was very hard to get any price. So she reluctantly left the broken toys on their shelf and checked further. Maybe there would be things more valuable. Or even immediately useful. ¡°There¡¯s a pump, and it even works!¡± the voice of Laura cheerfully interrupted her musings. The whole meal was still softened hardtack and rich greasy lard with a few pinches of salt and some peppers, but just the fact that they were eating it on real plates with proper cutlery on the intact table and seated was an enormous difference. Johanna almost felt in civilization, forgetting partially that they were running away from people who were ready to decide what she could be. I may not be ready to have kids given my life, but that¡¯s for me and Tom to say, not Edgard Maistry. ¡°We should keep those with us,¡± she said while slowly cleaning the last tidbits on her plate. ¡°To sell?¡± Peter asked. ¡°We have some money, but money eventually runs out,¡± she pointed. ¡°Let¡¯s not overload us with loot. Salvaging can wait,¡± Laura said. ¡°I think our salvagers¡¯ days are over,¡± Johanna replied. ¡°There are ruins all over the continent,¡± Peter countered. ¡°Yea. But even if we clear our names¡­ we¡¯re going to be famous.¡± Three pairs of eyes bore upon Johanna. ¡°What? Laura, you talked a lot with Elena, right?¡± ¡°Yes. She¡­ was trying to figure out how I could be a Saint and a Sorcereress at the same time. She wanted to understand. But what has that to do with¡­¡± ¡°She was always talking about how we¡¯re unprecedented. She was sending letters to her ¡®Society of the American Mages¡¯ all the time we were training at the Keep.¡± ¡°Yes. So?¡± ¡°I remember the talk about the Burning Walker. Did she mention¡­¡± ¡°The three-eyed sorcerer in the Angel Fall trilogy?¡± Laura asked. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°Well, he was a real person. A Changed race from over the ocean. They wrote entire epic series about him. And¡­ he had one ability. And half my endurance with magic.¡± ¡°Oh. Oh¡­ She mentioned that no saint ever had more than one miracle recorded¡­¡± She stopped. Both Tom and Peter were rolling their eyes. ¡°Okay, okay. Heroes are less flashy, but remember that Kalel guy.¡± ¡°Supposed to be born in the Ancient age, kept in suspension in some kind of magical cradle until time was right,¡± Tom replied, trying to keep serious. ¡°And running fast. Smashing things.¡± ¡°Call me back when I¡¯m flying,¡± he finally cracked. It was Johanna¡¯s turn to roll her eyes. The rain stopped just before they sorted out the watch and unrolled the sleeping backs in the corner next to the stove, after pushing the table. This time, Johanna took the last watch, so she snuggled against Tom and tried to relax. In there, it was almost like being in the ruins, hunting for salvage. Like the old times. Then Tom shook her, and she grumbled as she extracted herself from the bag, and blindly moved next to the entrance to be ready to¡­ fire an alarm in case. Peter woke up with the dawn and made a quick sneak peek into the wilds around, coming back a quarter of an hour later, having seen nothing. Johanna fired the stove with the last of the branches gathered, and she prepared the usual breakfast with the minimum of fuss. They hadn¡¯t picked any tea, so there was very little to distinguish the breakfast from any other meal. Laura woke up half grumpy anyway, as the smells reached her. Peter reached down and gave her a quick kiss before grabbing the chairs to put around the table. As she finally extracted herself from the bag, he proffered the chair with a flourish. ¡°Did not forget.¡± ¡°Forget what?¡± she asked. ¡°Nothing.¡± Johanna suddenly snorted. Laura frowned before her eyes widened. ¡°Happy birthday, honey!¡± She looked at the small slightly colored lumps that he dropped on her plate. ¡°Candied fruit from the garrison stores. They hadn¡¯t made much yet, so I saved it.¡± ¡°So¡­ you¡¯re giving me stolen goods as a birthday gift?¡± ¡°Best gift.¡± Johanna¡¯s snort cut the forced serious, and the two laughed. ¡°Rest of breakfast¡¯s ready.¡± Johanna almost wanted to clean the plates and everything, unwilling to leave dirty dishes, even though nobody was probably going to visit ever. Or at least for decades. But they still needed to make as much headway as they could, in the too-short days. Tom fussed about a box, apparently made from Alium. He shuffled rations in it before shoving the full box into his backpack. The others looked for sellable stuff, but lacking a reputation, most of the stuff would be impossible to authenticate as genuine Ancient cutlery or similar. Johanna found a map. One side was entirely faded, ink barely visible. The other side was crisp and perfect but showed the southwest of the Union, the coastal areas that she vaguely recognized from the outline. That was light and didn¡¯t take too much room. The glasses went in the backpacks too. The cutlery might be mistaken for some modern things, but those glasses had the weird colored animal drawings that you found often and were the near-impossible to counterfeit. They stepped out over the half-destroyed stair and Johanna nearly bumped into a huge furry shape. She saw the head and horn turn, and immediately lighted her hand. The Lepus was as surprised as them. It shrilled as the flame came out and jerked away. The horn got lowered¡­ and jerked away as Tom¡¯s hammer slammed into the side of its skull. The beast convulsed and fell to the ground. Johanna relaxed her hand. ¡°We¡¯re starting to be specialists. Lepuses all the time. We should get an official badge in recognition,¡± Peter said, moving his hand away from the katana he never had the time to pull out. ¡°Yea. For all the good that it did us.¡± They moved away from the corpse, took their bearings, and started trekking away from the half-ruins of the Ancient cabin. ¡°You know, for all of the reputations of mana zones, and Devereaux¡¯s tribulation story, I expected¡­ I don¡¯t know. More?¡± Johanna mused. ¡°Beasts pour out at odd times. Maybe it¡¯s a quiet year?¡± Laura said. ¡°What was Mrs. Vanu¡¯s lesson? Boom-bust cycle?¡± Peter asked. ¡°Maybe. But I¡¯m not going to complain,¡± Johanna said as they started climbing down yet another small ravine. She checked the wan sunlight, trying to keep the direction east. A couple more days and they¡¯d turn south-east to head toward what the map labeled as the Rocastle Demesnes, a small pair of towns not too far from Dakota. The single wooden building in the middle of the forest, next to another beast trailer, was weird. It was maybe 5 feet on each side, with a single door. And that was it. Johanna lifted the latch and looked inside. It was entirely empty. It didn¡¯t even have a floor, it was just bare ground. No moss, mushrooms, or anything grew there. The other threw a look, incredulous. ¡°I have no idea what it¡¯s about,¡± Johanna said. The clearing was large and almost perfectly circular. Instead of grass, it was filled with what looked like dandelions in full bloom, despite the mid-November fall. In the middle was one of the weirdest things they¡¯d ever seen. It was a tower outline, made of metal beams, rising up, with a flared top. They¡¯d already seen a similar type of metal beams-made small pylons at the edges of the ruined city. Tom made a step, and Johanna raised her arm, stopping him. ¡°Trouble?¡± he asked. ¡°Manalight,¡± she replied. The entire clearing was full of manalight, to the point she had difficulties even recognizing the dandelion-like vegetation, as the light smoothed out the details. Like all manalight, it seemed somehow overlaid on the actual items. And in addition, there was something like a small flow swirling just above the metal structure. Not a big one like a real artifact, but a visible one. They stayed silent, looking at the weird locale. Even without the mana sight, the simple weird Ancient construct with blooming dandelions ¨C which refused to detach and flow as they should ¨C was sufficient to get them pause. ¡°To think I used to think the ruins were weird,¡± Peter said, as they turned and started walking again. Moore had no idea what had stopped them from investigating the high-voltage pylon. Although he was intrigued about it. As they had gotten close, the regeneration factor had slowly increased, until it was at around 60%, based on Tom¡¯s regeneration of 29 vs 18 Strength. Now that they were moving away, the regeneration was dropping slowly. So, something¡¯s special about that place, but what? 48. Relics of the Past If you think ruins are bad¡­ consider Changed ruins. Vortigern Stone, Angel Basin Salvage Unit 1 (circa 2057) The hill was all the more distinctive because it was missing half. Or maybe it¡¯s an extra half? Johanna thought. The ground suddenly swelled, marking a lone hill in the middle of the forested area. But its northern side was crumbled as if it had been sheared vertically by a building-sized spade. Earth had fallen in small slides, and some sparse vegetation had grown, but no tree had taken root on any side despite the apparent age of those earth slides. Johanna quickly recognized the traces of a Changestorm, when parts of two different places got mixed. But that was not what was important there. ¡°Manalight,¡± she said. ¡°As usual,¡± Tom added. ¡°No, not a pool of mana. There¡¯s¡­ an artifact-sized mana swirl going down there.¡± ¡°Really? There¡¯s something there?¡± her husband asked. She pointed at the side. It looked like there was a set of buildings set to the side of the hill, with concrete pylons lifting them. Another piece of concrete, a ramp, apparently allowed access. ¡°In there, looks like,¡± she said. ¡°This could be useful,¡± Laura noted. Johanna threw her a look of curiosity. ¡°Besides whatever it does. The sword¡­ it will be traced to us. If it surfaces anywhere, the Warden¡¯s force will know we¡¯re there. But an unknown artifact¡­¡± ¡°We do have some money. In here¡­ and maybe further east¡­ we may need everything we have. We¡¯ll sell that as a last resort. Whatever it is,¡± Johanna said. If she had any doubts about the mix-up of things from a Changestorm, the building close up dispelled it. Mid-point it turned into bricks, like the ones used for many buildings in Valetta. The two halves didn¡¯t quite align as well. The only entrance was in the concrete part. Johanna recognized the slates of steel that served as door parts for some of the Ancient storage buildings. This particular one had failed somehow, and Tom was able to pull part of it down, allowing them entrance. She spent a few seconds blinking, adapting to the dimmer lighting. Shafts of light fell from holes in the ceiling and walls into a large and almost empty room. Wood tables whose legs had broken were filling one of the sides as if someone had stored them in that place. She distantly noted that the tables were in the brick section while looking at the streams of manalight. The swirls flew across the ceiling, toward the rear of the room, where another of the rolling steel doors was. This one was rolled up and looked intact, but the space behind it was much darker. She pointed out the direction. ¡°Looks like we¡¯re gonna need some light.¡± Moore had pondered the misshapen building. He could even see the junction, with the logo of a well-known construction materials company on one side, and a furniture store name on the other. But the alarm in his immaterial brain rose immediately. Because as soon as they stepped over the ruined entrance, regeneration shot up. It was over 130% now. Whatever drove those differences was present in massive amounts, and he did not like the implied meaning. Tread carefully, my unknowing friends. This place has to be dangerous. They didn¡¯t have any rag or oil, so making torches was slightly difficult. They ended up coming out, picking branches, and then Johanna would light them up, hoping they¡¯d have enough to find whatever the mana flow pointed at. That plan went immediately wrong when she lit the first branch next to the inner door. A hiss came from the darkness. And before she could even flinch, a furred face came in view, with a pointed snout, and tiny whiskers. A mouse, she immediately recognized. A gigantic, man-sized mouse face. She ducked and the oversize rodent went straight over her head, bowling into the first room of the building. Peter yelped in surprise and the Murid turned toward him, beady eyes locked in what looked almost human in its focus. Tom was already reaching for his hammer and got ready to smash the beast aside. And failed to move, as manalight swirled around the eyes of the Changed beast. For a second, Johanna spotted a terrified look in her husband¡¯s eyes, as he looked down at his feet, incredulous. ¡°Roots,¡± she called, using the generally accepted term for her old, vanished ability. The one advantage they had ¨C assuming the beast had only one skill, which looked doubtful based on the mana zone reputation ¨C was that it stopped only a single person in its tracks. The three of them were free to move and act. She aimed her hand and shot a fireball. But the Murid had extremely good instincts, and it managed to dodge. The fireball grazed its fur, splashing only just behind it. The giant mouse seemingly ignored the embers and evaporating liquid fire, turning its head toward Johanna¡­ and breaking eye contact with Tom. Johanna¡¯s husband wasted no time. He immediately moved to the Murid, the handful of yards covered in less time than it took to take a breath. The hammer slammed, rebounded, and struck again in the same move. The beast hissed. The sound was more like one of those small snakes you¡¯d find at times in the fields. Dangerous-sounding, but ultimately not a real threat, even to young kids like a Johanna Milton. A stick to move it aside, and she could keep working. Peter had the katana in hand and was moving forward, ready to slice the beast. Johanna stopped herself from firing another fireball ¨C if the Murid dodged, it could hit her friend. The Changed rodent hesitated. It had realized in its oversized head, but small brain, that it might be facing too many powerful enemies. The hesitation was fatal. The katana ¨C Swordcutter ¨C sliced. It couldn¡¯t penetrate too far ¨C go beyond one foot, and it would catch on normal stuff, its cutting properties unbalanced. But one foot, even into a giant beast, was enough. The beast jerked, but too late. Tom¡¯s hammer smashed into it, and Peter slashed again, red spreading under the beast already as it slumped, dead. ¡°A magic Changed,¡± Tom finally noted. ¡°A single-target ability,¡± Johanna elaborated. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Yea, not so useful,¡± Peter said. ¡°I remember Elena talking about a Murid lair¡­¡± Johanna started. ¡°I doubt this is it. Doesn¡¯t fit the name of ¡®lair¡¯,¡± Laura countered. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± ¡°Besides, if what you see is right it¡¯s got a better artifact,¡± she laughed. ¡°They wouldn¡¯t have noticed it. But she mentioned earth and fire, and that one¡¯s earth only,¡± Johanna replied. Johanna picked the branch again and lighted it back. She waved it in front of the door, then pushed it inside, looking. The torch cast light on dark walls. There was a single shaft of light further away, coming down from a rectangular opening in the ceiling. ¡°Looks safe,¡± she said, moving over the door rolled-down remains. She looked upward. The swirling ribbons of manalight ran across the ceiling, and, once again, she reflected on the fact that this ¡°light¡± didn¡¯t illuminate anything. It just¡­ was. The rest of the team moved into the interior room. Indistinct shapes filled the half-darkness. Johanna squatted next to the closest, trying to figure out what it was. With the torch closer, it was more defined. A box-like shape, with metal beams, weird circular shapes inside, and what looked like a top box of what had once been a bright color, but now looked like brown dirt, with part of whatever made it peeling. Ancient Plastics, she surmised. There were wheels on one of the sides. She tried lifting the box frame, finding it heavy. She reluctantly dropped it. Even if they weren¡¯t simply running away from the army of the Montana, it would be hard to salvage this. The streams of manalight ran into a wall, just over a door. Unlike the rolling doors, this one seemed a classic model, with just one of those handlebars that she found commonly in most of the non-habitation ruins. ¡°In there,¡± she announced ¡°Beware, there might be another giant mouse there,¡± Laura warned. ¡°Door closed and intact,¡± Tom noted. ¡°Let¡¯s open it.¡± Moore had been monitoring the regeneration factor. It had jumped to 150% - Tom getting 45 stamina/hour instead of 18. He was checking each view when he noticed something. The slow-down let him focus on the incongruous detail. Is that a snout embedded in the wall? Then the System label of the Level 11 Superior Quadra Murid popped, and he knew it was not ¡°embedded¡±.
Pass Through Stone Requires: Agility 22/Authority 20/Perception 17/Level 10
Effective: N ¡Á Agility + Level (adds mana) Passive: Vibrations translate into vision if you are unable to see. Active: Treat most solid non-metallic structures as liquids. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds
Johanna¡¯s eye noticed the spot of manalight on the wall. For a tiny fraction of a second, she wondered if that wasn¡¯t another artifact. Then a snout came out of the concrete wall and bit her shoulder. She fell to the ground without realizing why. But there was a hand on her shoulder already, and she knew that Laura had immediately reacted. But while her friend was healing her, the snout was followed by an entire Murid¡¯s body, pulling out of the concrete as if it wasn¡¯t solid. The Murid almost fell on Laura, who flinched. Tom immediately reacted, closing the half-dozen yards, his hammer smashing into the side of the mouse, who slid almost a foot to the side, its paws slipping on the concrete floor. The Changed beast hissed, the same abnormal sound as the previous mouse. Tom prepared another strike and stopped. The fur smoothed out, the hit vanishing. ¡°Healing itself!¡± he warned. He noticed that Peter seemed to be gone. Probably getting ready to strike without the Murid being ready. He raised his hammer again. Even if the mouse could heal, he could distract and let the small guy strike. Wait. Laura could heal me from being cut. Laura was backpedaling from the mouse, keeping her focus on the beast, suppressing her attack speed. Johanna had turned and was scrabbling out of the way. Tom readied himself, but before he could strike again, the creature dived¡­ into the concrete floor. ¡°Fuck,¡± Johanna swore. ¡°Is it running away?¡± Laura asked. ¡°Don¡¯t know. Maybe it¡¯s smart enough.¡± A hissing sound came from the door behind them. The three of them turned back. Then the mouse¡¯s sound cut abruptly. ¡°Room¡¯s too small and dark. Let¡¯s retreat¡­¡± They ran into the main room, which was deserted. Johanna looked at all the locations, trying to guess where the Changed was hiding. The first inkling of the Murid¡¯s coming was a sudden vapor coming out of the concrete. Then the Changed beast jumped out of the wall and smacked straight into Peter. Who, Johanna realized, had been there. Both man and mouse were surprised, fumbling into a tangle. The beast tried to bite Peter, who jerked his hand away weirdly. He tried to swing the katana on the beast, but from his position on the floor, it was hard to. Instead, he pushed the knife in his main hand, striking true, and bringing out a hiss of pain. Then he yelled. ¡°Fucking cold. It¡¯s like freezing water!¡± Johanna let go of the idea of throwing a fireball. Too easy to hit one of them, she judged. Instead, she dropped her now-useless torch, lighted her knife, and pulled out the flame in the other hand, trying to get the right angle of attack. Tom crashed into the beast. His double strike almost bent the head of the beast, before it smoothed away again. Johanna saw a flash of manalight cover the Murid¡¯s fur. A ghostly outline of the mouse appeared as if some kind of glass had suddenly made an oversize duplicate of the beast that followed its outline. Tom smashed his hammer, and it rebounded but didn¡¯t strike again. Johanna noted that there was little effect. The giant mouse hissed again, and swung a paw a Tom, raking his arm. Then Peter swung his katana from the side. Johanna had missed him coming out from behind, and sneaking into position. The beast hissed again as red splashed on the floor, and dived into the concrete. ¡°Fuck,¡± Johanna swore again. ¡°Look. The ice,¡± Tom pointed. She could see the dampness on the concrete floor of the room freezing¡­ and the freeze moving. ¡°It still has its frozen aspect on. You can follow it.¡± They spread out, trying to keep away from the position the Murid had in there. Then, there was a pop, and a mouse body literally jumped up, twisting in the middle. Johanna didn¡¯t hesitate. Angled upward, the Murid was a good target. A fireball launched, smashing into the Murid. It fell to the ground, fur burning, just in time for Peter to rake the katana across its face. This time, the Changed beast didn¡¯t sink back into the ground. Tom¡¯s hammer fell, and the body jerked across the floor, leaving a red smear under it. Johanna didn¡¯t realize but she was shaking. ¡°We got it,¡± Peter said, prodding the corpse with the point of the katana. ¡°It didn¡¯t heal the last hit.¡± Johanna approached the furry corpse. Now that it was dead, there was of course no manalight, and she suddenly realized what she¡¯d seen. ¡°It ran out of mana. It popped out of the ground, and didn¡¯t have that manalight aura.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t have that double outline either,¡± Tom noted. ¡°You saw it?¡± ¡°Yea. Looks like that one was a visible part of¡­ whatever it was using.¡± ¡°Whew. Thanks for the lack of mana,¡± Peter said. ¡°I wonder¡­ I never had to use it more than a couple of times,¡± Laura said. Johanna noticed her pale face. ¡°There¡¯s a limit on how many times we can do something. Fireballs are easier, I presume,¡± Johanna replied. ¡°And I don¡¯t see how to measure this,¡± Laura shuddered. Peter¡¯s hand fell on her shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it. A couple is all we need. Right?¡± he asked looking back at Johanna. ¡°We do,¡± she confirmed, unsure of the truth. ¡°I see now how they lost seven people in a lair.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t the same Murid, but yea.¡± Johanna finally pushed on the handlebar. ¡°Stuck. Like most of those in the ruins. Dammit,¡± she said. ¡°Let me,¡± Tom said. The big man pushed harder, then shoved the door to check if it stayed put. ¡°Let the small guy do it,¡± Peter finally said. He pointed, and the katana appeared in his hand. Johanna and Tom moved away quickly. Peter put the point at the top of the door, pushed slightly, and once the katana had sunk into the metal, dragged it down to the bottom. He was going to do the other side when the door twisted, and he had barely enough time to avoid it crashing on the floor over him. The rear room of the building was pitch black. Johanna waved the torch in case there was another Murid in there, but nothing seemed to move. Dim shapes flickered with the torchlight, and she cautiously moved in. The others entered. Unlike the other room, whose enigmatic framed items seemed close to intact, this one was trashed. The back of the room was occupied by what she could only think of as a nest. Obviously, it was the nesting place of the Murid. Its ¨C what, mate? ¨C couldn¡¯t enter, but that one could move across the walls easily, so why not use a well-protected area as a lair. Locations of shelves were visible, with Alium supports still attached to the wall. And manalight swirls plunged to the shelf location. She kneeled and found¡­ a glove. She brought up the glove, and gasped, as the manalight dimmed, and then vanished. ¡°WHAT?¡± ¡°Problem?¡± Tom asked. ¡°The manalight¡­ is gone.¡± ¡°The artifact is broken?¡± Laura gasped. ¡°Yea. I picked it from there,¡± she pointed, before stopping. A small swirl of manalight was turning. And now that she was paying attention, the swirl passed through the glove in her hand and vanished on the ground. She held the glove close and shifted through rotted wood debris until her hand found something. This time, when she rose up with the two gloves of the pair, the manalight kept swirling, attached to the gloves. ¡°So what happened,¡± Tom¡¯s voice interrupted. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ not one item. It¡¯s two. It¡¯s a pair of gloves.¡±
Enter Tree Tier 6
Effective: 119 mana (+114/hour) Passive: Your water needs per day lowers by 95% (capped) Active: Temporarily merge into a tree, as long as the trunk is large enough to hold your body. Active cost: 1 mana per 119 seconds.
49. Bad Weather As long as there¡¯s breath in our lungs, our story is still being written. Pre-Fall quote The boss fights in that ¡°dungeon¡± had brought in a lot of XP. Moore¡¯s plan was to keep the four of them in synchronous levels, or at least as much as he could. Their individual XP pools were drifting, even if the combat XP was perfectly split, and the global pool had enough to rebalance everything. He still wanted to allocate at least one useful skill per stat, preferably one that could be also ground out of combat for extra XP. Since they all needed a new skill point, therefore a level, it was time to do it. He would have to invest in some stats later, but that was okay. Raising levels gave them a slight boost in any case. The first candidate, as usual, was Peter. He needed only XP from the personal pool which was over 8k and committed immediately the level 6. The plan was still to put 6k afterward for Strength, so he ignored further changes, focusing instead on his newly expanded horizon. With level 7 skills now listed, he took advantage of accelerated time to check the new list. There were relatively few of them, he noted before realizing that most of those newly visible were requiring higher stats as well. And for those, he was still mostly limited to 19 in a stat or 17 for PER. Well, well. I will definitively have to invest in raising stats soon¡­ Expanding his horizon in that ¡°horizontal¡± direction was going to be useful anyway since it did increase their abilities and pools. Even more in the case of Tom and Peter who had already two skills in their main stat. And with the cost of levels ramping up, it was getting relatively cheaper and cheaper. 3647XP from the global pool later, everyone was level 6. And everyone got a new skill point. With under 2k XP remaining for distribution, he had no immediate options in terms of new skills, though. Peter would get Forced Attack once he raised his Strength to 16, meaning six thousand XP. Tom was waiting for 3k and therefore 16 Dexterity, to get Block, the 18STR/16DEX/Lvl 4 skill that would allow him to get some defense. Not too much, compared to the dodge of Peter, but some. While Authority and Perception were also options, the skills there were all mana-based, like Peter¡¯s. And he was not about to spend points to get a ¡Á1 skill that brought back a dropped weapon in his hands, just to complete a build. Besides, he had an unshakable grip as a passive. For Johanna and Laura, though, he had some real choices to anticipate. For the healer, his original plan had been to invest in Perception. With baseline Fixer skills, there were a few that might be useful there. But with level 7 visible, he had The Perfect Skill for that stat.
Regrow Requires: Empathy 19/Agility 17/Perception 17/Level 7
Effective: N ¡Á Perception + Level (adds mana) Passive: You know instinctively the gravity of a wound. Active: Regrow (Eff/100000) ounces of bone, muscle or organs per second. Damaged organs or bone can be fixed at double the speed rather than being reconstructed. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds
Deep Fixer EMP 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Combat Fixer EMP 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Fixer If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. EMP 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Tyrant Fixer EMP 17/AUT 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Presumably, whatever specialization that awaited at EMP17-PER16 was also going to get a 2¡Á multiplier. Not that it really mattered for that one skill. Being out of specialization just meant longer sessions on quiet days. They might not need it right now, but given some of the hairy situations they put themselves into, there was only so much time before they ran into trouble First Aid couldn¡¯t fix. If the cut from that Eversharp sword had been aimed at Tom¡¯s arm, he could have lost it entirely, and fixing trauma was certainly not an option in that case. Re-growing about 3 pounds of flesh per day was¡­ well, 3 pounds more than nothing. So, for Laura, it was now ¡°wait for 13k XP, then whatever is needed to complete stats¡±. With 16 Agility already there, due to the inauspicious choice of Earthbind, Johanna had one immediately available skill, Burning Coals. But, while it promised spectacular effects, leaving a wake of burning behind her was not the best of skills for combat. She might decide to grind it, but that was doubtful, and thus not a priority. Grinding was partially why he was not entirely ready to replace Flame Handling ¨C which would be cheap to remove at 500XP ¨C with another more combat-oriented skill of the same multiplier. As it was, it still did provide a higher cap on her flame temperature and was also providing some good XP per day. The much better alternative was Steam Breath. But that one was going to wait for 3k to put into Empathy. It wasn¡¯t as offensive as pumping Fireballs into faces, but it offered a decent ¨C and cheap, skill-wise ¨C short-range area of effect. Burning Ground at 2 points in Authority was clearly superior, but if she used it, she was completely cut off from Laura¡¯s support, because 5 feet all around her would be a burning hell. Heck, he didn¡¯t even know if her boots or clothes would be safe from it. Moore was not going to bet on finding a ranged heal anyway, and without experimenting, he didn¡¯t know how fast that could be turned off. Probably almost as instantly as the hand or blade flames, but, again, he was not willing to risk 3000XP to realize it was too dangerous for everyone. Enough dithering. Need more XP anyway before I finish this level. Johanna had played with the gloves. If you separated them, then the mana flow dried up. It restarted as soon as they got close, flowing into one of the two, then into the other, seemingly at random. In fact, if she put them together, any sudden move tended to invert the flow, which then entered through a different glove. The others were letting her check. Johanna could see the mana, after all. Unfortunately, that was pretty much all she could do. ¡°I¡¯m going to try them,¡± she finally admitted defeat. ¡°Most of them seemed straightforward,¡± Peter remarked. ¡°Not all. Whoever tested Siegebreaker against walls got lucky.¡± ¡°By the way, we haven¡¯t named the sword,¡± he replied. ¡°I thought we did? Swordcutter?¡± ¡°Not the best name. A sword that cuts¡­¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯re getting your chance again with the gloves. If we figure out what they do.¡± ¡°Best case, they should be good armor,¡± Tom noted. ¡°Fingerless gloves, like those things for artisans that need touch and grip. You still get your last phalange cut.¡± She finally slipped the gloves. They were slightly bigger than her hands. Not by much, but she had to tighten the wrist strap. When she spread out her arms beyond the two feet at which manalight vanished, the flow extended, running from one hand to the other by following her arms and crossing over her shoulders. She couldn¡¯t see it under her chin, but it was unnecessary. She flexed her hands a bit, trying to see if something was special. There was a deep rumble. Johanna was startled, but the flickering of light attracted her eyes upward. The holes in the ceiling had darkened, and she could see some drops of water coming. The idea that the gloves brought in thunder seemed awesome in its own right, but she doubted it was that. She ran her gloved hand across herself. She even fingered the cut across her shoulder where the Murid had bitten her, trying to see if the gloves worked like the Hammer of Fixing. She felt her way across the floor of the room and grabbed her hunting knife to check. ¡°Can¡¯t figure it out, so far,¡± she admitted. ¡°Keep them on?¡± Tom suggested. ¡°I will¡­¡± She took stock of their situation, as another peal of thunder sounded. ¡°We¡¯re looking horrible.¡± ¡°Save for Laura,¡± Tom noted. The woman punched her husband, then raised her hands defensively. ¡°If I¡¯d known, I¡¯d have stolen some spare tunics,¡± Peter said. The other door¡¯s handle moved a bit too freely. In fact, when pushed by Tom¡¯s feet, the door itself opened without needing to push the bar. He threw the improvised torch in the room and moved back as the rest of the team tensed. Nothing moved so Johanna gave her torch to Tom and her husband peered. This time, no mouse jumped out of the dark. Once they pushed light into that room, she saw that there was another door at the end, but that one was unlikely to lead further. The door itself was bent by pressure, and dirt and black earth spilled, filling the rear. The rest of the room was filled with what looked like a metal desk whose Ancient covering had rotted away, leaving only a handful of fragments glued to the frame. On the other side, there was a row of what looked like nine lockers. The metal cupboards¡¯ doors had fallen away and were lying on the floor. Any hope of things to salvage died when she saw what was in those lockers. Stripes of undefined materials were hanging from twisted metal wires. Then she realized that you might be able to do something with that. None of them had anything for that, but the strips of Ancient cloth might be good enough to patch their outfits somewhat. 50. On the Road Again There are Deep Changed, and there are The Deep Changed. Van Ronkas, America¡¯s Mapping Society The weather was bad again, but not too far gone. Johanna still wished at times for the cold immunity of Elena, as the temperature was above freezing, but just so. Snowflakes were falling, although they melted immediately on the ground, making everything soggy. And slowing them. The Ancient road was godsent. It even looked pristine, the kind of black covering called asphalt that remained in lots of places in the ruins. But those had never looked that good. Here, even the roots of the tree that lined it twisted rather than dig under it and break it. And wonders ¨C it went east-southeast, just where they were heading towards. The drawback, of course, was that it lacked any cover from trees. So, the snowflakes fell on them and still made the road slick. But they still made better time than walking across soggy earth in the forest. Tom pointed in the distance. Johanna squinted, then shuddered. The silhouette in the distance looked twice the size of a bull ox. But rather than a fur cover, it had a mottled white¡­ carapace. Like one of those river crabs, but elongated. It also had too many legs for an insect or even a spider¡­ and a giant tail, hovering behind it, with a bulbous tip and a spike that looked like a weapon of war. And it was slowly coming their way. And she could see faint wisps of manalight rising from ¨C or sinking in ¨C its carapace, like some whisps of colorless light. Not entirely like magic being used, more like an artifact¡¯s presence. RUN! Moore wanted to scream, uselessly. The figure coming was the stuff of nightmares before you even saw the System label. He¡¯d thought the weird hedgehog was a boss. He¡¯d thought the oversized last mouse in the dungeon had been a fitting boss, but he had been wrong. The albino scorpion coming was designated as a Level 19 Supreme Energized Scorpid. He could guess by now what the labeling was building to. A skill designator. The more elaborate, the more skills available to the monster. A theme designator. This monster was probably mixing lightning and other things. And, as an afterthought, the species¡¯ type. He was pretty sure the scorpion¡¯s tail could be used to devastating effect even without even requiring a System-backed skill. This boss had a pointed spike that looked like it could skewer even Tom¡­ and good luck healing trauma if the tail spike remained embedded in his torso. Or whatever poison was bound to be there. Okay, that¡¯s too much like some game spectacle, but the point stands. Good. Hide, he thought as he noticed the four scrambling to the side of the road. As he spotted the slowly crawling Scorpid continuing, he saw a pair of weirdly shaped stretched black triangles briefly hovering above it, just before the team rushed under what looked like a concrete overhang and he lost sight of the monster.
Shadow Wings Requires: Authority 27/Strength 23/Agility 21/Level 16
Effective: N ¡Á Authority + Level (adds mana) Passive: You suffer (Eff)% less damage from falling. Active: You have space-time shear wings, suitable for flying up to (Eff¡Á10) feet above ground. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds
Earth Shaper AUT 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Fast Fixer EMP 17/STR 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Tyrant Fixer EMP 17/AUT 16/Lvl 5 N=1
It¡¯s not directly combat-related, but fuck it. Don¡¯t need to see the combat ones. Johanna scrambled under the overhang, the others following her lead. The small stream had barely any kind of flow, but the Ancients ¨C assuming this was the proper place for the road, and not something scrambled by a Changestorm ¨C still had built a bridge over it. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. The four huddled there. ¡°If I can see it drawing mana, like an artifact, it¡¯s way, way more dangerous than that Murid,¡± she briefly explained. There was confidence, like in that weirdly altered Ancient location, and incorrect confidence, like now. They might have grown in power, but she wasn¡¯t sure they could tackle that kind of Changed beast. And her faith in the Skeleton providing had its limits. Peter whispered, ¡°I¡¯m going to check.¡± She almost said no. But he had all the advantages his position gave him. ¡°Be careful. That shit¡¯s obviously very powerful. And we don¡¯t know what truly Changed can do against you.¡± Her childhood friend shrugged as his wife squeezed his hand. In the worst case, they would either run¡­ or fight in desperation. Maybe the monster wouldn¡¯t like being shoved in its carapace a magical sword held by someone who always hit the right spots, with a flame burning over it. So, she nodded and watched as Peter turned uninteresting, before slipping out from under the bridge. As usual, once she missed keeping track of him, he was gone, and she couldn¡¯t find him. While waiting, she distracted herself by checking the bridge. Like many of the Ancient constructs, it was a kind of faked stone, the so-called concrete universally used by them. Gritty, but unnatural. The modern version worked almost as well, even if it was rarely used, at least in Valetta, and even less around it. What was funny is that people ¨C Ancients, presumably ¨C had carved stuff in it. There were abstract symbols, like a four-lobed clover over what looked like a jagged triangle. Names. A pair of heart-shaped figures with arrows that wouldn¡¯t have looked out of place on the timbers of Anasta¡¯s palisade. Even a few sentences, like ¡°Roark was here¡±. Then she realized that the carvings ended abruptly at the edge of the concrete, leaving even one letter cut in half. She was startled as Peter touched her shoulder. ¡°Beast¡¯s passed over the bridge, and is heading the way we came from.¡± Johanna breathed more easily. ¡°We wait some more, then we go again.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± she added belatedly. Peter merely shrugged. Eight more days in the wilderness, their backpacks becoming lighter and lighter as the packed rations were going. By now, Johanna was thoroughly sick of the army rations. They might keep very well, but at least scavenger¡¯s meals were more varied. It had not taken them long to figure out the Artifact gloves. Whoever used them barely needed to drink. Why gloves would let you skip drinking was a mystery, though. Unfortunately, they couldn¡¯t simply rotate the gloves and skip on finding clean water to refill the canteens ¨C you needed to keep the gloves on to reduce your thirst. It was still useful, so Johanna kept them on all the time. Peter, of course, gave the gloves the name of Thirst, just to be contrary. The eastern part of the mana zone was more populated. They kept seeing beasts all around. Some obvious Changed ones, some that looked more normal. They¡¯d fought a couple of Canids. Obviously a mated pair, the she-wolf still visibly sporting nipples even in this late November. There was no trace of any smaller Canids, but the two Changed fought with abandon. And burned after she blasted them with a fireball as soon as Tom and Peter had been out of the way. There had been a pack of Lepus. Almost as numerous as the ones they fought months ago on the road between Valetta and Anasta. This time, no one got gored as they methodically dispatched the beasts. Two Felids had stumbled upon them and ran away as soon as she¡¯d brought up her flame. The feline Changed beasts seemed to be the smartest of the lot, almost immediately realizing they were outmatched. But suddenly the trees changed. Johanna had grown accustomed to the incredibly tall trees, whose main variation was how high the branches and leaves started. And, across some kind of invisible border, the trees turned into short pines with dark needles that still looked like normal trees. ¡°Looks like we¡¯ve reached the edge,¡± she said. ¡°Finally.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a long, long time.¡± ¡°We¡¯re still not out. We need to find that road that was on the map, then one of the towns,¡± she warned. ¡°I hope their inns have showers.¡± ¡°They better be,¡± Tom confirmed. Even if the tree mix had not changed, Moore could have guessed the ¡°mana zone¡± ended there. The regeneration rate had been steadily falling, and as they stepped out of the tall stripped trees into what looked more like an ordinary pine forest, Tom¡¯s regeneration ¨C which had been his go-to check, due to the highest regeneration stat from Strength ¨C had finally matched back the nominal score. Now that they were out, the opportunities for XP were drying out. There might be some things to fight, but probably not on the order of the last non-fight, where a level 8 basic Felid had run away from the team as soon as they got ready to fight. So, it was time to finish the level¡¯s plan. Peter had always been the one leading the leveling and everything, but this time, he was the main beneficiary of the global pool XP. Tom got a whopping 105XP to top him, but 1670 global XP later, everyone got the planned skill for that 6th level. Johanna was now at 16 Empathy, with a Steam Breath. So far, she had not figured she could spray scalding steam, but it was only a matter of time. Unfortunately, the visible skills in Strength and Agility were underwhelming so far. Going to wait if level 8 has something good. Hopefully, it¡¯s both. Tom finally got a defensive skill to go with 16 DEX. Block was, based on the description, a skill against close-ranged weapons, although Moore hoped it worked against ¡°natural¡± weapons like those of the Changed bestiary. Descriptions without a serious wiki to check the exact details of something were a pain in the no-longer-existing lower regions. And finally, Peter got the much-delayed Forced Attacks. Moore did not know if it would interact with the artifact sword and its Eversharp. In the best case, the artifact sword would cut deeper. And if it didn¡¯t, well, it applied to the off-hand ¨C or main-hand, since Peter for some reason seemed to prefer to transfer the sword to his off-hand, and then fight with a dagger-slash-knife in his right hand. As for Laura, there was no point in investing anything in her build. Sure, he had enough available that he could boost Perception right now and raise her mana regeneration in anticipation of the next level, but an extra 2 points per hour were not going to matter much at this current point. You¡¯re going to be the pioneer to expand the horizon to level 8, Moore thought, not-smiling. The pine forest, for all of its mundanity, was almost as miserable as the mana-infused forest had been. Trailing rains dampening everything were the same, whether they got filtered by Changed trees or ordinary ones. The good thing was that you had some small game around, and they could chance hunting it. Laura had maintained she was certain they could risk eating stuff from the mana zone, and she¡¯d be able to clear any consequences, but although she¡¯d been tempted, Johanna had nixed the idea. If it failed, it could fail catastrophically, and they would have been too far away from civilization. After a few tries, she quickly abandoned the idea of launching fireballs at squirrels or unchanged hares. The mix of burned fur and charred meat was not entirely inedible, but close. It was slower, but far better to have Peter sneak in next to the unsuspecting beast, at which point he skewered the prey with a knife at point-blank range. Once properly skinned, they made a much welcome addition to the dwindling army rations. As often, Tom was the one to point out something. The forest was very sparse at this point, but what was notable was the packed earth running across it. ¡°Road. Civilization, at last,¡± he announced. Johanna negotiated the twist in the road and spotted the carriage a few hundred yards in front of them. ¡°Hopefully, that means we should make it soon,¡± Laura immediately noted. They walked more briskly. The carriage, upon closer inspection, was driven by oxen rather than donkeys, but that was okay. Two men were seated on top, but she could guess the beasts of burden were driving themselves. It was usually the case for such trains. Tom pulled his fingers and whistled, warning the team of the presence of additional travelers. The two turned heads, and Johanna wondered briefly why they seemed slightly familiar. Then one dropped a wooden cube, and the two groups simultaneously exclaimed ¡°Wait a minute, aren¡¯t you¡­¡± 51. Letters on the Wind I write to discover what I know. Pre-Fall author Letter from Elena Worchester to Billy Jo Weirky
Billy-Jo, I know, it¡¯s been a long time since I wrote. And last time, you wrote back that your leg wasn¡¯t getting any better, and that gout was never going to improve. I hope you were a pessimist, and that your twilight years aren¡¯t bad. The real reason I write isn¡¯t a simple pleasantry, though it¡¯s always pleasant to remember life in the south. It¡¯s to tempt you to come up north. I know, I know, it¡¯s cold and somber and all things. And even if I am immune to the cold, I swear it still does stuff to my bones, even though I¡¯m not fifty yet. There is a new fire mage in the Union. There, I¡¯ve said it. And I know I sparked your interest. After all, she has the flaming hand. I could recognize that any time. Bright, unflinching, and all that. And inextinguishable ¨C she can turn it off, not obstacles. Of course, if that¡¯s all I had to offer, you¡¯d laugh at me, like you always did when I said mists were better than a flame. So, why do I want you to bandage your foot and hoist into a carriage north despite the ¡°abominable¡± weather? She¡¯s an archmage. I hope I had your curiosity, but I¡¯m sure I now have your attention. She¡¯s also got the flaming blade of Juan Suarez. You may remember reading about him, although he died before you were a mage. In addition, she¡¯s got the earthen roots. There are maybe two people in Maistry¡¯s Keep that can somewhat shuffle against her gaze, and not that easily. Now for the final blow, and if you aren¡¯t already packing when you finish, I¡¯ll send you a bottle of unguent against that gout of yours. She¡¯s tier 6, of course. And she¡¯s got Jade¡¯s mana sight. The only people known beyond her to have it were all Erlangs, but they¡¯re insanely gifted. Yet no Erlang known has four Talents. Maybe one of their secretive Council of Five. But she does. Of course, she¡¯s also drafted in Maistry¡¯s current war. And I¡¯m not sure she¡¯ll make that much of a difference ¨C all her abilities are too focused on close range, single target. But if you can¡¯t make it before we get deployed to the front lines for winter against the wendigos, well, you can wait for us. I doubt she¡¯ll get killed stupidly. How can she be drafted? That¡¯s simple. She¡¯s 19. No, I¡¯m not joking, or, how they say in the east, trolling ¨C lying like a Caribbean Troll. Can you imagine what she¡¯s going to be at 40? At 60? America may gain prominence among mages worldwide. The Erlangs may have more. But we¡¯ll have better. Looking forward to seeing you soon. Elena Worchester, Sorceress of the Mists. PS: Did I mention that one of her friends is a Mind Sorceress. Trust me, and prepare to be blown away. I¡¯ll tell you more when you get here.
Letter from Elena Worchester to Sandra Frederick-Muriel, Current editor of the Mages of America
Mrs. Muriel, I formally submit an addendum to my previous notification to the Society of the Sorcerers and Sorceresses of the Americas¡¯ office of records. I have received your request for confirmation that my original notice was genuine and not, as you implied between the lines, an attempt at self-aggrandizing. Besides, entries into the Mages of America reference are unattributed anyway. Things have changed since I originally wrote. I am writing this as I ride to the frontlines of the Fourth War of the Montana, so I may not be easy to reach, at least not until the campaign ends. The entry I submitted for Johanna Marcia Milton needs to be amended. She was previously estimated at low tier 6. She is now at a minimum tier 7. Given the magnitude of her highest clocked ability ¨C 2 hours, 41 minutes ¨C it is almost certainly indicative of an intermediate tier between 6 and her current. I was present at the moment she jumped up in tiers, and it was not, as it always has been, during sleep. She was in the middle of military training, and the circumstances seem to indicate that she temporarily lost her abilities before they grew back in magnitude. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. You¡¯ll find a draft description appended to this letter, as well as amended descriptions for both flaming hand and flame blade. She far exceeds any previous descriptions of such ¨C and yes, I¡¯m aware of the paucity of details on Juan Suarez¡¯s old Talent. We¡¯ve discussed with Mrs. Milton what happened and the implications may be far more reaching than a simple anomalous mage. I suggest anticipating the organization of a full meeting of all the Sorcerers of the Americas, including that Erlang expatriate, Feixing Zhongzi ¨C I apologize in advance if I mangled his name again. This may not happen soon, though, as military matters in the North interfere. I will send word again as soon as I am free to travel to Nashville with Mrs. Milton and Donnall. Until then, I would advise you against publishing an early updated edition of the compendium, as the implications are staggering, and may warrant significant alterations to the core chapters of the book. The Warden may also place obstacles, but I sincerely hope I can sway him on that point. At least once this war ends, which I cannot foresee taking long. You are welcome to forward a copy of this correspondence to Ernesto Gomez, the distinguished scholar of the Academy of Post-Fall Physics in Nashville. I am also writing directly to him in any case, and including my full notes with detailed numbers as soon as I¡¯ve finished measuring every aspect of Milton¡¯s abilities. Sincerely, Elena Worchester, Tier 6 Water Sorceress. PS: Mrs. Donnall reports no change whatsoever in her abilities, and her inclusion as a Mind Sorceress is not to be doubted.
Letter from Elena Worchester to Lord Warden Edgard Maistry
Edgard, Did you fuck up? Because I would be very, very angry at throwing my weight behind someone that can miscalculate as badly as this clusterfuck promises to be. I know my late father¡¯s family has always been one of the great pillars of the Wardenship, and all that, but I decided to help you, not because of tradition, but because you might have what it takes. I¡¯ve never understood why the ancient Americans didn¡¯t finish the job, and let the remains of their enemies fester on their northern border. ¡°Napoleonian wars¡± don¡¯t excuse that. At the moment, I¡¯m holed in the Kootenai Garrison with Ulrico and Floriano. I don¡¯t doubt that you¡¯ve also gotten a report. Or multiples. Let¡¯s cut the bullshit. Somehow, they found out someone was slipping them Zeroluck. And they got angry. And they deserted. If you expected anything else, let Anna explain life to you. At least you can listen to your wife. And that¡¯s on the eve after Johanna manifested even bigger abilities. I¡¯ve been there for the debrief of the survivors of that ill-fated attempt at catching them. Milton may have gained abilities mid-battle previously, but they reported ¡°Saint¡± Donnall is now literally blinking from one place to another to use healing abilities, before jumping back at safe distances. And Donnal¡¯s husband is a Hero. Sure, he seemed a normal person, his old village didn¡¯t suspect him to be one, and his trainers say he often got a few clumsy moments, and the four of them fed us a bunch of bulls¡¯ balls about how he wasn¡¯t there when they got abilities. But the survivors swear he¡¯s able to move blades from hand to hand without actually swapping them, and no one ¨C absolutely no one ¨C saw him until he struck Devereaux. He walked to Captain Devereaux, in the middle of a fight, and no one saw him do that. He¡¯s one of those. The California Ghost was only caught by pure chance, may I remind you. You have the four most powerful Talented in history angry at you, Edgard. And that¡¯s not good. The Hereditary Honcho of Yellowstone would probably like nothing more than getting you in trouble ¨C as long as the frontier holds. He¡¯s still the primary suspect behind that assassination attempt I saved you from, after all. At least they didn¡¯t put the garrison to the torch before running away. Because at this point, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they could have destroyed it just to cover their tracks. You need to fix this, Edgard. And fast. Although Milton was not given to yield much in the way of details, her friend Donnall let slip some more stuff. It¡¯s not some mana pocket that did this. They found the remains of an Ancient in the ruins. We know that old things from the time of the Ancients sometimes get imbued by powers. Imagine what it could be if an actual Ancient corpse was so enhanced. An Artifact that, rather than provide a fake Talent, can unlock real Talents. Forget about throwing money at the problem. If they gain power every couple of months, we¡¯ll need THAT kind of stuff if ¨C when ¨C they come back. Remember the adage: Never do your enemy a small injury. Elena. PS: When you find it, call for me. If the Northerners haven¡¯t realized we lost Milton and I¡¯m not needed¡­ I want to see if that Ancient can unlock more powers, even if you already have some.
Edgard Maistry, Warden of the Montana, winced. He hadn¡¯t known her that angry since¡­ well, never. She was usually more unflappable. But I¡¯m ahead of you, Elena. He looked up to Adjutant Agnello. His friend¡¯s face was composed and unreadable, full diplomat mode engaged. ¡°She IS pissed.¡± ¡°It was a good idea,¡± was Agnello¡¯s only comment. ¡°From her tone, you¡¯d think she was the Warden, not me,¡± Edgard laughed. ¡°She did save you against those assassins on the road. There are people who think that makes her responsible for whatever you do after that.¡± ¡°And for all she points me to Anna, it was her who gave me the idea, after all. After Jory and Karl, there were enough Maistrys around. Even with primogeniture, it could become a problem, and Anna¡¯s ancestors always had half a dozen kids or more every generation.¡± The Warden folded his Sorceress¡¯ letter and dumped it on his desk. ¡°The corpse hint should be good. Send a courier to the expedition.¡± ¡°Am I your secretary?¡± ¡°Okay. Let him send that courier. I¡¯m not asking you to do it yourself.¡± ¡°Actually, I¡¯m inclined to jump on the saddle and take command at Valetta,¡± Agnello said. ¡°Could be useful.¡± ¡°With their desertion, I can even promise things like amnesty and similar to get more details from their families. I¡¯m sure they did talk, after all,¡± the adjutant speculated. ¡°As she said, nobody talked about Peter Donnall.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡± ¡°Meanwhile, let¡¯s see what we can do about them.¡± reasons is confirmed, and we do not need to fear that fire-throwing sorceress or her dreadful acolyte.¡± 52. Way Station Hiding places there are innumerable, escape is only one. Pre-Fall writer ¡°Coby Hopkins, right? And Lucas¡­¡± Johanna asked. ¡°Farnsworth. And I remember, you¡¯re one of those scavengers from Valetta¡­ Something Milton¡­¡± the other man said. ¡°Yes. What you¡¯re doing here?¡± she said back. ¡°Could ask the same. But I¡¯m guessing you did just like us. You took a runner.¡± ¡°You vanished after the fight in the Narrows, right?¡± she asked. Johanna remembered that old fight. Adjutant Agnello had complained afterward about losing over twenty levies who went missing. He had said at the time that any who did that were playing with their lives, but obviously, the two former scavengers from Lakeview had made it. ¡°We saw you fighting that monstrosity, I think. With a fire pike or something. It was the best occasion we¡¯d ever get. Any other time, the soldiers were on watch. We slipped into the forest south, doubled back, then followed a couple of days later. You?¡± She shrugged. ¡°We got to New Benton. We were trained there. Then we were sent to the front, and after the first battle¡­ well, yes, we slipped away.¡± ¡°Good for you. Maybe it¡¯s your State, but it wasn¡¯t mine anyway. We fucked up getting registered residence, even if it was better for taxation. Death and taxes may be both guaranteed, but I¡¯ll take my chances with the latter,¡± Coby Hopkins said. ¡°Get on,¡± the other scavenger said, pointing to the back of the carriage. ¡°There¡¯s enough room there.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°Yea, you look really bad. Rough travels, I guess.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been¡­ risky,¡± Peter said. ¡°We¡¯ll be at White Meadow before noon. That¡¯s the main city. A bit bigger than Lakeview, not as big as Valetta,¡± Lucas Farnsworth announced. ¡°Do they have a good inn, that¡¯s all we ask,¡± Laura said. ¡°A single one, but it¡¯s a big one. Almost empty at this time of the year, apparently.¡± ¡°Empty?¡± Johanna asked. ¡°Yea. That¡¯s why we¡¯re still there. We snuck into New Benton, but couldn¡¯t find a passage to Yellowstone, so we hired ourselves as temp guards for a caravan going east. But the commercial traffic dies in late fall, and there¡¯s nobody going to the Dakota or Custer State. Not until spring. So¡­ we¡¯ve found a job doing local transportation. Doesn¡¯t pay much, but we can stretch our money that way. We¡¯ll go into Custer, then back home in Yellowstone. Got relatives that will be happy to hide me. Lucas got family not too far away.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll probably have to figure out something ourselves then.¡± ¡°Yea. Ask at the inn. The innkeeper knows everyone, he can help you find something. And he¡¯ll give you a great discount rate if you stay months¡­ if you pay in advance, that is.¡± ¡°Us deserters have to stick for each other,¡± the other scavenger added. ¡°Does anyone know about you¡­¡± ¡°I doubt they care. It¡¯s the frontier, that Warden¡¯s authority is limited here anyway. The local ruler, Countess Rocastle, she¡¯s a good one, or so they say. Took over when her husband died or something. When they got asked for levies, she put out a bonus for volunteers, and then completed their quota with a bunch of drunkards and local louts, or so I gathered. Apparently, everyone was happy to see those gone.¡± Johanna refrained a smile. The contrast with Valetta was striking. The palisades of White Meadow were very similar to the ones that surrounded Valetta, although Johanna could tell the enclosed area was much smaller. The single-manned gate was about as large, but carriages and caravans dictated those. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. The two scavengers pointed out the Inn, which was close to the entrance. The four jumped down from the carriage, and their fellow ¡°scavengers¡± waved as they moved on toward their cargo¡¯s destination. ¡°Looks good,¡± Tom commented. Once inside, the inn looked more like an upscale version of their old usual inn at Valetta. It did have a significantly larger common room, and the usual keys board listed over sixteen rooms. Only four had keys out, though, as the two scavengers had warned them. ¡°Hello,¡± Johanna said to the innkeeper behind the counter. ¡°Rough trip?¡± the man asked. ¡°Relatively speaking, yes. I heard the roads toward Dakota were closed?¡± ¡°The weather¡¯s not that bad yet, but you won¡¯t find anyone going there till April. The east road got snowed a bit last week, and I don¡¯t know how it is going further east,¡± the innkeeper confirmed. ¡°Okay, need to discuss with the rest then.¡± They took a table with a local beer order. After three weeks in the wilds, a decent drink was welcome, magical Thirst effects or not. ¡°So. What do we do?¡± she asked. ¡°We can try to push forward. We can deal with beasts¡­ but I¡¯m more worried about the weather,¡± Laura said. Peter pulled out the map. ¡°Looks like three days¡¯ trip to the frontier line, but the next real town over is more like ten days. In good weather,¡± he estimated. ¡°If the snows are anything like we get in the west, it could be worse,¡± Laura noted. ¡°And we don¡¯t have real winter gear. Need to fix that first,¡± Johanna said. ¡°Fixing clothing, getting real backpacks¡­ tents?¡± Tom checked. Johanna went back to the innkeeper, asking about stores. There were stores for that type of winter gear, although he had no idea of how much stock they would have. ¡°Packs, probably some. There¡¯s always someone breaking stuff. Tents, I doubt you¡¯ll find any.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± she said, before coming back. ¡°So, we agree?¡± she asked. ¡°We don¡¯t stay in the Montana any longer than we need to,¡± Peter confirmed, and all others nodded in agreement. ¡°We shop, and unless there¡¯s a blizzard, we push on.¡± The innkeeper seemed a bit peeved that they were not taking rooms for an entire month. After a quick negotiation, she negotiated a slowly diminishing price if they had to stay for longer than a week before they took their keys and moved upstairs. There were showers in each room. And Johanna and Tom still managed to delay the shower until later. Laura and Peter were already waiting for them in the common room once they finally went down. A bit cleaner, but although Peter¡¯s outfit was still relatively intact, compared to Johanna and Tom¡¯s, it was still sporting those partial repairs. ¡°Clothes first?¡± Johanna asked. ¡°Undoubtedly.¡± The town was a lot smaller than Valetta, and its commercial district was in proportion. A dozen of stores surrounded a marketplace, which was obviously going on only in the mornings. There was a single clothing store, in which they piled in. While the storekeeper¡¯s wife was trying to find something to fit Tom without too much in the way of touches, Johanna discussed salvage with the owner. ¡°That¡¯s what you used to fix that coat?¡± ¡°We¡¯re salvagers. So, we had some old stuff, but that¡¯s unusable. We still have some goodies that we haven¡¯t sold, though. Boxes, glasses, various small tools.¡± ¡°Well, you won¡¯t find much in the way of buyers around. You¡¯d have better luck going to New Benton and selling there.¡± Johanna kept her face straight at the suggestion. If there was one place they were definitively not going to, it was the capital of the Montana. In the end, they did not need to get a full fitting from the store. Tom managed to get a thick winter jacket and trousers set that needed only basic alterations ¨C ¡°you got almost the size of the Carl brothers¡± ¨C and the clothier¡¯s wife could fix Johanna¡¯s coat with a minimum of work. Peter¡¯s outfit had only gotten minimal damage, and the storekeeper got to work as a tailor while his wife was still trying to sell a completely new jacket to Johanna. Not that she was going to spend money on such. The 50-dollar silvers in her bag were only going to stretch that far. They rushed to the tavern next door, as fitting Tom¡¯s clothes and fixing Johanna¡¯s coat was going to take an additional two hours. Johanna¡¯s light undercoat vest was only small protection against the early December temperatures, even at noon. As they moved out after a small, but much-welcome lunch, she spotted a good swirl of manalight coming from north of the town. Apparently, there was some kind of large artifact out there. Probably owned by that local countess. All in all, it took them most of the afternoon to check on everything. The general store had backpacks for sale, but only three were large enough. The rest were smaller packs that were okay for local trips, but not for longer ones. They still purchased everything they could ¨C Peter would have to deal with the old bags. ¡°Okay, food will be doable. That tavern can cook on order a trail mix once we decide on when we leave,¡± Johanna noted. ¡°I think we¡¯ve done all we can today,¡± Peter said. ¡°We need to find more about the roads and a better map. The longer we stay, the worse the weather.¡± ¡°For myself, I¡¯m looking forward to a real bed tonight,¡± Laura said. ¡°So do I¡±, Johanna replied. As Johanna made her way down the stairs to see what the inn had for dinner, she noticed the well-dressed woman, with a pair huge man next to her. This immediately brought back the old memories of the caravan master in Valetta. The two men screamed guards to her. A quick peek at the board showed no new key gone, so she assumed she was a previous guest, some kind of merchant staying over for the winter. But as they made their way to a table, she spotted the innkeeper pointing out them. The woman put back her mug, stood up, and started toward them. ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°Uh, hello,¡± Johanna answered tentatively. ¡°I wanted to meet you. And invite you.¡± She looked them over. ¡°Done shopping, I hear. Good thing. Although, young man¡­ you might definitively change clothes.¡± ¡°Uh?¡± Peter said. ¡°Old military surplus isn¡¯t rare, but most veterans are in their thirties at best. Someone as young as you¡­¡± Seeing the incredulous look, she went on. ¡°I am Lady Catherine, Countess Rocastle, by the way.¡± She took stock of the four. ¡°And you must be Peter Donnall and you Tom Milton. Although I can only guess¡­ you¡¯re probably Laura Donnall then, and so, you must be Johanna Milton,¡± she finished, looking at Johanna. 53. Cozy Chat You cannot open a book without learning something. Pre-Fall philosopher ¡°You were slightly conspicuous in any case,¡± Countess Rocastle said as they walked in the slowly darkening streets of White Meadow, with her two guards as an escort. ¡°It¡¯s not a big city, and although late season travelers aren¡¯t unknown, people with obvious scuff marks and at least one in military gear is not that ordinary.¡± ¡°And you don¡¯t have problems with¡­ deserters?¡± Johanna asked. ¡°The Warden¡¯s authority around here is light. After all, it¡¯s mostly an accident of history and of the Wars of Unification that the Demesnes are in the Montana rather than the Dakota. Nobody cared much about that back then, and it hasn¡¯t changed that much. Deserters are an army problem, not a Demesnes problem.¡± ¡°That said,¡± she added, turning slightly to throw a look at Johanna, ¡°Don¡¯t make me say what I¡¯m not saying. This is the Marches of the Montana, after all.¡± They arrived at what looked like a miniature version of Maistry¡¯s Keep, with a lot fewer floors. And, unlike the Keep, this smaller fortified structure was entirely enclosed within the town walls, rather than separate. Johanna got confirmation of what she¡¯d spotted previously but judiciously refrained from asking about the artifact. A pair of butlers, reminiscent of the protocol at the capital, took possession of their cloaks, and they were immediately brought into a small dining hall, where five seats were already placed around a large table. Countess Rocastle wasted no time heading to one, seemingly at random and gestured. ¡°Take seats. You¡¯ll probably find dinner better than at the Inn. Not to disparage Jory¡¯s works, of course, but with little in the way of guests, he tends not to make too much of an effort.¡± Johanna exchanged looks with the rest, and they finally took seats. Johanna sat closer to their host, of course, and Peter actually took the furthest seat ¨C just in case he needed to be unnoticed. They had barely sat when the servants brought glasses and a large pitcher. From the look and smells, it was some form of hot mulled wine, which felt heavenly. They poured for all four and their host, and then retreated, leaving Catherine Rocastle to taste the brew. ¡°Now, of course, normally, I don¡¯t really bother looking after people who show up unexpectedly. You wouldn¡¯t be the first people trying to run away from the Montana coming through here. Deserters are rarer, but with that levy stupidity, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if there were a lot more running around.¡± She put down her glass and looked at them, before focusing again on Johanna. ¡°But then, normally for such, you get a placard at home, with rewards for their hometown and a reminder to families that they¡¯re complicit if they are found not to have turned them in. Sending one to all places in the Montana is¡­ very unusual.¡± ¡°So, there¡¯s a bounty after us.¡± ¡°Including a poor drawing of what you¡¯re supposed to look ¨C which is why I wasn¡¯t even sure who was Mrs. Milton and who was Mrs. Donnall. The description was better, but what was very surprising is what it said.¡± ¡°They included details?¡± ¡°Yes, but mostly that they warned of you all being very dangerous since you are supposed to be all Talented. Which explains why they state it¡¯s safer to kill you rather than try to capture you, and the Warden offers the same reward for either.¡± Johanna shuddered. ¡°Not that surprising,¡± Catherine explained. ¡°People can be bound and disarmed. No one can remove or negate a Talent, no matter what it is. The notice didn¡¯t include much in details, except that you are all quote-extremely dangerous-unquote. Two high sorceresses and two strong heroes.¡± ¡°That¡¯s me and Laura,¡± Johanna admitted. ¡°Fire and Mind aspects. And well, my husband and Peter are¡­ pretty good at what they do.¡± Catherine whistled, startling Johanna. ¡°Anything pertaining to fire is dangerous, no matter how tiny it looks. But mind seems to be¡­ even more so?¡± she asked, looking at Laura. ¡°And you don¡¯t want a test. People really get upset when I do that.¡± This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°You¡¯re tempting me. Maybe later, then. After dinner. But I wonder how you got together. Talents are rare, finding that many in the Montana is even more unexpected.¡± Broths were brought in, and Catherine sipped a bit, wincing. Johanna decided to start immediately without waiting for it to cool down. Now that she¡¯d acknowledged her Talents, she had no reason to hide her fire resistance. ¡°We¡­ actually, we knew each other before. We got levied together from home in the west.¡± ¡°There must be something good there if western Montana has so many Talented. I hear the shoremen revere the ruins as magic and worship heroes.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not from that far. Near Valetta, actually.¡± ¡°And when you deserted, you decided to run here, rather than home where they¡¯d expect you. Good idea.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re not tempted to¡­ you know¡­ turn us in?¡± ¡°If that was my first idea, I certainly wouldn¡¯t be inviting you at home,¡± Catherine laughed. ¡°It would be men-at-arms with swords in the middle of the night with Jory using his spare keys.¡± ¡°As I implied,¡± she continued, ¡°I¡¯m not a major supporter of the Warden. This war is pretty much his fault. Well, that of his ancestors, but sometimes the sins of the fathers are visited on the son.¡± ¡°Many people back in New Benton were saying Victor was preparing to invade, is that right?¡± Peter asked. ¡°I¡¯m not saying it¡¯s a family tradition, but¡­ it¡¯s a family tradition. Ever since the Wars of Unification brought the Maistry family to power, they¡¯ve sought to add to their rule. And, well, waging war internally within the Union is not a winning proposition. The Treaty was made for that, after all. But then, sometimes, people will do whatever to expand their rule, rather than improve what they already have.¡± She took a distant view. ¡°That¡¯s what my husband says. Said, maybe.¡± ¡°Said?¡± Johanna asked. ¡°David vanished a few years ago. I¡¯m pretty sure he¡¯s still alive. I know, in my heart, he is, and will find his way back to me.¡± She sighed. ¡°I still want to be called Kitty, but I sometimes despair. Sometimes. But enough about me. I invited you to see what kind of runaway you were that warranted that much attention. And, well, how much trouble you bring with you.¡± ¡°We¡¯re just passing by,¡± Johanna said. ¡°We escaped by trekking across the northern mana barrier, and we¡¯re just resupplying. Once we leave the Montana, then we¡¯re good.¡± ¡°How so?¡± ¡°If the laws of the Warden no longer apply, then we¡¯re off the hook from the draft.¡± Catherine shook her head. ¡°Is that what you think?¡± ¡°The Treaty says you can¡¯t apply laws from outside the State you live in.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what it says. What it means is that the laws of the State you live in still apply.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that what I just said?¡± Johanna wondered. ¡°It means that if the State you¡¯re running into allows for the draft, then unless you qualify for an exemption there, your drafting in the Montana remains perfectly legal, even with retroactive law benefit. You may argue for the duration, potentially, but not its application.¡± ¡°Oh. Oh¡­¡± ¡°And unfortunately, most States do have a draft, even if the details differ. Like Dakota ¨C I think the main difference is that, if you have a child under 16 instead of 12, both parents can¡¯t be drafted simultaneously.¡± ¡°Shit. Excuse me, Mrs,¡± Tom said. ¡°Excuse accepted, Mr. Milton.¡± ¡°We killed some soldiers sent back after us. Does that mean?¡­¡± Johanna asked. ¡°You can argue self-defense, certainly. But that¡¯s impossible to argue if you are still legally deserters.¡± ¡°But we ran away because the Warden was slipping drugs to us.¡± ¡°Drugs?¡± Catherine asked. ¡°Some contraceptive drugs. Preventing us from having children.¡± ¡°I stole the box, and it¡¯s in my bags at the Inn,¡± Peter added. ¡°Something called Zeroluck.¡± ¡°And he was using that to prevent you from getting out of the draft?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Johanna said. ¡°Even for the Warden, that does seem a bit excessive. Trying to extend the draft¡­ You must be truly talented, then.¡± Johanna decided to provide a little truth. ¡°Tier 7. Both us. And, well, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s the same system for Heroes, but Tom and Peter are probably in the same levels.¡± ¡°Thanks, but I know the ranking of sorcerers. The Mages of America lists only six tiers.¡± ¡°We are¡­ above even Elena Worchester.¡± At least she assumed for Laura, based on her gaining an entirely new ability. Now that she thought of it, the replacement of an adept-level ability with a massive one probably pushed her a tier above. As she said, we are unknown quantities. ¡°Really? I can¡¯t tell if you¡¯re bullshitting me or not.¡± Johanna ¨C and the rest ¨C slowly unwinded as they ate Catherine¡¯s dinner. Countess Rocastle did not seem to be that impressed by their Talented status, no matter what. Johanna still kept the extent of their abilities deliberately vague, even if the woman was easygoing. The Warden himself had been a bit stiff, but not evil-sounding like a real novel villain. Yet here they were. ¡°I suggest we adjourn in the library. It¡¯s cozy, easy to warm, and we can chat a bit more there,¡± Catherine finally suggested. They all stood up and followed the Countess. The manor was not that large, and they quickly found themselves at a door. A sleepy dog raised his head briefly, but that wasn¡¯t what struck her. The truly amazing sight was the extent of the shelves. ¡°Gosh, you have lots of books,¡± Johanna said. ¡°I love them. And I¡¯ve read them all, unlike some stuck-up nobility who collect them to simply show their wealth,¡± Catherine explained. ¡°I never had a big collection. I was going to probably get a bookcase¡­ you know, back at home.¡± ¡°There¡¯s time. This one was started by my husband¡¯s great-grandmother, not me. My own mother was bad, she would always start a book, then drop it mid-way and pick a different book. She had maybe twenty and almost never finished any.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your best novel?¡± Catherine threw her a pitying look, and Johanna quickly amended her question. ¡°Or good stuff on the Ancients. Or the Fall.¡± Catherine smiled at the face-about and took pity on her. She looked a bit at the shelves, and tiptoed to one, pulling a leather-bound tome and she gestured toward a small table next to a comfortable chair. She placed carefully the book in the center. ¡°One of my treasured possessions. It¡¯s not about the Ancients directly, it¡¯s more about how they saw the world around here, before the Fall. It makes you realize what the Fall changed, and how differently they saw the world.¡± ¡°May I?¡± Johanna asked. ¡°Go ahead,¡± Catherine replied, gesturing toward the tome. Johanna gingerly reached for the precious book. 54. Novelization When Johanna¡¯s hand touched the old re-bound book, Moore got the biggest surprise since he¡¯d started experiencing the entire System, after regaining awareness. An entirely new interface popped up along her more familiar character sheet, unbidden, as time crawled to a halt from the Interface. It was similar to when a secondary sheet came up, yet totally different in this case.
Settings Scroll creation
Effects Cost
Add +1 level 20 pages
Add +1 stat (unselected) 10 pages
Set specialization (unselected) 10 pages per tier
Add skill (unselected) 10 pages per tier
Remove skill (unselected) 5 pages per tier
Total pages available: 382 Total: 50 pages
COMMIT? No
What the? And not only that, but for the first time ever, he also had a form of help added to the interface. The title part gave him a warning when he focused his attention on it:
Warning
User of the Settings scroll must be compatible with the content of the scroll: - User must qualify for specialization after adding level/stat, if any - User must not already have the specialization - User must qualify for skill after adding level/stat, if any - User must not already have the skill, if adding - User must have the skill, if removing
Warning
User of the Settings scroll must pay the appropriate costs for all the settings alteration: - User must have enough experience to gain the level, if any - User must have enough experience to gain the stat, if any - User must have enough experience to override the existing specialization, if any - User must have enough skill points to acquire the skill, if any - User must have enough experience to abandon the skill, if any
Notice
Settings scroll will be unable to be consumed if the user does not qualify or lacks enough resources. Scroll remains available until consumed or physically destroyed by sufficient force. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.
He plunged into the new interface using the time dilatation and quickly explored its limitations. The only problem he ran into was trying to fit things like Shadow Wings, which apparently exceeded the limit. You could only increase levels by 1, only one stat at a time and for a single point, and, obviously, only add or remove one skill at a time. His own capacities, when he interacted with the team¡¯s character¡­ settings?¡­ were much more diverse. He could preset multiple skills, at least if they related to different stats, add multiple points to separate stats, and the biggest difference was of course that he could tinker with all four characters and use the global experience pool to supplement their costs. And all that before he needed to commit any changes. But the scroll interface was undeniably a stripped-down copy of the ability to tweak the team¡¯s sheets, and the limit might even be related to his inability to see further than +1 in any ¡°direction¡±. Or maybe it¡¯s the reverse. Can¡¯t see more than +1 because it should be impossible to do it more than +1 at a time? Wait, is that how people should naturally use the interface if they could see it? Can¡¯t do more than one individual adjustment at a time? That felt wrong, somehow. After all, what would prevent anyone from closing the interface after a commit, then re-open it? He did it all the time, after all. What mattered was¡­ for the first time, he saw a real way to directly affect the world. To interact with the system for someone that wasn¡¯t one of the four on his team. Because if ¡°creation¡± meant what he thought it did, he was going to make a¡­ kind of macro, in physical form, for a ¡°user¡± to adjust their character sheet. Any user. Any person. Or so he hoped, anyway. Depending on how easy it was to use¡­ he might even provide other types of specialization. Johanna and the rest were always going to be a powerful team, as powerful as he could make them, but it also opened perspectives to help others. Allies, friends. Toy with a crafter, or any of the weird specializations he¡¯d picked so far. The perspectives were endless. If¡­ if he could make more than one. There had been something about that book in particular that prompted him for the option. Ancient book. It¡¯s an original. From before that Fall. Like the Artifacts. Please don¡¯t be an Artifact. An Artifact that can be turned into a macro only because it doesn¡¯t have a skill locked in yet. It would be so horrible. There was only one way to test. Do it¡­ and see if it could be repeated. And the cost in pages almost certainly meant the book size was going to be the main deciding factor. For now, he had to think seriously about what he was going to do for his first and maybe unique attempt. And for whom he intended it. Play it safe. What had been Catherine Rocastle¡¯s stats? She was well rounded, with Authority and Strength as her main stats, and the only one ¡°self-boosted¡± being Perception to 15. Which meant he could go fighting or sorcery¡­ the woman did not strike him as an adventurer or front-line commander or something given the moderate accumulated XP, although appearances could be deceiving¡­ What to do, what to do¡­ The metal mage specialization was the obvious play here, he decided. Her baseline Strength played into it. His big obstacle with that was that he couldn¡¯t set a Metal Shaper or whatever, since he had yet to invest into Johanna¡¯s Strength ¨C for some molten metal stuff. But he¡¯d never seen the specialization ¡°outside¡± so far, and he wasn¡¯t going to spend all of the accumulated XP on Johanna just to see a specialization for someone else. So, future Metal Shaper. One day. And while he had multiple skills to pick from, there was one that would be very, very obvious once she used it, just like Johanna¡¯s flame had been back then. Not only it was the highest tier he could find for her, but it was also safe to pick. If he¡¯d misjudged the situation with that noblewoman, it wouldn¡¯t be too dangerous for her to have.
Metal Skin Requires: Strength 16/Authority 17/Level 6
Effective: N ¡Á Strength + Level (adds mana) Passive: Adds (Eff) stamina Active: Alter your skin into a metallic form, protecting against piercing or slashing attacks by (Eff¡Á3-skill or stat)%. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds
Duelist AGI 17/STR 16/EMP 16/Lvl 4 N=1
Guardian STR 16/PER 16/Lvl 2 N=1
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=1
The limitation on the number of skills was such that he¡¯d need to use multiple scrolls if he wanted to grant her a reasonable build. He mentally winced at the base cost for every scroll. The book ¨C assuming it was even re-usable ¨C might barely be enough. Given that governing principle, the first scroll for Rocastle was simple to set up. It would cost her 9000 XP for the level and stat gain, for which she had enough, and a single skill point, of which she had plenty once she was raised to level 6.
Settings Scroll creation
Effects Cost
Add +1 level 20 pages
Add +1 stat (STR) 10 pages
Set specialization (Shaper) 20 pages
Add skill (Metal Skin) 90 pages
Remove skill (unselected) 5 pages per tier
Total pages available: 382 Total: 190 pages
COMMIT? Yes - No
Let¡¯s hope that using the ¡°scroll¡± is intuitive. 55. Illumination The Pen is mightier than the Sword. Pre-Fall adage Johanna yelled in surprise, as an icy sensation poured across her arm into the hand. Her hand had suddenly frozen in the act of thumbing the first page of the venerable book. She tried to move it, but it was glued to the book, and the book itself felt as if it was glued to the table as well. Catherine¡¯s gaze snapped from the book to her, as she was surprised by her reaction. But Johanna didn¡¯t have time to speak. Light poured out of the book. Johanna saw what looked almost like manalight briefly, flowing into the tome, but an abstraction of blue lines then snapped over the book, and everyone¡¯s sudden gasp told her that those lines were fully visible, not just through her special sense. The lines twisted, as something poured out of the book into the construct of light floating above it. There were briefly abstract letters, words, and diagrams fleetingly merging into a three-dimensional set of twisting interlocked cube outlines. Then the paper of the book started to tear up, folding and following the lines and vanishing into the cube mesh, and Catherine reached, trying to tear the book out of Johanna¡¯s hand. The countess immediately snapped back her hand, as the intense freezing sensation came, feeling as if she had submerged her hand into a winter lake¡¯s ice. She contemplated, horrified, her book being slowly whittled, the paper flowing through Johanna¡¯s hand as if it did not exist. Then the floating abstract cubes slammed together and a large and thick paper sheet fell over the back of Johanna¡¯s hand, and she finally snapped her hand out of the book, as the light show vanished. ¡°What did you do to my book?¡± Catherine yelled at Johanna. She contemplated the desk before whispering, ¡°I have no idea.¡± Catherine snatched the book, looking horrified at the ravaged tome. ¡°It¡¯s missing almost half of its pages. You¡¯ve¡­ burned the pages?¡± ¡°It didn¡¯t look like fire,¡± Tom said from behind the two women. ¡°At least not the fire you bring up,¡± Peter said, approaching as well. Laura peeked over his shoulder, curious as well. Johanna held the parchment-like sheet. A kind of dark blue ink traced lines and text. It had four squares, splitting equally the page. The central part was a circle, with small squares interlocked within. She turned it to see better. There was writing, but bent, written to follow the circular drawing. The letters were oddly shaped, half handwritten, half sharp-lined, unlike any book she¡¯d ever seen. She could make the words ¡°Level¡±, ¡°Strength¡±, ¡°Shaper¡± and ¡°MetalSkin¡±, one in each square. ¡°Give me that,¡± Catherine snarled, snatching the sheet. The woman froze as she held the parchment-like rectangle. Lines of ink lighted up with the same blue glow as before, tracing the four squares. Glows coalesced, converging on the central circle, and then slowly circled, four-inch-long individual lines of light turning around the central diagram. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Johanna asked. Catherine stayed silent, a frown deepening over her brow. Then the parchment¡¯s edge started burning and the whole sheet vanished in a speeded-up burnout, leaving no trace whatsoever, not even the slightest trace of ash. Catherine startled, and Johanna¡¯s hand grasped hers. ¡°Are you okay? What happened?¡± ¡°It felt¡­ it felt like waiting. Like it was waiting for approval. Which is strange, coming from a piece of paper.¡± She looked at the table, with its ruined hardcover, and shook her hand wonderingly. ¡°I¡¯m starting to think you are way, way stranger than just a bunch of extremely talented people running away from Maistry. And I have no idea what happened.¡± Johanna tried to remember what the parchment had felt like in her hand. It hadn¡¯t felt like something that needed approval. It felt more like she wasn¡¯t supposed to touch it, or something similar. Wait, was that meant¡­ for Catherine? Specifically? Before she could voice her thoughts, Tom¡¯s voice interrupted. ¡°Those four corners seemed like labels to me,¡± he said. ¡°Labels?¡± Catherine asked. Tom was right, Johanna realized. ¡°Names of things? About what¡­ levels, like in a construction? Or something?¡± she speculated. ¡°No idea, but metal skin seemed oddly specific,¡± Peter mused. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Whoever has ever heard of anything having a metal skin. Well, Ancients items had metal wrapping¡­¡± Catherine¡¯s voice trailed. Johanna saw the familiar flash of magic appear a second before she saw the silvery sheen come out from under Catherine¡¯s sleeves, spreading fast over her wrist, then her hand. At the same time, she saw the shiny cover rise from her robe¡¯s neck, surrounding her throat, crawling over her face. All of them reflexively took a step back from their host as she turned into a shining statue that moved. Catherine raised her hands, looking incredulously at the silvery sheen of her fingers, as the metallic aspect finished covering her head. Her hair looked unchanged, with the mere hint of a reflective surface in the depths of her flowing hairdo. ¡°Metal Skin?¡± she said wonderingly, as she took a step. ¡°Lord,¡± Laura said, eyes suddenly wide. ¡°You can use magic. You¡¯re a sorceress.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not¡­¡± Catherine pleaded as she gently tapped her palm with her other hand. Then she turned to Johanna. ¡°How do I¡­¡± ¡°Let it go,¡± Johanna replied. ¡°You can just let it go. It¡¯s kind of a muscle you flex in your mind. That¡¯s how I do my flame.¡± Catherine¡¯s skin turned pinkish, and suddenly, there was no trace of any metal whatsoever. ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything. It just¡­ stopped.¡± ¡°Do you feel empty?¡± Johanna asked. ¡°Uh? Kind of¡­ it¡¯s hard to explain.¡± ¡°That¡¯s how I feel¡­ how we feel¡­ when we expend all of our, well, energies. You just got magic. You didn¡¯t have enough reserves, I think.¡± Catherine¡¯s laugh was brittle. ¡°I¡¯m a brand-new sorceress. No wonder I don¡¯t have reserves.¡± ¡°That comes back. You will learn, I know.¡± Johanna grabbed again the book, turning it. ¡°What are you doing to my book?¡± Catherine protested, grabbing at Johanna¡¯s hand. ¡°Seeing¡­ if it happens again.¡± ¡°What would happen again?¡± ¡°This¡­ this was for you. When I held that parchment thing, I knew it wasn¡¯t for me. But you could use it. It was meant for you.¡± She turned the ruined book, trying to see if what she¡¯d felt was coming again. But the book remained a book, and nothing happened. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°We¡­ we have that presence over us. I told you we got power together. But it¡¯s not just some random fluke. We found¡­ a skeleton while scavenging. The skeletal remains of an Ancient, I think. Preserved by mana, or maybe its willpower.¡± Catherine frowned, and Johanna raised her hand to stall her. ¡°Ever since we found that Skeleton in that Ancient ruin, we got power. And not once. It keeps changing us, giving us new skills, and improving us when we need it. The Warden¡¯s sorceress, Elena Worchester, said no archmage ever had the same kind of skills, as if there was no reason behind theirs. But we all have skills that go together. I¡¯m all fire from magic now. Laura is all about supporting us, helping us. Peter is completely innocuous-looking, and if you didn¡¯t know, you wouldn¡¯t guess he¡¯s some kind of Talented. Nothing very flashy¡­ and so on. It¡¯s not like every Talented with one or two random special Talents. It¡¯s very, very specific.¡± ¡°And you think¡­¡± ¡°That the presence¡­ Changed your Ancient book to give you something. Maybe something you needed.¡± ¡°That Ancient of yours?¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s the only explanation possible. You might argue that we change based on what feels right for us because our power was unleashed by the mana accumulated in the Skeleton. But that¡¯s not what it is. The Ancient dead one, who gave us powers, is trying to give you some now.¡± Catherine contemplated the hardcover tome before shrugging. ¡°Well, one power is nice. Even if it¡¯s not as impressive. I guess not everyone can be like you, Johanna.¡± ¡°Most of the book is gone, though.¡± ¡°If you need to sacrifice an Ancient book every time, it¡¯s going to be painful for my collection. I have only three originals. Two and a half now, barely,¡± Catherine noted. ¡°Well, you tried,¡± Tom said, as his hand fell on Johanna¡¯s, squeezing it. Lines twisted above the book. When Moore saw the mention ¡°Johanna Milton has already used this book¡± instead of a ¡°Commit¡±, he could have yelled if he had the equipment for it. There were enough pages to create a new scroll¡­ but no. It was a one-shot, as he had feared. Although the experiment by itself was a success. The scroll had been tailored for Rocastle¡¯s stats, and she¡¯d been very obviously immediately able to use it, and had done so. When she¡¯d grabbed Johanna¡¯s hand again, he¡¯d verified immediately that his choices had taken root.
Catherine ¡°Kitty¡± Rocastle Female human, 38 years, 9 months
Shaper Level: 6 (13000 XP needed) Mana: 0/23 (+15 per hour) Stamina: 0/23 (+17 per hour) 5 unallocated skills points XP: 4221
STR: 17 (2000 XP needed) Metal Skin (23) AUT: 17
AGI: 14 PER: 15 (2000 XP needed)
DEX: 15 EMP: 15
The noblewoman had probably been completely taken by surprise and didn¡¯t know what had gone on, but what counted is that he had been able to provide a real ¡°Settings Scroll¡±. And funnily enough, it had added 38 XP into the global pool, instead of giving the experience to Milton. That wasn¡¯t much, but as always, any XP was good XP. The surprise was when Tom¡¯s hand touched ¨C at least one finger ¨C the book. Suddenly, the scroll creation popped up again in his view from Tom¡¯s perspective, and without the warning at the bottom. That¡¯s when Moore realized he could do it potentially four times per book. Well, probably not four times in this case ¨C the pages would be exhausted quickly. But if the team understood that each one of them needed to do it¡­ Oh, right. Next skill on my list.
Settings Scroll creation
Effects Cost
Add +1 level 20 pages
Add +1 stat (unselected) 10 pages
Set specialization (unselected) 10 pages
Add skill (Rust) 50 pages
Remove skill (unselected) 5 pages
Total pages available: 192 Total: 100 pages
COMMIT? Yes - No
I have just enough pages for a third skill. I¡¯ll go for Detect Metal next with one additional Perception, that¡¯s the biggest tier that fits within the remaining book once I¡¯ve raised her mana above 30. 56. Gifts Beware Greeks (which ones??? there are three different polis of the name!) bearing gifts (why???) Scholastic assignment at Nashville University There hadn¡¯t been much of a book left after the third parchment, made through Peter and labeled ¡°Perception¡± and ¡°DetectMetal¡±. The cover ¨C a modern leather binding replacing the Ancient one, long gone ¨C of the Sights of the Ontario held only a blank sheet from the end of the book. Catherine had contemplated pensively the ruin of her precious collector item after consuming the third parchment sheet. Johanna had seen her hesitation, but let her. Then, after maybe a minute, she¡¯d looked back at her shelves. She made for one, hesitating once again. She finally fished another book, whose cover was extremely faded. ¡°I have a¡­ modern copy of that novel,¡± she said, holding the book on her chest as if it was a thing beyond precious. Which, Johanna could agree, was the case when it came to originals. She knew old books preserved reasonably well outside of ruins if you were careful about them, but any Ancient book left in ruins was at the whims of mana and the ravages of weather. Mana could slow decay, but any unlucky tome would be gone today, ruined by age and weather. She and her friends had never found any intact one in all the ruins near Valetta. She looked up to Catherine, silently asking for permission, and the countess acquiesced slowly and reluctantly. Lines poured out again, as pages flew out of the book into the abstraction floating above. This time, it coalesced into a parchment labeled ¡°Dexterity¡± and ¡°Fusion¡±, which sounded strange, almost fire-based to Johanna. But she couldn¡¯t use it, and Catherine¡¯s touch caused it to vanish, so it was a proper parchment for her. The big surprise was when Tom repeated his book harvesting. The parchment that formed this time was completely different. Instead of the single text or two opposite labels of all the previous ones, it was again a full four-word version. ¡°Guardian¡±, ¡°Level¡± ¨C again, ¨C ¡°Authority¡±, and ¡°Disarm¡±. That one was a head-scratcher, notably when Catherine realized she couldn¡¯t use the parchment as she had the others. Laura tried her touch, and the one parchment that formed was labeled just ¡°GaugeEndurance¡±. There were pages remaining, and the rest vanished under Peter¡¯s touch, creating a final parchment titled ¡°Agility¡± and ¡°Armored¡±, leaving maybe twenty pages in the pitiful ruin of a book. None of those last two parchments lighted as Catherine held them. ¡°I say¡­ this is intended for someone else. A¡­ guardsman?¡± Tom finally said. Catherine slowly contemplated the three heavy sheets, fingering them. They still looked like no paper or skin she¡¯d ever touched. She felt the parchment label fitted them best, although they were¡­ otherworldly. ¡°I think you¡¯re right.¡± She threw a look at the shelves before shaking her head again. Johanna asked, ¡°Do you have another¡­¡± ¡°Not going to throw my books to the fire, or whatever. Besides, I only have three ancient originals¡­ one now. And the last one is nearly irreplaceable. I know it¡¯s been a Rocastle property since the Fall itself. Not going to destroy it, no matter how much ¡®Talents¡¯ you get from it.¡± ¡°Assuming it¡¯s only Ancient books that can be made into these,¡± Johanna said. ¡°My dear, how many books have you touched? After you encountered that ¡®skeleton¡¯ of yours and everything happened?¡± ¡°Maybe it was waiting until we met you?¡± she countered. Catherine blinked. Then she grabbed a book more or less at random from the nearest shelf and placed it in front of Johanna. ¡°See?¡± she said after nothing happened when Johanna placed her hand on it. ¡°You¡¯ve called, Lady Rocastle?¡± the first man-at-arms asked vaguely sleepily. Johanna guessed the two guards that had escorted them had probably retired for the night. Catherine did not have the large staff that the Warden could have. And probably did not need permanent protection. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°Anthony. Valentin. Yes¡­ there is something I wanted to check.¡± She held the 4-corners sheet, hesitating. ¡°Anthony, can you take this?¡± ¡°To do what, my Lady?¡± ¡°To see if you can use it.¡± ¡°Use?¡± The guard was obviously surprised. He looked dubiously at the parchment, then extended his hand and took the page from Catherine. ¡°How do I use it, then?¡± The five of them looked at the page, which remained inert. ¡°Don¡¯t think it works. What do you feel, Anthony?¡± The man frowned, thinking. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I should have this¡­ I think.¡± ¡°Valentin?¡± The other guard bowed slightly and took the paper page from his colleague. Ink started glowing, before coalescing into streaks of blue. ¡°You should be able to accept, somehow,¡± Catherine said. ¡°Accept what?¡± Valentin asked before the paper abruptly burned. He dropped it, startled, but it was gone before it left his fingers. ¡°Looks like it¡¯s for you then. Take those two as well,¡± the countess said. The guard picked the two parchments, who similarly lighted under his touch, and flash-burned like the previous had done for Catherine. Johanna felt awe. Because, if she was sure ¨C and that could not be anything else - the man was now a Hero, whereas he had been a simple guard. Just like that, he¡¯d entered a new realm that many dreamed about. And while heroes were less well known than sorcerers, she guessed those did not come with three abilities that often. Moore found himself slightly disappointed when they stopped after the second book. He¡¯d tried to improvise after exhausting the store of skills for Rocastle. He could have squeezed the last skill point, but if he managed, later, to unlock Metal Shaper, he could replace her specialization and any of the skills he could apply that were invested in either Dexterity or Empathy would be wasted. If he had more XP to work with, he could have raised those and picked some potentially valid choices. Since he had to guess which ones were metal-related, even if they did not have Strength in them, he was cautious. He¡¯d also been pretty sure Call Lightning was a valid pick for that future specialization, but even if the team seemed to trust Rocastle, he¡¯d limited himself to utility or protective spells.
Call Lightning Requires: Authority 18/Strength 17/Level 6
Effective: N ¡Á Authority + Level (adds mana) Passive: Increase your regeneration by (Eff/10) mana per hour Active: Creates a lightning conduit reaching a point up to (Eff¡Á10) feet away. Requires any form of cloud above Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff¡Á10) vertical feet
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=2
Fusion ¨C a skill to melt metal, probably a combination of fire and metal aspects ¨C was safer. Moore was sure you could use it to melt locks, or maybe even burn someone in their armor. But if it came to combat, it was ¡°safe¡±.
Fusion Requires: Authority 17/Strength 16/Dexterity 16/Level 4
Effective: N ¡Á Authority + Level (adds mana) Passive: Grant bodily immunity to fire, up to (300 + 10¡ÁEff) ¡ãF Active: Cause one ounce of metal within (Eff) inches to melt every (Melt point/Eff) second. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds
Fire Shaper AUT 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=3
Maker STR 16/DEX 16/Lvl 4 N=3
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=2
Thankfully, one of the guards matched the hypothetical profile he¡¯d built. It would not be very, very obvious, but with the forewarning, that newly-minted Guardian would be a reasonable bodyguard for Rocastle. He even had inserted Gauge Endurance. The skill had bothered him since he¡¯d read the description. The passive said you¡¯d be able to perceive the level of someone or some creature. How did that work? Did it unlock the interface for that person? Some parts of it? He still didn¡¯t know how he¡¯d get the results of that experiment, given that he couldn¡¯t listen to discussions. He had never wanted to risk wasting a point for Peter to test, given the cost of removing it, and its lack of grindable utility. But maybe he¡¯d get feedback in some form from the guard¡¯s behavior. He would have tried something else ¨C a Maker, aka crafter, maybe ¨C if given the occasion, but that was not to be with only two books. The second disappointment came from the XP. The global pool had increased with each book, but that wasn¡¯t that much, compared to fighting. It had looked as if it was 1 XP per 5 pages, but it was not static. The first book had yielded 38XP on the first scroll, then nothing. And the second book had given him 11XP on the first scroll created, which fit 1-per-5, then a bit more ¨C 25XP ¨C on the second, which wasn¡¯t the entire cost, then nothing. That looked almost like using a skill with a difficulty gradient, similar to how Mana Sight worked daily, but then, each of them had been involved in the scroll making. And they hadn¡¯t gotten any personal XP or stat XP, just XP in the team pool. No personal XP. Moore felt his brain slow down ¨C metaphorically speaking, as the time dilatation was a different thing ¨C as pieces slotted in the puzzle. The XP from the scrolls scaled to the difficulty of the ¡°action¡±, with partial applications yielding some XP, then harder ones the difference. None of the four had any skill in ¡°Setting Scroll Creation¡± or whatever. He did. That action was unique to him, even if he channeled it through his windows to reality. He had just increased personal XP by skill use. It¡¯s my XP pool. Not the team¡¯s. 57. Talented Those who choose their talents blindly are never equal to those who receive theirs. Wisdom of the Ancients, Book 1 Catherine had a copy of the Mages of America in her library, albeit an older edition than the one Johanna had been lent by Elena at Maistry¡¯s Keep. The two sorceresses, new and ¡°old¡±, pored over the reference tome, trying to figure out what the impossible Talent sheets had provided. The ¡°Rust¡± Talent was apparently the most common metal ability, half of the metal sorcerers had it, and it behaved as described, causing iron or even steel items to turn to rust. Catherine had only briefly experimented with one of the steel spoons that were in the library for when she drank honeyed tea, leaving the thing looking like it dated back from before the Fall. There was a mention of a metal sense, but only one person ever had it, sixty years ago. It seemed to match what Catherine felt with ¡°Detect Metal¡±, immediately recognizing the iron in steel somehow, and feeling the fact that the brass of the lanterns in her library was an alloy. The original tier 4 mage, one Nikolai Antonin, had both a passive sense in line of sight and an active one that let him locate masses of metal even through walls. Catherine had managed to feel what she was pretty sure was the safe in her office room upstairs. The original first edition Mages of America writer who collected and assembled various records had included his opinion that those two senses were linked, and rather than be an underpowered archmage, Antonin had been a dual mage, with just the metal sense and the ice/water icicle ability. Successive editions had kept the opinion, which lend credence to it. Icicle, for instance, was known to be associated with the common cold resistance of almost all water mages. Not all sorcerer¡¯s Talents had dual aspects like this, but it was common enough and the two aspects were usually obviously related. Johanna was fascinated because they now had ¡°proof¡± that it was a single ability. And even the true name of that ability. Elena would have been fascinated by all that. Too bad for her. ¡°Fusion¡± matched what was known as metal melting, but that one was rare as well, with only two occurrences ever recorded. Another spoon had been sacrificed to verify that it seemed to parallel the exact description, including the speed at which the steel spoon melted. The melting allowed the sorcerer to fuse ¨C which Johanna thought was the primary purpose of the Talent, given its true name ¨C metal pieces together. Rather than a metal Talent, however, it was thought to be associated with fire, given that the mages with the Talent were granted fire immunity. The look on Catherine¡¯s face as she held her hand over a candle, without the slightest burning sensation, was priceless. ¡°You won¡¯t be bothered by too-hot meals or drinks anymore,¡± Johanna informed her. Of the ¡°Metal Skin¡± labeled on the first parchment, there was no trace in the entire book, nor of any similar-looking ability. But Johanna knew firsthand that not all Talents were recorded there. ¡°With four talents¡­ you are probably one of the foremost sorceresses now. The highest archmage prior to us had only three powers,¡± Johanna said. ¡°Well, second to you. I doubt anyone can touch you two in power if what you say is correct,¡± Catherine amended, looking at both Johanna and Laura.
Catherine ¡°Kitty¡± Rocastle Female human, 38 years, 9 months
Shaper Level: 6 (13000 XP needed) Mana: 7/125 (+16/hour) Stamina: 12/23 (+17/hour) 1 unallocated skill point XP: 1270
STR: 17 (1999 XP needed) Metal Skin (23) AUT: 17 (960 XP needed) This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Rust (40) Fusion (40)
AGI: 14 PER: 16 (2982 XP needed) Detect Metal (22)
DEX: 16 (2000 XP needed) EMP: 15
13.3% additional lung capacity Automatic recognition of the primary metal of any alloy Bodily immunity to fire, up to 700¡ãF (371¡ãC)
¡°Apparently, metal sorcerers are almost as rare as fire ones,¡± Johanna said. ¡°And I¡¯m both.¡± The book obviously did not deal with heroic Talents, and Catherine didn¡¯t know of any equivalent to the Society of Sorcerers & Sorceresses of the Americas for Heroes so they were left to guess with regard to Valentin¡¯s three abilities. ¡°Disarm¡± was pretty explicit and did not take long to test. A simple tap of his finger on Peter¡¯s weapon caused him to drop his knife to the ground. However, after having done so, Valentin immediately reported a feeling of incapacity in trying to do it again with Tom. He also failed to disarm the countess or any of the others. Rather than ruling it a fluke, Tom informed the new Hero of the limitation to endurance that came with the Talents. Just like Catherine, he would need to wait at least a night to recover his full stamina and be able to sustain prolonged use of his Talents. ¡°Armored¡± took slightly longer and was inconclusive. From the name, it was obvious it dealt with armor somehow, and after fetching his studded leathers, careful experimentation and suggestion by Peter led the Guardian to flex his mental state. But the actual effects proved elusive, and without much in the way of stamina, further experiments were delayed to the next day, after Valentin recovered whatever stores of heroic energies he had. ¡°Gauge Endurance¡±¡­ eluded them almost completely. The one thing that seemed related to the name¡¯s implications was that the man now knew all of them were somehow ¡°stronger¡± than him, including Catherine herself. Johanna thought this moderately accurate, as all of them had at least four talents, while the man himself had only obtained three from the parchments.
Valentin Joel Rosenberg Male human, 32 years, 1 month
Guardian Level: 5 (8000 XP needed) Stamina: 1/95 (+16/hour) 2 unallocated skill points XP: 955
STR: 16 AUT: 16 (1979XP) Disarm (21)
AGI: 16 (1997 XP) Armored (37) PER: 16 Gauge Endurance (37)
DEX: 15 EMP: 14
Unshakable grip on a weapon under 21 pounds (9.5kg) Effective Strength +3.7 for skill checks Perceive level up to 12
Johanna and Tom tumbled on the guest bed that Catherine had provided. She¡¯d adamantly refused to let them walk back across town through the full night to their inn. ¡°Jory will understand. After all, you left with me, and you¡¯re guests.¡± Moore had spent a few hours in a funk he had never guessed he could still feel. Once he¡¯d switched paradigms, it was obvious. The only XP that ever had added to the ¡°global pool¡± was fighting XP, and it was an equal share. 20% each for the full team¡­ of five. Or as much as any of them, for fights where they fought separately. And why not? He was present in every fight, through the linkage that tied him to the four, and thus ¡°involved¡±, granting him that XP share. And whenever they used their skills, it was personal and gave no extra to any of the others. Himself included, apparently. I¡¯ve been spending all of my own XP to power level them. Not that he¡¯d begrudged it. They had needed all those boosts. Operating under potential was risky, as multiple encounters had demonstrated. And technically speaking, if they had been a normal team with normal abilities, without a bodiless spirit involved, they¡¯d have earned that XP anyway, just more smoothed out. He¡¯d leeched the XP, not the reverse. He¡¯d tried to pull a character sheet. Anything. A personal XP pool would mean that he had something to spend it on. But nothing happened. It could be that the user interface required him to ¡°see himself¡±. All the Interfaces he¡¯d been able to use were anchored on one of the four views, including the Settings Scroll one. He didn¡¯t seem to exist in any form, being an abstract point-of-view in a formless space, and he couldn¡¯t see himself. No third-party view. And no isometric obviously, since the space still felt non-Euclidean in ways that he had no vocabulary to articulate, even to himself. After failing, repeatedly, to get a character sheet, he¡¯d been forced to admit that, if the XP was truly his own, then he definitively did not operate under the same rules as everyone else. Besides, he didn¡¯t have a body anymore, and his mind was weirdly alien without a brain to host him. Could STR points apply? Even if they did not reflect physical reality, in his case they made even less sense. Or maybe he totally misread the situation. After all, he needed the anchor provided by the four to apply this new ability. The deciding factor was the ¡°help¡± that came with the scroll making. He never had any help for the four¡¯s Interface, unless you counted the description of the skills as a form of help. Maybe they would see a help popup if they could see their own interfaces? Given that he lacked any immediate personal UI to use, he had to assume it required something to operate on, or maybe a threshold. The scroll-making only appeared when there was an ancient book to use it on, after all. So, unless he had something to spend XP on, he might not have the UI for it. Either a specific target¡­ or maybe have enough XP to use it. Given that, until now, he thought it was only useful to top one of the four, he¡¯d never accumulated XP beyond just over 5k, after that old store dive in the mana zone. That meant a change of regime. He needed to hoard that precious XP now, to see if that translated into something specific later, once he had ¡°enough¡±. If he really could get abilities on his own, ones that didn¡¯t require the four. Too bad Rocastle doesn¡¯t have a large library. All that sweet free XP¡­ 58. Plans and Instructions A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow. Pre-Fall General The morning saw the four in Catherine¡¯s dining room for breakfast. Countess Rocastle looked rather more frazzled than yesterday¡­ and Valentin was standing behind her, guarding ¨C or attending ¨C the morning ritual. ¡°I probably slept two hours, if any,¡± Catherine admitted as she started heaping enormous piles of bacon on toasted bread. ¡°Oh?¡± Johanna replied. ¡°The implications of this kept rolling in my head,¡± she pursued. ¡°I¡­ well, I had bad dreams at times too.¡± ¡°I wish it was bad dreams,¡± she sighed before turning to Valentin. ¡°And you? Anything special?¡± ¡°I try not to overthink those things, you know. I do my job, and take it as it goes¡­ although it takes adjusting.¡± ¡°How so?¡± Catherine asked. ¡°Anytime I see someone¡­ I immediately judge them on how powerful they are¡­ or maybe it is how they might be. It¡¯s entirely automatic.¡± ¡°Might be?¡± ¡°I doubt Mrs. Verron is as powerful as you are, Lady Rocastle.¡± Johanna frowned. ¡°When I looked at her this morning, she felt as powerful¡­ no, maybe even more powerful than any of you.¡± Catherine and Johanna exchanged looks. ¡°Claudia Verron is the kitchen cook. An old retainer, forty years in the manor. She served under David¡¯s mother. And I¡¯m not going to risk much in saying that I don¡¯t think she¡¯s a sorceress¡­ or a saint. Let alone a hero,¡± Rocastle added. ¡°I thought it was about Talents. We have more than you¡­ but if you¡¯re saying that someone without is higher than us¡­ it doesn¡¯t make sense,¡± Johanna said. ¡°It didn¡¯t before,¡± Laura added while biting on a sausage. ¡°I mean, I have five talents to your four, Lady Rocastle, yet Mr. Valentin thinks I¡¯m equally as strong as you. Didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yes. And Mr. Valentin is weird, it¡¯s Valentin or Mr. Rosenberg. But all that is what the impression I have. Anthony, for instance, feels¡­ slightly weaker than me.¡± ¡°Anyone else?¡± ¡°Most people do feel lesser. But there¡¯s a kind of gradation. It¡¯s not exactly a precise thing, but I can pretty much gauge people relative to each other, I think. Miss Casey feels very weak.¡± ¡°Casey?¡± Johanna asked. ¡°My daughter. She turned 15 a month ago. What about Donald?¡± Catherine asked. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen him yet.¡± ¡°Is that somewhat age-related¡­ wait, no. You¡¯re all a lot younger than Valentin, yet he thinks of you as equally strong to me, and I have nearly ten years on him and twenty years on you,¡± Catherine mused. ¡°There is obviously something different. It¡¯s not talents or age¡­ but related?¡± Johanna mused. Elena would love this kind of puzzle, even on a Hero, she briefly thought before burying the notion. ¡°We¡¯re not going to solve this immediately,¡± Catherine said, before putting down her empty tea mug on the table. She folded her arms around her torso, contemplating the team. Johanna immediately felt things were switching to a different topic. ¡°You¡¯re an enigma, wrapped in a mystery, wrapped in a massive problem.¡± Catherine waited a bit before continuing. ¡°As I impulsively said yesterday, you are way more than simply powerful young Talented. You¡¯re an entirely different category. I may be going by assumptions, but I think they¡¯re reasonable ones.¡± Johanna waited. ¡°First, forget about the bounty. Oh, I¡¯m sure some people will be motivated to claim it, under its current form. But the instant what happened yesterday becomes known, that bounty will be rescinded immediately by the Warden. Or at least turned to ¡®alive and intact¡¯.¡± ¡°You¡¯re sure of that?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t guarantee anything. But it will come out, eventually. I¡¯m sure of my staff, I mean, but experience has told me that such important secrets are never for long,¡± Catherine said. ¡°Three people can keep a secret, if two of them are dead, is the ancient saying.¡± ¡°Then what?¡± ¡°Then people will come looking for you. You say that it¡¯s based on your¡­ Ancient¡¯s will, but there¡¯s no way to make sure of that. I know you do believe it, but everyone will want you, personally, if you can grant the powers of sorcery and saints, heroes and mastercrafters. Whether you want it or not.¡± This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°And you¡­¡± ¡°Ohhh, don¡¯t I want you at my side. I mean, I can¡¯t be sure, but you do make a compelling argument about there being an intent behind this. The metallic theme for me makes it obvious it¡¯s not some random thing you made, although you could have decided to do that, specifically. Which means staying on your good side, regardless of what my fingers itch to do.¡± Johanna¡¯s surprise must have shown. ¡°I¡¯m not stupid. If there is really a Will behind this, the last thing I want is to piss off your patron, whatever it is.¡± ¡°Whatever?¡± ¡°There are lots of stories about the Ancients, and half don¡¯t always make sense, given the modern world, but it¡¯s undeniable that they had wonders that we can only dream of. But they definitively weren¡¯t gods. They were ordinary people, with wonderous things like constructs that acted on their own, immense machinery that did things no one can do. Did you know they apparently went to the Moon? And it is so far away, even light itself takes time to come from there.¡± Johanna blinked. ¡°I know you found a skeleton, which in the ruins means an Ancient themselves, but to read some of the stuff written after the Fall, they lived surrounded by their tools that made their mastery of the world. Anything they could do, it was through these tools. And you might be using one of those instead.¡± ¡°But the Skeleton has a will,¡± Johanna countered. ¡°If you read some books, they had tools that mimicked that. There was even a test designed to decide if it was a tool or a person. So, what I mean is that just because it looks like it¡¯s an Ancient doesn¡¯t mean it is one. One of the things that made the Fall hard, was that all of this failed them. But¡­ some of those tools might have survived when mana flooded the world.¡± ¡°The Skeleton seems to be a fine¡­ master of the modern world,¡± Johanna said. ¡°Maybe. And I¡¯m also guessing we¡¯ll figure Valentin¡¯s Talents well before we do your Ancient, or whatever is behind the skeleton.¡± Johanna winced slightly. ¡°All of this doesn¡¯t change the problem.¡± ¡°Which is?¡± Johanna asked. ¡°I can¡¯t afford to have you here.¡± Johanna frowned. ¡°As I said, as soon as people realize you potentially raise them to Talented¡­ and the kind of Talented the world has never seen before, they¡¯re coming for you. And if you stay, I am going to be in the middle.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°Yes, ah. Although all that weird metal-based power is probably useful for whatever your patron plans, if I get the Warden¡¯s army showing on my doorstep, the Rocastle Demesnes aren¡¯t going to last long, Guardian or not. Sorry, Valentin.¡± ¡°I know my limits, my Lady¡­ hmm, actually, I probably don¡¯t. I doubt them, then.¡± ¡°So, what that means is that your plan is a go, then,¡± she continued. ¡°Our plan?¡± Johanna asked. ¡°To push forward as soon as you can. Although I would advise you not to stop in the Dakota, for the reasons I outlined yesterday.¡± Catherine stood up, steaming mug forgotten. ¡°Let¡¯s do this, then.¡± The next hours went into a whirlwind. Catherine ¡°suggested¡± they check the marketplace, which turned out to include a general vendor who had a handful of tents, adequate for cold weather. Although nominally individual ones, you could fit two people in them if you wanted to, which was probably better anyway if you faced winter conditions. She also directed them to Jory the innkeeper to get their trail provisions cooked and prepared. ¡°He¡¯ll know when you¡¯re leaving anyway. The less I¡¯m seen helping, the better.¡± Johanna ended up back in the library as the countess pulled out maps. But, unlike what Johanna expected, she declined to help her. ¡°I want what the Ancients called plausible deniability. I want to say I don¡¯t know where you¡¯re going. Re-reading that Mages of America volume made me think that I might face a mind sorcerer. There are two truth sayers listed in there, and they may get here from across the continent. And given that we have Talents that no one ever saw before, I won¡¯t bet there is no unlisted mind sorcery that could compel me to talk.¡± ¡°But we were there. And you hosted us. And you¡¯ve gotten Talents.¡± ¡°Thanks for reminding me that even if I pretend not to, fire immunity can¡¯t be turned off,¡± she smiled. ¡°But I can, convincingly and truthfully, say that I did consider detaining you, but that I thought you far too powerful and dangerous to risk it.¡± ¡°You did?¡± ¡°Thinking about all kinds of scenarios is a very useful skill. One that you need when you find yourself the head of a territory like the Demesnes because your husband left on some kind of quest and left you holding the fort and your two kids. So, yes. It doesn¡¯t mean I was doing it, just that you think about what would happen ¡®if¡¯. So, I can freely speculate that you were trying to bribe me with your parchments.¡± Johanna spent almost an hour in the library, a hot mug of tea at her side, while she tried to figure out what to do, and where to go. The initial plan, the Dakota, was the right one, she decided. They needed to leave the Marches of the Montana as soon as possible, to gain at least some safety, and the Dakota road offered the best chance. Catherine had outlined three states she positively knew didn¡¯t have a draft in their legislation. ¡°You will not be safe even there. Once your ability to grant Talents becomes known, some people will not bother with the law. But it¡¯s still an additional complication that you definitively do not need to have. I would advise that you don¡¯t immediately seek out a lawyer to obtain a judgment against your draft, because it will almost certainly force you to stay in a city until your case is settled. And potentially, the murder-slash-self-defense charges will add to that delay. You want to be able to move fast without burning bridges.¡± ¡°So, do we get cleared or not?¡± Johanna had asked. ¡°You do, but only if that gets necessary. If someone brings up the desertion, then you ask for a lawyer and get that sorted out. And if asked why you didn¡¯t do it immediately, well, just say you thought the law would protect you anyway. Which would be correct, I guess.¡± From the Dakota, they needed to head south or southwest next. Winter was coming, and pushing east toward the Lake Marches was begging to get them stuck in place by heavy snows. Cheyenne State was not one of those draft-safe states, but it was much better. Although trying to guess how things work based on a map might be foolish, she thought. The three safe States Catherine knew about were the True Missouri, Independence State, and the Fremont, all southwest of Cheyenne. Following the Missouri river sounded like a good plan. There were lots of mana zones along its course, but they were not a true obstacle if they decided to go outside of safe roads. Catherine sent them back to the inn to finish their preparations. ¡°You¡¯re conspicuous enough as it is, better be seen staying normally there. I assume I¡¯m going to be surprised to hear you are gone tomorrow. No, don¡¯t answer.¡± She added, ¡°You know, it would have been better a couple of weeks ago. There was a group of locals heading to the capital of the Dakota before the weather got worse. Two sisters, Annie and Victoria Blythe, and their friends Robert and Emma. Eight young people traveling together wouldn¡¯t match two couples of deserters. You look better like this, Peter, by the way.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Johanna moved and hugged the countess. ¡°Thanks for helping us.¡± ¡°You bribed me well enough. By the way, here¡¯s a list,¡± Catherine replied, slipping a folded paper to Johanna. ¡°Of what?¡± ¡°Contacts. My extended family, mostly on my mother¡¯s side, is a mercantile cartel, with lots of branches all over the north and center of the Union. You can use my name as an introduction. Just¡­ don¡¯t use it until you¡¯re ready to move.¡± Johanna raised an eyebrow. ¡°Just because they¡¯re distant relatives doesn¡¯t mean they can be trusted. You need to learn to figure out who is truly your ally and who isn¡¯t.¡± She waved to them. ¡°Get allies. Powerful, influential enough to keep you safe. And once you are established¡­ send me a message. I wouldn¡¯t be adverse if your skeleton decided White Meadows and Cattlemen Glory needed more help.¡± 59. Till We Meet Again Those who leave have a reason more powerful than the one to stay. Pre-Fall author They had checked out of the inn, thanking Jory Welter ¨C apparently not a relative of Tom, despite the name ¨C for the trail food. The weather was much better, and Johanna hoped they would be able to reach their next stop in a reasonable time. The surprise was that Valentin was there to see them going out. He was in what looked like more relaxed clothes, rather than a guardsman outfit, probably for discretion. ¡°Checking on you, yes. Lady Rocastle doesn¡¯t want to attract too much attention, and well, Anthony and I don¡¯t get stuck in the manor all the time.¡± ¡°So, you escort us?¡± ¡°Absolutely not. I¡¯m here taking a day off, enjoying life, that¡¯s all. Although¡­ I have a few questions.¡± ¡°About what?¡± Johanna asked. ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to guess what things do, based on what you told me to look for. That Armored talent, I can hold for nearly an hour and a quarter.¡± Johanna was reminded of how she¡¯d compared herself to Peter, how with three Talents the man seemed to have achieved an endurance similar to a three-Talent archmage would¡­ and that Peter had, back when he had only three unimproved talents. Did the heroic Talents work precisely the same way? Were heroes merely¡­ physical-aspect sorcerers? If saints were operating under the same rules as sorcerers, using the same mana, why not heroes? She replied to the man. ¡°If you were a sorcerer, that would put you at upper tier 5. But I don¡¯t know if heroes have tiers. Or maybe they have, it¡¯s just nobody records them.¡± ¡°How does it work?¡± Tom asked him, curious. ¡°It feels like my armor is more. Better. I tried a few things with an old armor, and it is definitively harder to punch or cut through. My normal clothing too. It turns mere cloth into almost studded armor. Yet it doesn¡¯t change the way the cloth or leather feels. It¡¯s¡­ weird.¡± ¡°Welcome to my world,¡± Tom replied, laughing lightly. ¡°Do you get used to it?¡± the Guardian asked. ¡°Mostly. Becomes natural after a while, but if you stop to think about it¡­ although, try to get used to my wife¡¯s fire.¡± ¡°Hey,¡± Johanna said, thumping her fist on Tom¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Anything else?¡± Tom asked, ignoring the interruption. ¡°Found out that my grip is better. I don¡¯t seem to lose my weapon¡­¡± ¡°Unless you deliberately want to lose it,¡± Tom completed. ¡°That¡¯s right. You?¡± ¡°Same thing. Looks like a real hero thing, and the little guy,¡± he said, pointing at Peter, ¡°doesn¡¯t have it.¡± ¡°Actually, I do.¡± ¡°Since when?¡± Tom asked, taken aback. ¡°When I¡¯m holding the sword,¡± Peter replied, pointing at the sword¡¯s handle that came out of his backpack. He had decided to keep the sword hidden rather than have it in a scabbard. It barely fit the backpack, but he just needed to grip it with two fingers, and off it went into his other hand. ¡°Wait, it does that?¡± Tom exclaimed. ¡°Looks like it does two things.¡± ¡°Wait, what sword?¡± Valentin asked. ¡°Something we found in the ruins, far west, near Valetta. One of the ancient artifacts. Doesn¡¯t the countess have one?¡± Johanna asked. ¡°Oh. That old thing? It¡¯s been in the Rocastle family forever. It¡¯s a pair of small steel-like cutters. Like gardening cutters. Anything they cut suddenly flowers within minutes. It¡¯s certainly not a sword.¡± ¡°Artifacts come in all shapes,¡± Johanna said. ¡°You mean, like Siegebreaker, in the Last War series?¡± ¡°Well, yes. It¡¯s in the Warden¡¯s arsenal, but we never saw it.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yea. The army doesn¡¯t bring it out unless necessary, I guess. And I think it was found after the third War of Unification,¡± Johanna said. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°The world is strange,¡± Valentin finally said, shaking his head. ¡°And good luck.¡± ¡°Same to you. Laura won¡¯t be there to heal just in case, but try to find if, say, your Armored talent protects you against arrows or something. Although I think Catherine can survive those now, if necessary,¡± Johanna said. ¡°Let¡¯s hope she doesn¡¯t need to,¡± he replied. They hoisted their backpacks in position and started toward the town gate. Johanna briefly turned, seeing the guardsman head out on his way as well. Valentin Rosenberg didn¡¯t waste time watching the four enigmatic people depart. Not only would that attract undue attention, but he still had to process the changes in his life they¡¯d wrought. Being a Hero, almost like the epic novels, was weird. Just like that Disarm thing and its opposite grasp. He¡¯d played games with Anthony on and off for an hour, as his energies recovered from the Armored endurance testing. Just having his fingertips anywhere on the weapon, even touching lightly on the tip of it, and that weapon slipped from his grasp no matter how tightly he held onto it. Even with forewarning. And Anthony couldn¡¯t grab any weapon from him. In the end, he¡¯d simply held it between two fingers, suspended over the ground, and even the hardest efforts by his colleague couldn¡¯t remove it from those two fingers, even though they held the weapon just barely above the point where it would drop on the ground. That was almost as frightening as the Disarm Talent proper. If he had had time, he would have tried with the big man, Tom Milton, since he had the same thing. To see how both aspects interacted. Armored wasn¡¯t bothering him. But the ¡°Gauge Endurance¡± Talent definitively did. That hero, Tom Milton, had told him you got used to everything, but having an automatic evaluation of some kind of ¡°power level¡± for everyone he looked at was proving to be very, very hard to get used to. He supposed it would become second nature, maybe, but¡­ Valentin blinked, as he watched the mail courier climb on his horse for the twice-weekly run to White Sulfur. Because the horse¡­ registered as kind of weak on that same power sense. About three notches ¨C he was starting to get a good feeling of the relative levels of power people had ¨C under the courier himself. And that was the very first time he¡¯d seen any animal registering in terms of power. The dogs at the manor didn¡¯t feel like anything. The handful of animals and birds in the town hadn¡¯t either. The oxen parked next to the marketplace as he¡¯d crossed didn¡¯t. But the horse did, somehow. He turned his head, but the four were gone already. He would have asked the fire sorceress if she knew how and why such a thing could happen. But¡­ he guessed he¡¯d have to figure out what that meant. Maybe the Countess would have an idea. Johanna was thoughtful as she walked through the streets, the gate close now. ¡°Thoughts, darling?¡± Tom asked. ¡°It¡¯s what Peter said.¡± ¡°About?¡± ¡°Having the heroic grip when he holds the sword. What¡­ what if those artifacts are simply Talents made form.¡± ¡°Uh?¡± Peter said, inserting himself into the discussion. ¡°There are several Talents that seem to have two effects. One that requires using the mana that fuels Talents, and one that doesn¡¯t, one that¡¯s always on.¡± ¡°Like your fire immunity, you mean,¡± Peter said. ¡°Or Tom¡¯s grip. Or Laura¡¯s sense of even a small cut.¡± ¡°So, when I¡¯m holding Swordcutter¡­ I have both that active cutting Talent, and the heroic grip that goes with it? That¡¯s it?¡± Johanna raised her hand, flexing them with the fingerless gloves she still wore most of the time. ¡°And those gloves¡­¡± ¡°Thirst,¡± Peter injected. ¡°¡­ they have a continuous effect. Like the permanent component of a Talent. Meaning we still don¡¯t know what they do.¡± Johanna¡¯s three companions stopped, and she took a single step before doing so. ¡°What? It seems obvious once you compare effects. Most people don¡¯t use artifacts all the time. But clothing, like those¡­¡± ¡°Maybe it¡¯s all written down in that reference book?¡± Tom mused. ¡°It deals with sorcerers. But yea. Good idea. I need to buy a personal copy, a recent one. Maybe there¡¯s a Talent in there that is known to cut thirst, and that will give us an idea of what those actually do.¡± As they reached the gate, they were greeted by a familiar sight. A cart with two oxen, and a pair of drivers. ¡°Hey,¡± Coby said. ¡°Working already?¡± ¡°Cargo doesn¡¯t move itself. Well, maybe the Ancients could do that, but not today,¡± the man replied half-laughing. ¡°We¡¯re heading to Cattlemen Glory. You?¡± the second former scavenger asked. ¡°Same.¡± ¡°Want a hop?¡± ¡°We can probably walk as fast¡­ if not faster,¡± Johanna said. ¡°It¡¯s a day of travel. You won¡¯t go further, we¡¯re arriving at nightfall I think, so you won¡¯t be too far ahead. Your choice,¡± Coby said. She consulted the rest with a brief look and nodded. ¡°Okay. We¡¯ll take it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m surprised to see you moving,¡± the driver said, once the walls of White Meadows receded. ¡°Would have thought you¡¯d stay, like us.¡± Johanna had an idea. ¡°We¡¯re heading out while the weather is not too terrible. And we can handle most threats ¨C I mean you¡¯ve seen us at the Kootenai Gap. Want to join?¡± Catherine¡¯s remark about blending with another group was a good suggestion. Even if they were all deserters, after all, a group of six, mainly men, would be quite different than two couples on their own. The two men exchanged looks. ¡°You¡¯re heading to the Dakota, right? That¡¯s where the road from Cattlemen Glory goes.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°We want to head home, to Yellowstone. Custer is a better way.¡± ¡°But the road is longer south, and worse.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why we wait for the first caravans in spring. I mean, as you said last time, if they think we might have died, they¡¯re not searching for us as hard as you. Sorry.¡± ¡°No, I understand,¡± Johanna said, shrugging. ¡°Had to offer, though.¡± ¡°Nice. As I said, us deserters need to stick together,¡± Coby said. ¡°Not too much,¡± Farnsworth added, laughing. ¡°Hope you guys make it,¡± Peter said. ¡°Same to you. Wherever you are heading to.¡± The sun was setting, and shadows lengthening when they spotted the walls of the next town. They managed to cross the gate before it went fully dark. ¡°There¡¯s an inn just there,¡± Coby said. ¡°Not as big as White Meadows, but adequate. That¡¯s where we¡¯ll be after we deliver. See you there!¡± The four jumped out of the cart. ¡°See you!¡± Johanna waved. ¡°They¡¯re nice,¡± Laura commented. ¡°To think we feared them when we spotted them at the ruins.¡± ¡°We were competitors back then,¡± Johanna replied. ¡°Now, we¡¯re in the same kind of boat.¡± ¡°Not exactly the same,¡± Tom said. ¡°True. They don¡¯t have our problems,¡± Johanna said. She looked at the inn¡¯s front and sighed. ¡°Shall we?¡± Laura said, pointing toward the inn¡¯s door. 60. Dire Straits He conquers who endures. Pre-Fall Poet Johanna woke up early and had to shake out Tom. Thankfully, her husband didn¡¯t snore at all, a fact for which she was intensely grateful as all of her male relatives did so. They quickly freshened up, and went out, knocking on the door of Peter and Laura, in the exceedingly probable case they were still asleep. This was confirmed as they made out their way down to the common room, where only two tables were filled. Johanna waved at the two former scavengers who were wolfing down their breakfast. ¡°Already up?¡± ¡°Yea. Days are still shrinking, and it takes almost all of the day to get back to White Meadows. And we have to pick some parcels and crates heading there before we go,¡± Coby said. ¡°Then good luck to you,¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯re pushing east?¡± ¡°As soon as we can. Same as you said, days are getting short. At least the weather seems to be holding.¡± ¡°Good luck to you. Hope the Dakota suits you.¡± ¡°Depending on the conditions, we may winter there.¡± Coby Hopkins shrugged. ¡°Good luck. I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll meet again. Unless you go through the Yellowstone¡­ if you pass by Carbine Redoubt, then find the storekeeper there. If the sign says Hopkins¡­ well, it¡¯s either my cousin or his good-for-nothing daughter.¡± Johanna¡¯s eyebrow rose. ¡°Last year, she was 13 and starting to drive him insane. Just say you know Coby¡­ from the ¡°trip west¡±. He¡¯ll know. Or won¡¯t, if I don¡¯t make it there.¡± She rolled her eyes at the allusion, then joined Tom at a table. She didn¡¯t even have time to order before she spotted Laura and Peter coming down the stairs, and she waved to them. ¡°Good to go?¡± ¡°The sooner the better,¡± Peter confirmed. Four plates of bacon, eggs, and toast with mugs of hot tea later, the four felt ready. Tom and the other two went up to grab the backpacks while she confirmed with the innkeeper they were indeed heading out. She had paid in full yesterday. Outside, in the early morning, with the sun not yet visible over the walls of Cattlemen Glory, she felt energized. Ten to fifteen days of travel, and they¡¯d be out. Out of home. Out of State. She, who had never traveled further than the Ancient ruins, three days from Valetta. She would have liked to imagine she¡¯d have gone out at one point of her life, out of Montana. But she doubted she¡¯d ever have found the occasion unless it was forced upon them. ¡°Forward, stalwart heroes,¡± she said. Tom raised an eyebrow, and then smiled, and they started toward the gate of the town. The gate was westward, so once out, they followed the road south and then east, as it went around the palisades of the town. ¡°Morgan, they¡¯re coming,¡± the small man said breathlessly as he reached their spot. ¡°You sure?¡± he asked. ¡°Of course, I am. They¡¯ve just entered the forest, they¡¯re following the road just as Miguel said.¡± It was Morgan who spotted them yesterday, as they arrived at the inn, brought in by the new transporters from White Meadows. Nobody had bothered displaying the poster that arrived two weeks ago, but Morgan¡¯s brother was working at the town hall, where said poster had ended up, and he¡¯d shared the content with him for laughs. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. He wasn¡¯t sure at first, but the two men matched the description very well. A tall, solid guy, and a small wiry one, almost like a Dwarf. He did not think the blonde woman had such a squarish jaw like the drawing, but the two girls also roughly matched the description. And, apparently, they were heading to the Dakota despite the late season and the lack of caravans for safe travel, meaning they had an imperative reason to do so, despite the risks of snowfall and Changed beasts. The odds of a random group of four people matching the descriptions, two men and women, running away from the Montana in this late fall was almost non-existent. Yet, some of his crew were still doubting that they could¡­ ¡°You¡¯re sure that¡¯s the right ones?¡± ¡°Told you so,¡± he replied, irritated. ¡°They¡¯re supposed to be Talented and dangerous. I mean, you¡¯re neither a mage nor one of those super-heroes, Morgan¡­¡± ¡°Who needs to be some kind of super-mage? If you miss, you shoot again. Haven¡¯t you practiced when you were looking to get that guard sinecure?¡± ¡°Armand is the only one who trained for the bow¡­¡± ¡°A crossbow is easy to use, Lucas. And they¡¯re not going to be that dangerous. I mean, they ran away from the war. If they were that powerful, why didn¡¯t they stay and wreck the tribes? It¡¯s not like those trashy books...¡± ¡°Shhh!¡± Miguel said. Morgan noticed a silhouette between the trees in the distance, around where the road was cutting across the forest. He made a downward gesture with his hands and the six of them pushed themselves against the ground, to stay as hidden as possible. As the four figures neared, he recognized them. It would have been horrible to ambush some random travelers who had the misfortune to head that way at the same time. Travelers wouldn¡¯t have a $50.000 bounty on their heads. Split six ways, that was over 8k for each of them. An enormous sum. And if they were deserters, leaving the Marches of the Montana open to those savages from the North, well, they deserved their fates. He waited until they were in the middle of his crew, and rose, aiming his crossbow, and shouting. ¡°GO!¡± The big guy stopped in his tracks, taken by surprise, and one bolt stuck in his shoulder, while the other nicked his face as he made a gesture as if he wanted to catch it. The small man did a step of kind-of-dancing, and the arrow aimed his way passed him with an inch. The two women got hit, he thought, as he wasn¡¯t paying much attention. Then, before he could reload and fire, everything went wrong. The brunette simply looked at the bolt sticking from her side and simply reached, pulling it off with a spray of blood that instantly cut. As if the wound in her gut had shut instantly, Morgan realized. Then her head whipped toward the big man ¨C ¡°Tom Milton¡± if the poster was to be trusted ¨C and she vanished. Morgan blinked, disbelieving his own eyes before he realized she was now at Milton¡¯s side. He could have sworn she hadn¡¯t moved, yet she was there, reaching for the bolt sticking from the man¡¯s shoulder. The blonde, meanwhile, simply raised her hand, a flash of light appearing before a ball of fire splashed on a tree, and Armand yelled while jumping to the side. She moved her arm, another ball of fire launched, and Lucas gave a hellish howl as his left side burst in flames that looked terrifyingly hot. He¡¯d lost sight of the small man, and searched, not seeing him. Where did he go? Where is he? He was there a second ago! The brunette turned her head and looked at him. Her eyes looked cold, the eyes of a true, trained killer. He shivered, because she was the most terrifying thing he¡¯d ever seen in his life, and his fingers almost slipped from the reloading crossbow as he froze in fear. They¡¯re supposed to be deserters fleeing a war? How can¡­ Armand managed to fire another arrow from a kneeling position, and then the large man reached him, having somehow covered dozens of yards in a blur. Morgan hadn¡¯t seen him draw it, but he had what looked like a smithy hammer in hand, and he swung at Armand in a curve from low to high, twice in a short time. His best bowman ¨C and oldest childhood friend ¨C literally launched up and fell almost boneless. The blonde was now turning to Miguel, and a new fireball launched, fire erupting at his feet and engulfing his legs. Miguel howled and fell to the ground, fire dissipating abruptly and leaving black legs, already hideously charred . Where¡¯s Theo? He¡¯s supposed to get them from behind! Morgan¡¯s crossbow clacked, and he saw that, rather than having the pre-loaded spring pull the string correctly, the bowstring had ruptured. He immediately dropped the useless weapon, pulled his hunting knife, and rushed her. Morgan grabbed her, swinging his knife at her throat. She deflected it somehow with her hand, twisting, the knife impossibly sliding across her glove, but he still managed to draw blood. Then she turned, looking at him with a disturbing intensity. She opened her mouth as if to emit a cry, but a grey blur came out, and his face burned, his vision misting, before he closed his eyes, pain hitting him. He felt himself grasping instinctively at his face, the knife forgotten. Blind, he was pushed aside by unseen hands. Then the sensation of fire hit his chest and his thoughts clouded. His last thought as sensation fled from him was that $50.000 was nowhere near enough. $100.000 wouldn¡¯t be enough. Nothing would be¡­ The fight against the bandits had been short, and bloody. He had a nasty scare when he realized one of them had snuck on Johanna, although he immediately realized she wasn¡¯t in real danger. The guy just nicked her, and she¡¯d immediately breathed hot steam in the ruffian¡¯s face, before finishing him with a fireball while Peter ambushed the last attacker that was fleeing. And 12.000XP. 2400 for each, and of course, 2400 for him. He did not yet have the amount he had back after that dungeon, but then, the bandits were no match, threat-wise and experience-wise for the two Murids back there. 61. Final Destination The Journey is never-ending; there will always be growth, improvement, adversity¡­ Pre-Fall quote As Johanna opened the tent¡¯s flap, she was greeted by white dots swirling down from above. It looked as if the snow was finally arriving in this early December of 2173. Thankfully, they were only a couple of days away from the city of Zahl, according to the map. The snow did not look like it was going to stick ¨C yet. But if it did, they would only get delayed a little. She shivered a bit. For once, she regretted a bit being a full fire sorceress. She was immune to fire, sure, but she expected to encounter a lot less fire than cold. Until, maybe, once they were in the Central States. Winters south were supposed to be a lot warmer, after all. And summer likewise. She heard grumbling from behind and turned her head, spotting Tom trying to bury his head in the sleeping bag. ¡°Wakey wakey, Tom. Besides, Peter¡¯s probably bored standing watch.¡± ¡°I confirm,¡± the voice said from the side, where she spotted the man huddled next to the last embers of the fire, not yet completely smothered by the light dusting of snow. ¡°Making fire,¡± she announced as Peter plunged into Laura¡¯s tent. She started the fire quickly, putting a tarp above to protect it from the light snow, and immediately started heating the pot with her hand, not bothering waiting until the fire started properly. She cooked breakfast faster that way. As the other three huddled in their tents, while she prepared breakfast, she reflected on the trip. After that scare with bandits ¨C or maybe bounty hunters, who knew? ¨C the rest of it had been peaceful. No Changed beasts, even when crossing the small Narrows that lay between the Northern Barrier and the patches of mana zones south. Back in Valetta, banditry was rare, more like a tale to frighten children rather than a common occurrence. Those bandits had caused a brief spike of fear, but unlike the army soldiers back at Kootenai, who had wisely kept range, using the relatively open forest border, those had tried to fight in close quarters in the thick of the forest. The worst had been that bandit who tried to knife her while staying out of fireball aim¡­ but she¡¯d dealt with him. Breathing hot, burning steam in his face, causing him to claw at the red, already peeling face, was a surprise as much for her as it had been for the bandit. Yet another Talent to add to her ever-expanding repertoire. She¡¯d have to check once she found a copy of the Mages, but something told her she was not going to find it. That was the kind of magic you wrote novels about, rather than being hidden in a footnote. She had debated on whether or not to bury them. But they did not dare risk staying any longer, in case others came to check what happened. So, they put them between tree roots in the forest, for the wild to reclaim. They all offered a small prayer, for even bandits deserved mercy in the heavens. Three days later, they crossed ¨C possibly, probably ¨C the invisible line that separated the Marches of the Montana from those of the Dakota. An invisible border that marked, truly, the end of their former lives. From then on, they were in the unknown. With, of course, the familiar, as she shook ¨C gently ¨C the tents to warn that breakfast was ready and groans came from Laura and Peter¡¯s tent. The walls of Zahl were visible almost immediately as the road came out of the forest. A light dusting of snow covered the plains, but the road remained visible. They reached the western gates with less than an hour of sunlight remaining. Two guards waved them in without asking any questions. ¡°There¡¯s the main inn, Timothy¡¯s, near the center. Can¡¯t miss it. You can find a smaller one near the east gate, but they¡¯ve got more or less the same prices,¡± one elaborated. The guard was right, as the brightly colored mug-and-bed sign was unmissable. Timothy¡¯s Rest and Ale, the sign said, in front of the large three-story building. It even had a small park area for carriages to the side, albeit empty. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°Another inn¡±, Peter said. ¡°We should have been enjoying a nice relaxing winter at home. Back in Valetta. This feels like we¡¯re always on the road, never stopping anywhere,¡± Johanna sighed. ¡°We¡¯ll make our home somewhere where no one will come for us,¡± Tom replied. ¡°Catherine didn¡¯t think it likely. But yes, we will make our home. Somewhere. Somewhen.¡± ¡°Meanwhile¡­¡± ¡°Welcome to Zahl!¡± the man behind the counter said. He immediately added, ¡°It¡¯s rare to see new travelers around this late in the season? You¡¯re heading to the Montana?¡± ¡°No, we¡¯re coming from there actually.¡± ¡°Oh. Wow, that¡¯s a first for December in a¡­ decade? The last time we had a caravan come from there that late was 2164? Something like that?¡± ¡°We¡¯re just simple travelers, not a caravan.¡± ¡°Even more.¡± ¡°Does this mean we get a price?¡± Peter asked. ¡°Don¡¯t push your luck. You already arrived at your final destination, after all,¡± the man replied, half-laughing. ¡°And does this destination include warm drinks?¡± ¡°It does all kinds,¡± the innkeeper confirmed. Zahl¡¯s main inn was quite large. But then, Zahl was a fairly large city, Valetta-sized if not larger, and the westernmost of the Marches of the Dakota. Tom, Peter, and Laura immediately grabbed a table while Johanna negotiated prices with the innkeeper. Their money, grabbed when they were drafted, was slowly dwindling with each stop, as they resupplied and rented rooms. The inn¡¯s rates were reasonable, and unlike White Meadows, the innkeeper had no problems automatically applying a progressive discount rate over time if they needed to stay long-term. ¡°Classic weather here. It¡¯s usually after this third snow that it sticks around. Unless we get a weird warm spell, it¡¯s there to stay and the roads are going to be almost completely useless soon. Local roads, sure, with enough regular traffic. But roads to the North, Lostwood, or Vanhook? Forget it.¡± Johanna tried to jog her memory. ¡°That last one¡¯s on that Missouri river, right?¡± ¡°Yea. Not far from the twin ruins bridge.¡± ¡°Twin ruins?¡± ¡°Places of the Ancients. People holed on the west side during the Fall, I think, then the place got overrun by Changed beasts. There¡¯s nothing left there these days, and even the Changed don¡¯t haunt there, I¡¯m told. But the Ancient bridge still stands today, despite everything.¡± Johanna made a mental note. Even if the man said the roads weren¡¯t passable, after the mana zones and the road from Cattlemen Glory, the four of them might have a different idea of what was useable and what was not. Room keys in hand, she dropped on the chair the others had kept for her. ¡°Innkeeper says we¡¯re probably there for the duration.¡± ¡°What does he know?¡± Peter said. ¡°Probably more than we do, but I thought the same. Prices are reasonable, we can stay holed here for a couple of months if necessary. Provided we don¡¯t overspend.¡± ¡°Like repairing clothes again?¡± Tom said, eyeing the hastily-made patch on his shoulder, where the arrow had hit. ¡°That¡¯s the kind of stuff nobody ever says in the novels. Heroes¡¯ clothing is always so perfect,¡± she replied, half-smiling. The innkeeper arrived at their table. ¡°Want dinner early? The inn doubles as a tavern, and it¡¯s going to fill soon, with longer service.¡± Johanna consulted the others with a look and nodded. ¡°What¡¯s on the menu?¡± ¡°Main is lamb stew and potato mix.¡± ¡°Sounds good. Ale?¡± ¡°Light or dark? We also have a cherry-flavored version.¡± They all picked their favorites and immediately went upstairs to dump their backpacks, as the dinner would be there in fifteen minutes. ¡°Another day, another hot real meal,¡± Peter said. ¡°Weird potato mix, though. Wouldn¡¯t have mixed it with yams,¡± his wife noted. As for herself, Johanna had somehow enjoyed the dinner and light ale. The apple crisps covered with honey that was served as a dessert were also a bit weird. The inn-slash-tavern was also slowly filling, people ¨C locals, presumably ¨C coming in for drinks and even some stew too. She slumped in her chair, sighing. ¡°Tired?¡± Tom asked. ¡°Somewhat.¡± ¡°Want me to freshen you up?¡± Laura asked, raising her finger inquiringly. ¡°No. I mean¡­ it¡¯s been so many weeks, running in the wilds, worrying at every corner. It¡¯s not being tired-tired, it¡¯s about being tired. If you know what I mean.¡± ¡°Want to go?¡± Tom asked. ¡°I¡¯m good. I¡¯ll just huddle under the covers. They looked nice. And thick.¡± She rose and lightly kissed her husband. ¡°Try not to wake me up. See you all tomorrow.¡± Douglas Moore kept watching for odd stuff in this new small town. The older innkeeper, for instance, was labeled a Keeper, which, upon inspection, turned out to be a directly improved form of the Guardian specialization unrelated to any inn, with 17 Strength and Perception along with level 6. He¡¯d managed to spot one Wood Shaper, the expected Perception/Authority elemental version for Shapers, although the fact that the woman was wearing a leather apron and hawking customers along a commercial street obviously hinted at the lack of any actual skill to accompany the spec. And now, I could actually fix that. If needed. Then he pulled Tom''s sheet as he did routinely a few times per day, checking for any deviation in mana regen or anything similar, and Douglas Moore non-frowned, in the emptiness beyond the world when he saw the ¡°global pool¡± experience numbers. Where did that 4500 XP just come from? Not that I¡¯d complain about getting some extra, but why? They haven¡¯t fought anything in town. Then he spotted the new option popping out from the side of Tom¡¯s window and he realized he had finally enough XP for a new option. 62. Beyond In the land of the blind, the ones guided by the hand of God rule. Wisdom of the Ancients, Book 1 The plains Johanna was on resembled Ancient ruins in general appearance. But Ancient ruins ground down to an endless nearly homogenous field of rubble, of broken bricks and pieces of wood, without the slightest trace of building walls or anything that normally peppered such things. The only thing that stood up in the distance was a gigantic contraption of metal wires and rods, a chair that could never have seated a normal person comfortably. But the chair held a skeleton. The huge seated bones dominated the perspective, seemingly stretching to the ultra-blue skies, seemingly divided by bright lines. And the skull atop that skeleton¡­ looked toward her, with cavernous eyes that seemed to swallow even space around them. There was no doubt in Johanna¡¯s mind about which skeleton it was. ¡°Who are you? What are you?¡± she asked, futilely. I was no one, and I am no one. She hadn¡¯t expected an answer. Let alone that kind of silent answer, as if it was half-whisper, half-thoughts, coming down from afar. ¡°Are you really an Ancient? Everyone says they lived like gods. Are you an Ancient god?¡± All I was is gone. All I am is now. The answer was more cryptic than she¡¯d have liked. But, expecting an Ancient Power to be talking like a normal person was foolish on her part. The Dead Ancient pushed on the armrests, stood up from its chair, and started walking toward her. She backpedaled, trying to keep her distance from the Power. But despite everything, the skeleton closed in, slowly shrinking until it was nearly as tall as a person rather than a giant, city-sized figure. As it reached her, she found herself raising her arms in defense, trying to invoke ¨C futilely ¨C her powers. But no flame came, and the skeleton merely ignored her, reaching her¡­ and passed through her, as if it was smoke. Or as if she was. Cold, freezing smoke. A kind of cold she hadn¡¯t felt since that book¡¯s conversion into parchments of power. She turned, looking behind her, and saw the skeleton stop at the lip of some cliff. She joined up with the weird figure and looked down. There were clouds below, an inverted covering of white below instead of the weirdly blue sky above. But over that blanket were drawn four huge squares, bordered by colorless manalight. One showed Laura at some kind of wood table, one showed Peter at a similar table, one was all dark, with indistinct shapes, and one had a bar counter with an animated pair of people looking back toward her. She heard Tom¡¯s voice, asking about local ruins, and one of the people said that one had basically vanished over the course of a year two decades ago. She realized suddenly that the square showing Laura also had Tom in the background, seated at the inn¡¯s bar and she could see to his side one of the persons from the other square. The four squares were them. That black square was hers, she realized, asleep in the inn¡¯s upper room. Laura and Peter were seated at the same table, holding hands and talking to each other about periods, and maybe she was with child, while Tom was drinking at the bar, chatting with the patrons about the area. ¡°That¡¯s us. You¡¯re looking¡­ through us?¡± I belong here, you belong there. She shivered. Then she realized it confirmed everything. Like them suddenly gaining new abilities to match the challenges they were facing. The Dead Ancient watched over them. All of them. All the time. ¡°Why? Why are you helping us?¡± You are Chosen. You came to me, and you gave me your choice. Now, I can choose for you, when it is possible. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. She almost asked if she could choose to have her old life back. But that would be futile. You couldn¡¯t undo the past. And she needed all that the Dead Power could give her, give them to navigate the dangerous world she was living in now. ¡°I still don¡¯t know what you want from us.¡± The skeleton turned and went back, somehow passing through her again despite her trying to dodge it. She turned and found herself facing¡­ a library. Shelves of books, in Ancient form, stretched as if a labyrinth. The skeleton went in between two rows, and she followed hurriedly. The shelves gave way to a circular room, spokes filled with incredibly tall bookshelves leading out from there. In the middle of the room stood a table, and on the table was¡­ the world. At least she assumed it was. Mistress Vanu, when she taught the kids back in Anasta, had shown them once an ancient map showing all the great expanses of land and sea, and the rock and tiny rivers evoked one of those great lands as if it had been shrunk to fit the table. The Ancient Skeleton walked to the side and stopped. She joined him, and the side of the map expanded as she approached, growing as if she was approaching what it represented. A coast grew, great bays visible until the land rushed, filled the table, and abruptly stopped at the same time she did. She was looking at a city ruin, an Ancient city that didn¡¯t look like the familiar ruins back northwest, with an enormous building nearly intact in the middle of the table. There was another ruin of a sumptuous building next to it, with a long rectangular copse of trees extending toward the outside of the border of the ¡°map¡±, bordered by more ruins, and a weird tall column in the far distance. Somehow, it felt as if she could see beyond the borders of the table. The Power to shape is there. What makes your allies begins there. ¡°You want me to go there?¡± Books are ideas. Ideas are power. ¡°The Ancients are gone. Why books? Why theirs? Why do you need books? Because you¡¯re one of them?¡± The skeleton stayed silent this time, looking at her with its empty eyes. Then, it finally spoke weirdly. People have forgotten the world. But ideas linger on. I can choose powers among the ideas, but I cannot make new ideas. It turned and looked at the building. But I can turn old ideas into new powers. The powers the world needs. She blinked in the darkness of the inn¡¯s bedroom. ¡°Now, that¡¯s the most strangest encounter I ever had,¡± Johanna said. Then she closed her eyes again and fell asleep again instantly. It had taken him some time to wait until one had gone upstairs in that Inn to catch some sleep. But once Johanna had hit the pillow, the Yes option had finally popped up.
Direct options
Pull 5000XP + 500XP/level (8000)
Confirm
No Yes (9724 XP available)
He had only one choice visible for now unless he wanted to wait for more XP. Maybe there was another hidden somewhere, but that was it. The only help available when focusing on the option said ¡°Pull¡±, which was somewhat stupidly redundant with the option name. So, this was a surprise when he saw a¡­ kind of globe, of skills and numbers wrapped in ways that didn¡¯t quite make sense, stretch out from the window into the middle of the abstract space and pop there. No, not a globe. A sphere, or maybe a hyper-sphere. A wrapping surface around a core that was qualitatively different. And he realized that, somehow, Johanna was in there. She ¨C at least the abstraction of her, like one of those old memes drawings of a super-powered brain with glowing neurons ¨C was now brought ¨C ¡°pulled¡± ¨C to his space. Douglas Moore had no idea how the exchange had gone. In the abstract quasi-spaceless void of the Beyond, what had she seen when she¡¯d popped in? But she¡¯d followed him around, in a strange way, as he tried to show her the Beyond, the windows, to make her understand what he was, an HR staff guy and amateur gamer lost in some incomprehensible afterlife, trying to vicariously cling to life through them 150 years after the world ended, trying to give them skills since they did not have access to them, the ability to pick their path. He had spent quite a lot of Experience Points to bring her, trying to talk. But that was futile. He was still pretty sure she spoke some form of English, given that was what was written everywhere, but he could no longer hear her voice, either in the world or in ¡°person¡±. He did not think he had been any clearer. He had no mouth or anything either. From her reactions, the reactions of the weird abstraction she had been while there, she¡¯d perceived things. Seen and heard things, maybe. But what, exactly? He still hoped he¡¯d been able to convey to her his idea somehow. Together, they could bestow the power of the System, and recruit allies. Hand people the tools to beat back those mana zones and their Changed beasts, and reclaim their world, all of their world. And they needed lots of books to do that. Given how weirdly preserved some ruins were, there ought to be some libraries or bookstores with enough intact books to start the ball rolling. It was a band-aid, a temporary non-sustainable solution, but it was all he had for now. He didn¡¯t have a cooldown, a resource to expend. He could work as fast as they could lay their hands on some pre-Apocalypse books. And they¡¯d get power to offer to allies, power to stand against whatever the world would throw at them. And then reclaim the wild parts of the world. I wonder how the world will react. And how much XP is there for me. Book 1 Epilogue God bestows to the humble and worthy. Wisdom of the Ancients, Book 1 It had been difficult finding the right place, but the Warden had obtained enough details to narrow things down, including apparently spies¡¯ reports. The Adjutant himself had taken command and directed them here. And after two weeks of searches, one of the scouts of the expedition force had finally found something. When Sergeant Mord finally slipped through the last obstacle in the corridor, he found four already waiting at the entrance of the room, unwilling to get in. The room itself was full of garbage, like most ruins he¡¯d seen during those weeks, but it was also weirdly shaped as if it had begun as two different rooms before being somehow glued together. Mord really hated the idea. Such things hinted at the horrors from beyond man¡¯s memories, stories of the Fall and the world being remade by an angry God, as the pastor often said. But the four deserters had come in there and gained much from it. And the rear of the room held a strange chair of metal rods, on which sat a blackened skeleton, both held together by unseen forces. ¡°That¡¯s the place, all right,¡± he said. ¡°So, what do we do now?¡± Private Vlach asked. ¡°We approach. The magic should still be there.¡± The squad looked at each other, hesitating. They all knew why they were there, but magic and Change were not something you toyed with lightly. The Warden had been adamant, however. He wanted a force capable of standing against his enemies, all his enemies north and south, east and west, and if he had to deal with Ancient magic, so be it. The soldiers entered and slowly advanced into the room, watching the skeleton. As they reached the rear of the room, a few feet away from the strange chair, most reflexively braced themselves, but nothing happened, at least visibly. Mord kept watching the skeleton, searching for any hint of the blue light that was supposed to be there. After a while, the soldiers started to fret. ¡°Looks like the magic¡¯s not there,¡± Vlach finally said. ¡°If there was any. Maybe they lied,¡± Private Gello added. Mord tuned out the soldiers¡¯ banter. They looked much more relieved now since there was nothing odd going on. He looked more carefully at the skeleton, looking for clues. The bones looked charred, or somehow¡­ maybe Changed too. Deep black things, yet still together, as if invisible sinews held it together. The only thing visible were scratches on the skull, small grooves that looked as if something had tried to claw at the skeletal head¡¯s burnt surface, uncovering some whiteish original bone material. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Vlach reached and tried to poke the head. ¡°Da fuck you¡¯re doing, Vlach?¡± Mord almost yelled. ¡°Feels funny. It feels like you¡¯re poking a stone statue, not a skeleton.¡± He demonstrated further by slapping with his hand on the head, which didn¡¯t budge at all, despite Vlach¡¯s force. ¡°See.¡± ¡°So, there¡¯s magic after all¡­¡± Gello started. Mord¡¯s eyes bulged as the scratches on the skeleton¡¯s head suddenly turned from dirty white to a blue that was unnatural, the light showing through bone. Ribbons of blue glowing smoke seemingly appeared out of nowhere, twisting fast around the skeleton. He thought that they¡¯d finally gotten the magic to work when heat smashed into his face, like the furnace at the smithy back east in the Keep¡¯s barracks. Sergeant Mord didn¡¯t know what had happened. There was a blank in his memory, between the skeleton and now. He was huddled¡­ in the corridor. His eyes spotted the wall in front of the door and bulged. Eye-searing blue light glowed and pulsed in a regular beat, a sharp rectangle of reflected flashes from the doorframe. From the other side, inhuman screams sounded, a continuous sound that bore no resemblance to anything anyone ever did. No human throat could sound like that. He squeezed his eyes shut, but the light still played. Even with his head between his knees, the insane light was visible somehow. As if it bypassed his mortal eyes. Then he realized the light was gone suddenly, without warning, and silence had fallen. He slowly peeled his eyes open, listening. A whimper attracted his attention, and he turned his way, spotting Gello in a fetal position on the ground. Another private was sprawled just behind. He looked back and forth, but it seemed at least two of his people were missing. There was a kind of light coming through the doorframe, but it wasn¡¯t the unnatural blue that had heralded¡­ what? He steeled himself, and carefully approached the door, before risking a look inside. Of Vlach and Gollert, there was no trace whatsoever. The rubble of the room looked undisturbed. But the room wasn¡¯t unchanged. At the rear, where the skeleton was, an entire section of the wall had somehow vanished. The room now gave way to the outdoor, a kind of courtyard overrun by scraggly trees and wild growths, and the setting sun shone through, lighting the room. The skeleton was still on its improbable chair, still looking toward the entrance, seemingly unmoved. Mord swallowed bile before frowning. Around the skeleton now swirled snowflakes, coming through the now-open part. But the snow wasn¡¯t falling everywhere. Above the skeleton was a straight cylinder, pointing toward the sky, full of icy crystals that fell and vanished on the ground. Above the skeleton and nowhere else. Sergeant Mord decided then that it was not his problem any longer. If the Adjutant or the Warden wanted to deal with the skeleton, they could do it in person.
Douglas Joseph Moore NULL, 182 years, 5 months
NULL (Human Resources Middle Manager) Level: NaN XP: 1624
STR: 2 (-4500 XP) Last: Carl Robert Gollert AUT: 4 (14,787 XP) Last: Peter Malik Donnall
AGI: 0 (? XP) PER: 1 (8,000 XP) Last: Johanna Marcia Milton
DEX: 7 (-74 XP) Last: Agility+Armored EMP: 0 (? XP)
Time Synchronisation available at 10,000 Interaction range of NaN yards 20/20 360¡ã vision in low-light conditions Full descriptors available Perceive level, specialization and skills used up to NaN
Easter Egg checklist For those eggs that haven''t been found yet, I''ve just listed the author''s name, in order of appearance. You can still claim them... if you find them. (I''m expecting at least the Arthur Stone one to be very hard to figure out. Spoilers: it involves British soccer star nicknames and of course Russian litRPG) Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Appendix: The Chosen of Moore
Johanna Marcia Milton Female human, 19 years, 8 months
Fire Shaper Level: 6 (13000 XP needed) 197/197 mana (+14 per hour) 0 unallocated skill point XP: 3272
STR: 14 AUT: 18 (230 XP needed) Fire Handling (60)
AGI: 16 (1879 XP needed) PER: 14 (852 XP needed) Mana Sight (34)
DEX: 17 (1665 XP needed) Flaming Blade (40) Fireball (40) EMP: 17 (2977 XP needed) Steam Breath (23)
Bodily immunity to fire, up to 900¡ãF (482¡ãC) Detect mana flows & pools of 29.4 size or greater Require 23% less oxygen
Tom Virgil Milton (Welter) Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Male human, 19 years, 10 months
Specialist Battler Level: 6 (13000 XP needed) 201/201 stamina (+18 per hour) 0 unallocated skill point XP: 2635
STR: 18 (1624 XP needed) Slam (42) Double Tap (42) AUT: 14
AGI: 17 (1870 XP needed) Intercept (57) PER: 14
DEX: 16 (2978 XP needed) Block (22) EMP: 16 (1343 XP needed) Optimal Strike (38)
Immunity to blunt assault, up to 210 pounds (95kg) Instinctive detection of incoming enemies (up to 570 yards/521m) Your grip on a weapon under 38 pounds (17kg) is unshakable Effective Agility +4.2 for skill checks Effective Strength +2.2 for skill checks
Laura Anna Donnall (Vogel) Female human, 19 years, 0 months
Combat Fixer Level: 6 (13000 XP needed) 196/196 mana (+14 per hour) 1 unallocated skill point XP: 6052
STR: 16 (2775 XP needed) Succor (38) AUT: 16 (1073 XP needed) Falter (38)
AGI: 16 (496 XP needed) Cleanse Toxins (22) PER: 14 (ENTER TREE: 119)
DEX: 16 (786 XP needed) First Aid (38) EMP: 18 (1385 XP needed) Close Wounds (60)
Reduce the extend from wounds by 60% Wounds clot 76% faster Effective Authority +3.8 for skill checks LD50 increased by 220% Knows instinctively the gravity of a wound. (Water needs per day lowers by 95% - capped)
Peter Malik Donnall Male human, 19 years, 1 month
Improviser Level: 6 (13000 XP needed) 250/250 stamina (+16 per hour) 0 unallocated skill point XP: 3258
STR: 16 (4962 XP needed) Forced Attack (38) (EVERSHARP: 133) AUT: 14
AGI: 16 (349 XP needed) Deflect (54) PER: 16 (107 XP needed) Accurate Pierce (38)
DEX: 18 (41 XP needed) Reconnaissance (60) Ambidextrous (60) EMP: 15
Effective Perception +6 for skill checks Effective Dexterity +5.4 for skill checks Your accuracy, strength and grip with your off-hand is 63% better Effective Strength +3.8 for skill checks (Cannot lose your grip on a weapon up to 133 pounds/60Kg)
Appendix: the Changed Races All Changed races of man follow the same basic rules. Each individual starts as a base template for that race. About 2 to 3 years after puberty, the template completes into a full status: - One to three stats receive one extra point - One to three pairs of stats get picked, one stat losing one point, the other gaining one - The end status has a total stats of 91, regardless of the race. In order of apparition in the story and extras:
Humans
STR 15 AGI 15 DEX 15
AUT 15 PER 15 EMP 15
Total: 90 + 1 extra stat (book 1, chapter 1)
Humans are the old-style, relatively unchanged species. They still exhibit the variety of phenotypes that characterizes humans. Stats will range from 12 to 19 in the extremes (-3 to +1+3).
Dwarves
STR 16 AGI 15 DEX 16
AUT 14 PER 15 EMP 14
Total: 90 + 1 extra stat (book 1, chapter 10)
Dwarves are a small, stocky species, rarely over five feet. Unlike the popular legend, they¡¯re almost completely hairless, with the only visible hair being in the nose and ears. Native country: South Rocky Mountains, Northern Americas
Erlangs
STR 14 AGI 14 DEX 14
AUT 16 PER 16 EMP 16
Total: 90 + 1 extra stat (book 1, chapter 11)
Named after Lord Erlang Shen due to the third eye they sport, the species is mostly present on the Asian continent, and all Erlangs present in the Americas are migrants, without a sizeable community. Native country: Sichuan Province, Asia
Wendigos
STR 17 AGI 15 DEX 15
AUT 13 PER 16 EMP 13
Total: 89 + 2 extra stats (book 1, chapter 24)
Cold-blooded furry species. Wendigos are obligate carnivores that live in cold temperatures. They are relatively sluggish when the temperature rises high. Native country: Northwest America
Minotaurs
STR 16 AGI 16 DEX 15
AUT 14 PER 13 EMP 14
Total: 88 + 3 extra stats (Extra: Old Angeles)
The minotaurs get their name from their massive size (usually over 7 feet) and their two-feet long horns pointing upward, which develop from nubs soon after puberty. Those horns regenerate rather quickly, growing by up to an inch per week, and there is a thriving market for powdered minotaur horns, usually as a potency medicine. Note: Most powdered minotaur horn is fake. Always make sure to purchase from minotaurs themselves. Native Country: East/Central Northern America
Dryads
STR 13 AGI 16 DEX 15
AUT 16 PER 15 EMP 15
Total: 90 + 1 extra stat Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. (Extra: Old Angeles)
The brown-green dryads are almost non-gender dysmorphic. Non-dryads find it hard to distinguish male from female, as both sexes have small but apparent breasts and very little external genitalia. The species is partly photosynthetic and needs to sleep upright or at least seated. They are pure vegetarians, and cannot digest animal products. Native country: Central Americas
Thirsters
STR 14 AGI 14 DEX 14
AUT 15 PER 16 EMP 15
Total: 88 + 3 extra stats (Extra: Old Angeles)
Despite their reputation, Thirsters (or "vampires") don''t have extra-large canines. They, however, can subsist on a diet of animal blood with an additional protein source, although it is not a necessity, more of a cultural quirk. And they love garlic. Native country: Northeast America
Fae
STR ? AGI ? DEX ?
AUT ? PER ? EMP ?
Total: 88/90 + 1/3 extra stat? (Extra: The Fortress)
Are they even real? Native country: Europe
Incubi
STR 14 AGI 14 DEX 16
AUT 17 PER 15 EMP 14
Total: 90 + 1 extra stat (Extra: The Society of Delvers)
The incubi are a hermaphroditic species, with mottled skins of a variety of colors. Their general appearance is mostly slender male, although they have both "classical" genitals. Individuals can be both father or mother but are unable to self-fertilize. Native country: Eastern Coast of Northern Americas
Trolls
STR 17 AGI 16 DEX 16
AUT 13 PER 13 EMP 13
Total: 88 + 3 extra stats (Extra: The Society of Delvers)
The Trolls of the Caribbean are the sole species on the island of Puerto Rico. There are persistent rumors that the baseline human communities that survived the Fall were exterminated by the Trolls during the chaotic decades of the Fall. Trolls are characterized by an immense size - the average Troll reaches 7'' tall at puberty - and actually keep growing in size until their old age. An 9'' tall Troll is not uncommon. Native country: Caribbean islands, chiefly Puerto Rico and Cuba.
Kobolds?
STR 17 AGI 14 DEX 14
AUT 16 PER 14 EMP 13
Total: 88 + 3 extra stat (A Small Timeline of the Changed World)
The Kobolds were feathered saurian humanoids. Outside of the scale ridge that crosses their face, they are highly human-looking despite their odd skin and the feather crest that replaces hair. They have live birth of triplets, except for individuals with developed Talents. The Kobolds are now extinct, exterminated by the Fae tribes of Europe in 2102. Native Country: Lac L¨¦man, Switzerland
Halioi
STR 16 AGI 18 DEX 14
AUT 13 PER 15 EMP 13
Total: 89 + 2 extra stat (Book 2 Extra: The Wanderer)
Named after the Theoi Halioi, or "gods of the sea", the Halioi are one of the two quasi-aquatic Changed species known to exist. They keep a generally humanoid shape, but with extremely streamlined features, a bulbous domed head, and rubbery skin. Despite legs and arms, they are extremely good swimmers and easily manage 10 minutes of apnea. It is rumored that the infants are particularly not suited to swimming until puberty, but given their relative isolation, not much is known about that aspect of their biology. Despite the apparent lack of external primary or secondary sexual characteristics, they are indeed a normal dimorphic mammalian species. Native Country: Island of Lesbos, Medditerranean
Mooneyed
STR 14 AGI 17 DEX 15
AUT 14 PER 14 EMP 16
Total: 90 + 1 extra stat (book 2, chapter 45)
The Mooneyed of Camp Davis are a "lost Changed race", isolated by circumstances. Mooneyed are smaller than dwarves (about 3 feet high), and nocturnal with an extremely good night sight and require protection to operate in day. Native Country: Camp David, former Maryland, East Coast Mana Zone of northern Americas.
Spaceborne
STR 17 AGI 13 DEX 13
AUT 17 PER 17 EMP 14
Total: 91, no extra stat (Side Novel: Ringworld)
No Data Available. Appendix: Book 1 Skill Reference The System is essentially a stat-based skill system. You can purchase skills associated with each stat, by simply spending skill points (obtained by levels), at a cost of 1 point per skill in the stat (so, 1 for the first skill, 2pt for the second, 3 for a third, and so on). Each skill has requirements (stats, levels, pre-existing pools), and its effective level is equal to your level, plus a multiplier to the stat based on specialization. So, if you''re 16 Strength, level 3, and you have a 2¡Á skill, then your effective level is 35 (16¡Á2 + 3). The skill effective level adds to one resource pool. Each skill has both a passive, permanently-on, effect and an active or triggered effect that requires the expenditure of points from the resource pool. Skills do not improve through use. Instead, uses of any skill lead to XP being applied to both the associated stat and the general pool, up to a maximum equal to the skill level. Once enough experience has been accumulated in a stat, the stat automatically increases, leading to improvement on every purchased skill for that stat. Experience earned in the general pool can be spent to improve either the level (which provides a skill point) or any of the six stats, separately. The XP required to improve any of those seven scales according to a simple Fibonacci sequence (1000-2000-3000-5000-8000-13000-21000-etc). This is the list of skills we''ve encountered in the story (even if just named off-hand by Moore). It costs Tier ¡Á 500XP to remove a skill, which refunds the points to purchase a replacement skill. Strength skills
Fleshless (tier 25) Requires: Authority 21/Strength 20/Perception 19/Level 11
Effective: N ¡Á Strength + Level (adds mana) Passive: Adds (Eff) stamina Active: Temporarily transform flesh and organs into shadows. Attacks by slashing and piercing weapons are (Eff vs STR)¡Á5% less efficient. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds
Wood Shaper AUT 17/PER 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Duelist AGI 17/STR 16/EMP 16/Lvl 4 N=1
Guardian STR 16/PER 16/Lvl 2 N=1
Keeper STR 17/PER 17/Lvl 6 N=1
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Ghostly Armor (tier 25) Requires: Strength 22/Authority 22/ Level 11
Effective: N ¡Á Strength + Level (adds stamina) Passive: Adds (Eff) mana. Active: Cover your body with (Eff/3) square feet of armor. Kinetic impact is (Eff vs STR)¡Á5% less efficient. Active cost: 1 stamina per (Eff) seconds
Keeper STR 17/PER 17/Lvl 6 N=2
Duelist AGI 17/STR 16/EMP 16/Lvl 4 N=1
Guardian STR 16/PER 16/Lvl 2 N=1
Eversharp (tier 14) Requires: Strength 20/Dexterity 17/Authority 17/Level 6
Effective: N ¡Á Strength + Level (adds stamina) Passive: Cannot lose your grip on a weapon up to (Eff) pounds Active: Cuts any unprotected material up to (Eff/12) inch deep Active cost: 1 stamina per lateral inch
Blade Whirler AGI 17/STR 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Swordbringer STR 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Battler STR 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Specialist Battler STR 17/EMP 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Metal Spikes (tier 10) Requires: Strength 19/Lvl 7
Effective: N ¡Á Strength + Level (adds mana) Passive: Adds (Eff) stamina Active: Cause up to (Eff) sharp spikes of (Eff) inches to sprout from skin at articulations or replace hair Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds
Keeper STR 17/PER 17/Lvl 6 N=2
Guardian STR 16/PER 16/Lvl 2 N=1
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Metal Skin (tier 9) Requires: Authority 17/Strength 16/Lvl 6
Effective: N ¡Á Strength + Level (adds mana) Passive: Adds (Eff) stamina Active: Alter your skin into a metallic form, protecting against piercing or slashing attacks by (Eff¡Á3-skill or stat)% Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds
Duelist AGI 17/STR 16/EMP 16/Lvl 4 N=1
Guardian STR 16/PER 16/Lvl 2 N=1
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Succor (tier 8) Requires: Strength 16/Dexterity 16/Empathy 16/Level 5
Effective: N ¡Á Strength + Level (adds mana) Passive: You know instinctively the gravity of a wound. Action: Instantly move to a person within (Eff) feet that has suffered physical trauma or open wounds. Active cost: 1 mana per level of target
Combat Fixer EMP 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Fast Fixer EMP 17/STR 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Deep Fixer EMP 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Fixer EMP 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Tyrant Fixer EMP 17/AUT 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Double Tap (tier 8) Requires: Strength 17/Agility 17/ Level 4
Effective: N ¡Á Strength + Level (adds stamina) Passive: Enhance your effective Agility by up to (Eff/10) for skill checks Active: Each skill-based physical attack that can immediately does a echo attack for (Eff)% of the effect dealt by the first. Action cost: +1 stamina
Specialist Battler STR 17/EMP 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Battler STR 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Discreet DEX 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Improviser DEX 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Sharp Discreet DEX 17/PER 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Swordbringer STR 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Passes (tier 6) Requires: Strength 17/Agility 16/Level 4
Effective: N ¡Á Strength + Level (adds stamina) Passive: Cannot lose your grip on a weapon up to (Eff) pounds Trigger: Bypass any defensive skill of (Eff) or less. Trigger cost: 1 stamina per 10 skill bypassed
Duelist AGI 17/STR 16/EMP 16/Lvl 4 N=2
Specialist Battler STR 17/EMP 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Battler STR 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Blade Whirler AGI 17/STR 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Discreet DEX 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Ghosthound Battler STR 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Improviser DEX 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Sharp Discreet DEX 17/PER 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Swordbringer STR 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Forced Attack (tier 5) Requires: Dexterity 17/Strength 16/Level 3
Effective: N ¡Á Strength + Level (adds stamina) Passive: Enhance your effective Strength by up to (Eff/10) for skill checks Active: Your piercing and slashing attacks penetrate (Eff)% deeper than the actual blade. Action cost: +1 stamina
Improviser DEX 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Discreet DEX 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Sharp Discreet DEX 17/PER 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Slam (tier 1) Requires: Strength 16
Effective: N ¡Á Strength + Level (adds stamina) Passive: Grant immunity to blunt assault, up to (5¡ÁEff) pounds Active: Cause blunt trauma, crippling under (5¡ÁEff) pounds of body mass (effect reduced by the ratio of total mass over maximum) Active cost: 1 stamina per (5¡ÁEff) pound of enemy
Specialist Battler STR 17/EMP 16/Lvl 5 N=3
Battler STR 16/Lvl 1 N=2
Ghosthound Battler STR 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Swordbringer STR 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Agility skills
Pass Through Stone (tier 24) Requires: Agility 22/Authority 20/Perception 17/Level 10
Effective: N ¡Á Agility + Level (adds mana) Passive: Vibrations translate into vision if you are unable to see. Active: Move across most solid non-metallic structures. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds
Earth Shaper AUT 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Burning Coals (tier 9) Requires: Authority 17/ Agility 16//Level 6
Effective: N ¡Á Agility + Level (adds mana) Passive: Grant bodily immunity to fire, up to (300 + 10¡ÁEff) ¡ãF Active: Your feet leave behind burning footprints of maximum heat for (Eff) seconds Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) sec
Fire Shaper AUT 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Earth Shaper AUT 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Soften Mud (tier 8) Requires: Agility 17/ Authority 16/Empathy 16/Level 4
Effective: N ¡Á Agility + Level (adds mana) Passive: Enhance your effective Agility by up to (Eff/10) for skill checks Active: Liquefy (Eff) cubic feet of non-stony ground, up to a depth of (Aut) inches. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) second
Earth Shaper AUT 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Water Shaper AUT 17/EMP 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Cleanse Toxins (tier 6) Requires: Empathy 17/Agility 16/Level 4
Effective: N ¡Á Agility + Level (adds mana) Passive: LD50 is increased by (Eff¡Á10)%. Active: Remove up to (Eff) milligrams of toxins or poisons from a body or food Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) pounds affected.
Deep Fixer EMP 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Combat Fixer EMP 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Fast Fixer EMP 17/STR 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Fixer EMP 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Sentinel PER 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Tyrant Fixer EMP 17/AUT 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Earthbind (tier 5) Requires: Authority 17/Agility 16/Level 3
Effective: N ¡Á Agility + Level (adds mana) Passive: Enhance your effective Strength by up to (Eff/10) for skill checks Active: Reduce the movement speed of a target by (6¡ÁEff - 2¡ÁSTR)%. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds.
Earth Shaper AUT 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Armored (tier 4) Requires: Strength 16/Agility 16/Level 3
Effective: N ¡Á Agility + Level (adds stamina) Passive: Enhance your effective Strength by up to (Eff/10) for skill checks Active: Your clothing or armor is (Eff¡Á5)% better at resisting or deflecting attacks Active cost: 1 stamina per (Eff) sec.
Keeper STR 17/PER 17/Lvl 6 N=3
Guardian STR 16/PER 16/Lvl 2 N=2
Stone Throw (tier 3) Requires: Agility 16/Authority 16/Level 2
Effective: N ¡Á Agility + Level (adds mana) Passive: (Eff)% better sight Active: Accurately aim a stone of (Eff) ounces up to (Eff) feet. The heaviest stone available within (Eff) feet is automatically drawn to your hand. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) inches crossed.
Earth Shaper AUT 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=1
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Intercept (tier 3) Requires: Agility 17/Level 2
Effective: N ¡Á Agility + Level (adds stamina) Passive: Instinctive detection of incoming enemies Active: Move fast to an enemy, at (5¡ÁEff)% of top sprinting speed Active cost: 1 stamina per (Eff/2) feet
Specialist Battler STR 17/EMP 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Battler STR 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Ghosthound Battler STR 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Keeper STR 17/PER 17/Lvl 6 N=1
Swordbringer STR 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Deflect (tier 2) Requires: Agility 16/Level 2
Effective: N ¡Á Agility + Level (adds stamina) Passive: Enhance your effective Dexterity by up to (Eff/10) for skill checks Triggered: (3¡Á(Eff vs physical stat))% chance of avoiding an attack (max 95%) Trigger cost: 1 stamina if avoided
Guardian STR 16/PER 16/Lvl 2 N=3
Keeper STR 17/PER 17/Lvl 6 N=3
Improviser DEX 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Duelist AGI 17/STR 16/EMP 16/Lvl 4 N=2
Battler STR 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Discreet DEX 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Ghosthound Battler STR 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Sharp Discreet DEX 17/PER 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Specialist Battler STR 17/EMP 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Swordbringer STR 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Dexterity skills
Ember Chains (tier 12) Requires: Authority 19/Dexterity 18/Level 6
Effective: N ¡Á Dexterity + Level (adds mana) Passive: Grant bodily immunity to fire, up to (300 + 10¡ÁEff) ¡ãF Active: Create a (Eff/5) feet chain of temporary metal, heated to max temperature Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) sec
Fire Shaper AUT 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Burning Body (tier 9) Requires: Dexterity 19/Authority 18/Level 3
Effective: N ¡Á Dexterity + Level (adds mana) Passive: Grant bodily immunity to fire, up to (300 + 10¡ÁEff) ¡ãF Active: Heat your body to max temperature Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) sec
Fire Shaper AUT 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Guardian STR 16/PER 16/Lvl 2 N=1
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Fireball (tier 8) Requires: Authority 17/Dexterity 17/Level 5
Effective: N ¡Á Dexterity + Level (adds mana) Passive: Grant bodily immunity to fire, up to (300 + 10¡ÁEff) ¡ãF Active: Launch a ball of (Eff) cubic inches of plasma up to (3¡ÁEff) feet Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) feet
Fire Shaper AUT 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Block (tier 8) Requires: Strength 17/Dexterity 16/Level 5
Effective: N ¡Á Dexterity + Level (adds stamina) Passive: Enhance your effective Strength by up to (Eff/10) for skill checks Triggered: Block physical/temporary weapons with your own, (Eff vs appropriate) ¡Á 3% Trigger cost: 1 stamina per 20% chance
Keeper STR 17/PER 17/Lvl 6 N=3
Duelist STR 16/AGI 17/EMP 16/Lvl 4 N=2
Guardian STR 16/PER 16/Lvl 2 N=2
Improviser DEX 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Sharp Discreet DEX 17/PER 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Specialist Battler STR 17/EMP 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Ambidextrous (tier 6) Requires: Dexterity 18/Level 4
Effective: N ¡Á Dexterity + Level (adds stamina) Passive: Your accuracy, strength and grip with your off-hand is (Eff)% better when it comes to weapons. Action: Instantly swap one-handed weapon?s between main and off-hand. Action cost: 1 stamina per (Eff) ounces.
Improviser DEX 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=3
Blade Whirler AGI 17/STR 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Discreet DEX 16/Lvl 1 N=2
Specialist Battler STR 17/EMP 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Battler STR 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Sharp Discreet DEX 17/PER 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Swordbringer STR 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Flaming Blade (tier 5) Requires: Dexterity 16/Authority 16/Level 4
Effective: N ¡Á Dexterity + Level (adds mana) Passive: Grant bodily immunity to fire, up to (300 + 10¡ÁEff) ¡ãF Active: Create a flame of max temperature surrounding a bladed weapon. The weapon remains immune to melting or burning while covered. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds
Fire Shaper AUT 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Blade Whirler AGI 17/STR 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=1
First Aid (tier 4) Requires: Empathy 17/Dexterity 16/Level 2
Effective: N ¡Á Dexterity + Level (adds mana) Passive: Your wounds clot (Eff¡Á5)% faster Active: Neutralize bone or flesh trauma, up to (Eff) pounds, provided it occurred less than (Eff) seconds ago. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) pounds of body mass stabilized
Combat Fixer EMP 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Deep Fixer EMP 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Fast Fixer EMP 17/STR 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Fixer EMP 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Tyrant Fixer EMP 17/AUT 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Dark Flame (tier 3) Requires: Dexterity 16/Authority 16/Level 2
Effective: N ¡Á Dexterity + Level (adds mana) Passive: Enhance your effective Authority by up to (Eff/10) for skill checks Active: Creates a flame that does not provide any light. The flame requires flammable material, which burns normally. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds
Fire Shaper AUT 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Sharp Discreet DEX 17/PER 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Explorer AGI 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Sentinel PER 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Wood Shaper AUT 17/PER 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Reconnaissance (tier 2) Requires: Dexterity 17
Effective: N ¡Á Dexterity + Level (adds stamina) Passive: Enhance your effective Perception by up to (Eff/10) for skill checks Active: Hide from sight. 50% chance of being spotted, reduced/increased by 5¡Á(Eff-PER)% Active cost: 1 stamina per (Eff) seconds while moving, 1 stamina per (10¡ÁEff) seconds while staying immobile
Improviser DEX 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=3
Sharp Discreet DEX 17/PER 16/Lvl 5 N=3
Discreet DEX 16/Lvl 1 N=2
Explorer AGI 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Authority skills
Shadow Wings (tier 38) Requires: Authority 26/Strength 21/Agility 21/Level 16
Effective: N ¡Á Authority + Level (adds mana) Passive: You suffer (Eff)% less damage from falling. Active: You have space-time shear wings, suitable for flying up to (Eff) yards above ground. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds
Earth Shaper AUT 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Fast Fixer EMP 17/STR 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Tyrant Fixer EMP 17/AUT 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Telepathy (tier 13) Requires: Authority 19/Empathy 18/Lvl 5
Effective: N ¡Á Authority + Level (adds mana) Passive: Increase your regeneration by (Eff/10) mana per hour Active: Share your silent inner voice to anyone you''ve met and remember accurately during the last (Eff) hours, if they are within (Eff) miles Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) words.
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=2
Sentinel PER 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Call Lightning (tier 10) Requires: Authority 18/Strength 17/Level 6
Effective: N ¡Á Authority + Level (adds mana) Passive: Increase your regeneration by (Eff/10) mana per hour Active: Creates a lightning conduit reaching to a point up to (Eff¡Á10) feet away. Requires any form of cloud above Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff¡Á10) vertical feet
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=2
Split Stone (tier 8) Requires: Authority 18/Agility 16/Level 5
Effective: N ¡Á Authority + Level (adds mana) Passive: Grant bodily immunity to cold, down to (100 - 5¡ÁEff) ¡ãF Action: Creates an (Eff/10) inch-wide fissure in stone, of (Eff) inches long and (Eff/3) inches deep. Action cost: (AUT) mana.
Earth Shaper AUT 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=2
Water Shaper EMP 16/AUT 17/Lvl 5 N=2
Bolster (tier 8) Requires: Authory 16/Empathy 17/Level 5
Effective: N ¡Á Authority + Level (adds mana) Passive: Increase your regeneration by (Eff/10) mana per hour Active: Add (Eff)% of your stats to the effective stats of your target for the purpose of determining skill levels and stat checks. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds
Tyrant Fixer EMP 17/AUT 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Combat Fixer EMP 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Deep Fixer EMP 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Fast Fixer EMP 17/STR 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Fixer EMP 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Fusion (tier 7) Requires: Authority 17/Strength 16/Dexterity 16/Level 4
Effective: N ¡Á Authority + Level (adds mana) Passive: Grant bodily immunity to fire, up to (300 + 10¡ÁEff) ¡ãF Active: Cause one ounce of metal within (Eff) inches to melt every (Melt/Eff) second. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds
Fire Shaper AUT 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=3
Maker STR 16/DEX 16/Lvl 4 N=3
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=2
Disarm (tier 7) Requires: Strength 16/Authority 16/Perception 16/Level 5
Effective: N ¡Á Authority + Level (adds stamina) Passive: Your grip on a weapon under (Eff) pounds is unshakable Action: Forces target to drop a weapon of (Eff vs STR)/2 pounds. Action cost: 1 stamina per level of target
Duelist STR 16/AGI 17/EMP 16/Lvl 4 N=2
Keeper STR 17/PER 17/Lvl 6 N=2
Guardian STR 16/PER 16/Lvl 2 N=1
Burning Ground (tier 6) Requires: Authority 17/Dexterity 16/Level 4
Effective: N ¡Á Authority + Level (adds mana) Passive: Grant bodily immunity to fire, up to (300 + 10¡ÁEff) ¡ãF Active: Fire of maximum allowable temperature erupts from the ground, covering a radius of (Eff) inches Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds
Fire Shaper AUT 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=3
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=2
Rust (tier 5) Requires: Strength 16/Authority 16/Level 4
Effective: N ¡Á Authority + Level (adds mana) Passive: Your lung capacity is (Eff/3)% larger. Active: Cause (Eff/5) ounces of metal to partially rust every second. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=2
Falter (tier 5) Requires: Empathy 17/Authority 16/Level 3
Effective: N ¡Á Authority + Level (adds mana) Passive: Enhance your effective Authority by up to (Eff/10) for skill checks Active: Causes hesitation to any enemy, reducing the speed at which they attack by (Eff vs AUT)¡Á5% Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds
Tyrant Fixer EMP 17/AUT 16/Lvl 5 N=3
Combat Fixer EMP 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Deep Fixer EMP 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Fast Fixer EMP 17/STR 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Fixer EMP 16/Lvl 1 N=2
Duelist AGI 17/STR 16/EMP 16/Lvl 4 N=1
Tremor (tier 4) Requires: Authority 17/Agility 16/Level 2
Effective: N ¡Á Authority + Level (adds mana) Passive: You are (Eff¡Á5)% more stable against any perturbation Action: Cause an earthquake-effect of intensity 6+(Eff/25) in a (Eff) yard radius. Action cost: (AGI) mana.
Earth Shaper AUT 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Frostbite (tier 3) Requires: Empathy 16/Authority 16/Lvl 2
Effective: N ¡Á Authority + Level (adds mana) Passive: Grant bodily immunity to cold, down to (100 - 5¡ÁEff) ¡ãF Active: Lower the temperature of target by (Eff/10) ¡ãF per second Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds.
Water Shaper EMP 16/AUT 17/Lvl 5 N=3
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=2
Fire Handling (tier 2) Requires: Authority 17
Effective: N ¡Á Authority + Level (adds mana) Passive: Grant bodily immunity to heat, up to (300 + 10¡ÁEff) ¡ãF Active: Can summon an (Eff/10)-inch flame in either one¡¯s hand Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds.
Fire Shaper AUT 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=3
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=2
Perception skills
Spore Breath (tier 15) Requires: Authority 20/Perception 18/Level 8
Effective: N ¡Á Perception + Level (adds mana) Passive: LD50 is increased by (Eff¡Á10)%. Action: Emit a (Eff) cubic feet cloud of toxic particulate matter. Toxin causes headaches, respiratory distress and partial extremities paralysis. Action cost: (AUT) mana
Wood Shaper AUT 17/PER 16/Lvl 5 N=3
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=2
Combat Fixer EMP 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Deep Fixer EMP 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Fast Fixer EMP 17/STR 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Fixer EMP 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Tyrant Fixer EMP 17/AUT 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Regrow (tier 12) Requires: Empathy 19/Agility 17/Perception 17/Level 7
Effective: N ¡Á Perception + Level (adds mana) Passive: You know instinctively the gravity of a wound. Active: Regrow (Eff/100,000) ounces of bone, muscle or organs per second. Damaged organs or bone can be fixed at double the speed rather than being reconstructed. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds
Deep Fixer EMP 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Combat Fixer EMP 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Fixer EMP 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Tyrant Fixer EMP 17/AUT 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Enter Tree (tier 11) Requires: Perception 19/Authority 18/Level 5
Effective: N ¡Á Perception + Level (adds mana) Passive: You need (Eff)% less sleep. Active: Merge into a tree, provided the trunk is large enough to hold you. Damage to the tree will eject you. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds.
Wood Shaper AUT 17/PER 16/Lvl 5 N=3
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=2
Recall Blade (tier 8) Requires: Dexterity 17/Agility 16/Percerption 16/Level 5
Effective: N ¡Á Perception + Level (adds mana) Passive: You automatically know the balance and sharpness of any blade you see Active: Recall an echo of any bladed weapon you held in your hand in the last (Eff) hours, provided you handled it for (Lvl) seconds. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds
Improviser DEX 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Sharp Discreet DEX 17/PER 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Swordbringer STR 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Detect Lies (tier 6) Requires: Perception 17/ Empathy 16/Level 4
Effective: N ¡Á Perception + Level (adds mana) Passive: Enhance your effective Perception by up to (Eff/10) for skill checks Active: Notice any attempt to dissemble. 5% ¡Á (EMP vs AUT) chance of failure, reduced by (Eff). Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds.
Combat Fixer EMP 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Deep Fixer EMP 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Fast Fixer EMP 17/STR 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Fixer EMP 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Monger AUT 17/PER 16/EMP 16 N=1
Sentinel PER 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Sharp Discreet DEX 17/PER 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Tyrant Fixer EMP 17/AUT 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Accurate Pierce (tier 6) Requires: Dexterity 17/Perception 16/Level 4
Effective: N ¡Á Perception + Level (adds stamina) Passive: Enhance your effective Dexterity by up to (Eff/10) for skill checks Triggered: Ensure that your piercing attacks do not miss a vulnerable point if you strike within (Eff/5) inches of one. Trigger cost: +1 stamina per inch above 1-inch displacement.
Improviser DEX 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Discreet DEX 16/Lvl 1 N=2
Sharp Discreet DEX 17/PER 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Specialist Battler STR 17/EMP 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Battler STR 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Ghosthound Battler STR 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Flower (tier 5) Requires: Authority 16/Perception 16/Level 3
Effective: N ¡Á Perception + Level (adds mana) Passive: Anything vegetal within (Eff) yards of you decays (Eff)% slower Action: Makes flowers or leaf buds mature (Eff¡Á50)% faster. Action cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds.
Wood Shaper AUT 17/PER 16/Lvl 5 N=3
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=2
Detect Metal (tier 3) Requires: Mana 30/Perception 16/Level 2
Effective: N ¡Á Perception + Level (adds mana) Passive: You recognize the primary metal of any alloy you see. Active: Detect continuous metal masses of at least (1000/Eff) pounds up to (20¡ÁEff) feet. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds
Explorer AGI 16/Lvl 1 N=2
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Mana Sight (tier 2) Requires: Mana 30/Level 2
Effective: N ¡Á Perception + Level (adds mana) Passive: Detect mana flows & pools of (1000 / Eff) size or greater Triggered: Detect any mana-based skill of (Eff) skill or below.
Earth Shaper AUT 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Fire Shaper AUT 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=2
Water Shaper AUT 17/EMP 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Wood Shaper AUT 17/PER 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Combat Fixer EMP 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Deep Fixer EMP 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Explorer AGI 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Fast Fixer EMP 17/STR 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Fixer EMP 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Guardian STR 16/PER 16 N=1
Sharp Discreet DEX 17/PER 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Tyrant Fixer EMP 17/AUT 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Gauge Endurance (tier 2) Requires: Stamina 30/Level 2
Effective: N ¡Á Perception + Level (adds stamina) Passive: Detect levels up to (Eff/3) Triggered: Detect any stamina-based skill of (Eff) skill or below.
Keeper STR 17/PER 17/Lvl 6 N=3
Duelist STR 16/AGI 17/EMP 16/Lvl 4 N=2
Guardian STR 16/PER 16 N=2
Empathy skills
Water Walking (tier 11) Requires: Authority 18/Empathy 18/Agility 17/Level 4
Effective: N ¡Á Empathy + Level (adds mana) Passive: Your water needs per day lowers by (Eff)% Active: Walk on water as if it was a solid surface Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds.
Deep Fixer EMP 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=3
Tyrant Fixer EMP 17/AUT 16/Lvl 5 N=3
Combat Fixer EMP 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Fast Fixer EMP 17/STR 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Fixer EMP 16/Lvl 1 N=2
Water Shaper EMP 16/AUT 17/Lvl 5 N=2
Earth Shaper AUT 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Sentinel PER 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Frozen Body (tier 9) Requires: Empathy 18/Authority 18/Level 4
Effective: N ¡Á Empathy + Level (adds mana) Passive: Grant bodily immunity to cold, down to (100 - 5¡ÁEff) ¡ãF Active: Drop your body and skin to lowest temperature Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) sec
Water Shaper AUT 17//EMP 16/Lvl 5 N=3
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=2
Steam Breath (tier 8) Requires: Dexterity 17/Empathy 17/Level 5
Effective: N ¡Á Empathy + Level (adds mana) Passive: You require (Eff)% less oxygen Active: Emits a cone of (Eff/3)¡ã of scalding steam at (200+5¡ÁEff)¡ãF, up to (Eff/3) feet Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds
Water Shaper AUT 17//EMP 16/Lvl 5 N=3
Fire Shaper AUT 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=2
Silence (tier 7) Requires: Empathy 17/Authority 17/Level 4
Effective: N ¡Á Empathy + Level (adds mana) Passive: You learn languages (Eff)% faster Active: Suppress vocal communication if (Eff) > (AUT). Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds
Tyrant Fixer EMP 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=3
Combat Fixer EMP 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Deep Fixer EMP 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Fast Fixer EMP 17/STR 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Fixer EMP 16/Lvl 1 N=2
Pay Attention (tier 5) Requires: Perception 16/Empathy 16/Level 4
Effective: N ¡Á Empathy + Level (adds mana) Passive: Enhance your effective Empathy by up to (Eff/10) for skill checks Active: You notice when someone decides on a target for its next attacks. Attention lasts (Eff) minutes. Activation cost: (Target Lvl) mana
Discreet DEX 16/Lvl 1 N=2
Improviser DEX 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Sharp Discreet DEX 17/PER 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Duelist STR 16/AGI 17/EMP 16/Lvl 4 N=1
Sentinel PER 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Optimal Strike (tier 5) Requires: Strength 17/Empathy 16/Level 3
Effective: N ¡Á Empathy + Level (adds stamina) Passive: Your grip on a weapon under (Eff) pounds is unshakable Triggered: Focused attacks increases any strength-based damage by (5¡ÁEff+10¡ÁTargetLevel)% Trigger cost: +1 stamina.
Duelist STR 16/AGI 17/EMP 16/Lvl 4 N=2
Specialist Battler STR 17/EMP 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Battler STR 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Blade Whirler AGI 17/STR 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Swordbringer STR 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Fog Cloud (tier 4) Requires: Empathy 16/Authority 16/Level 3
Effective: N ¡Á Empathy + Level (adds mana) Passive: Grant bodily immunity to cold, down to (100 - 5¡ÁEff) ¡ãF Active: Creates fog covering (10¡ÁEff) acres. The visibility of under this fog is (200/Eff-PER/10) feet. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds.
Water Shaper EMP 16/AUT 17/Lvl 5 N=3
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=2
Bestowal (tier 2) Requires: Mana 20/Empathy 16
Effective: N ¡Á Empathy + Level (adds mana) Passive: Increase your regeneration by (Eff/10) mana per hour Active: Transfer (Eff/10) mana from your pool per second Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff/10) second
Combat Fixer EMP 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=3
Deep Fixer EMP 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=3
Fast Fixer EMP 17/STR 16/Lvl 5 N=3
Tyrant Fixer EMP 17/AUT 16/Lvl 5 N=3
Fixer EMP 16/Lvl 1 N=2
Sentinel PER 16/Lvl 1 N=2
Close Wounds (tier 2) Requires: Empathy 17
Effective: N ¡Á Empathy + Level (adds mana) Passive: Reduce the extend from wounds by (Eff)% Active: Reduce all forms of surface wounds by (Eff/25) square inch per second. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds
Combat Fixer EMP 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=3
Deep Fixer EMP 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=3
Fast Fixer EMP 17/STR 16/Lvl 5 N=3
Tyrant Fixer EMP 17/AUT 16/Lvl 5 N=3
Fixer EMP 16/Lvl 1 N=2
Known specializations
Tier 1
Battler STR 16/Lvl 1 Melee offense
Explorer AGI 16/Lvl 1 Scout/Range
Discreet DEX 16/Lvl 1 Stealth/Melee
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 Magic
Sentinel PER 16/Lvl 1 Support
Fixer EMP 16/Lvl 1 Healing
Tier 2
Guardian STR 16/PER 16/Lvl 2 Melee defense
Monger AUT 17/PER 16/EMP 16 Trading
Tier 3
Maker STR 16/DEX 16/Lvl 4 Crafting
Tier 4
Blade Whirler AGI 17/STR 16/Lvl 5 Sword specialist
Combat Fixer EMP 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 Combat healer
Deep Fixer EMP 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 Regenerative healer
Duelist STR 16/AGI 17/EMP 16/Lvl 4 Pvp ?
Earth Shaper AUT 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 Earth Magic
Fast Fixer EMP 17/STR 16/Lvl 5 Fast effects healer
Fire Shaper AUT 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 Fire Magic
Ghosthound Battler STR 17/DEX 16/lvl 5 Spear Melee
Improviser DEX 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 Offensive Rogue
Sharp Discreet DEX 17/PER 16/Lvl 5 Magical rogue
Specialist Battler STR 17/EMP 16/Lvl 5 Generalist Melee (what?)
Swordbringer STR 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 Sword melee
Tyrant Fixer EMP 17/AUT 16/Lvl 5 Offensive Healer
Water Shaper AUT 17/EMP 16/Lvl 5 Water Magic
Wood Shaper AUT 17/PER 16/Lvl 5 Nature Magic
Tier 5
Keeper STR 17/PER 17/Lvl 6 Melee Defense
Authors Note - book 1 Books are always a weird thing. They''re a graft of many things on a tree, and they flourish weirdly. Or at least, they should, unless you''re writing on market for Harlequin or something. The Changed Ones - whose initial title was The Chosen Ones, but that worked out a bit worse than the new one - began as a basic story outline written in early 2019. "The Day of the Last Dead" (and yes, you''ll find that in the timeline) took place in the distant future after the RPG Apocalypse, 30 years after the last person born before said Apocalypse died of old age. It was actually a very generic litRPG - boy gets finally his system fully unlocked, struggles with supposedly useless skills while getting bullied and mocked, survives miraculously an encounter with a too-powerful beast, gets OP skill from it, and gets roped in to fight against a great evil, etcetera. I''m sure you''ve read the story already. But the interesting part was the "long after the apocalypse" bit. I''m not the first to explore that type of setting, but it is an interesting and underused one. The seed in this fertile soil came from one Reddit discussion about why write litrpg. If the RPG part didn''t change anything, you should write normal fantasy instead, people argued, and that provided an idea. After all, books like Dragonlance have AD&D underneath, and you can see some of the bits poking out (casting limits per day are a thing, I think, etc), but it is not a litRPG. If it has a litRPG System, but the people operating under it can''t see it, then from their perspective, it is a fantasy world. So... what if you couldn''t see the RPG, but someone else could? You''ve got two perspectives on the same world, and a contrast emerges. The reader suddenly knows things the characters can''t know, and it comes about "naturally" rather than as a forced exposition by the author. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Then, I started grafting stuff on the core idea, developing the world. You find a few tropes to twist - like the expectation that the guy who dies in the first chapter and who''s listed as a core character will be reincarnated as the OP main character - and more importantly, you need to try to figure where it will lead and how it should end. The first chapters of the draft of "Chosen Ones" got started during the third book of The Infinite Labyrinth, and after finishing the first self-contained story in that universe, I finally decided this one was the most enticing. It was a toss-up between that and an urban progression fantasy (Runecasters, which has a problem in which I didn''t know how to finish book 1. I still don''t). But the Changed world won, and my cultivation Qi Apocalypse came third. The Changed Ones is a trilogy. When I decided it was going to be one I wrote next, it had a beginning, a set of themes, and an ending point. Yes, the final book 3 epilogue is already written (although I may extend it because there are so many things that get wrapped up...). Right now, the first book is over, the cast has properly left their old lives behind, and great things are down the road. So, buckle up, because Johanna, Tom, Peter, and Laura - and Moore, of course - are going to leave a wake of... extreme Change as they cross northern America, on a mission for their Ancient patron. Extra Non-Story: Leveling curves Leveling is a complicated affair: there are four different mechanics that provide XP to people and seven different places where XP can be spent (level and each stat). 1 - The baseline "skillless" XP varies between 3 and 6 points of XP earned during sleep, based on the variety of activities you performed during the day. For modern-day people, you can consider an average of 4.25XP per day or 1550XP per year. This XP is added to the "general XP" pool. 2 - The skill earning XP. This is earned individually per stat, per day. For each stat, each use of the skill generates XP based on the difficulty of the action, which is either the skill level divided by 2 (for non-combat actions), the number of resources spent in the skill up to the skill level, the skill check (example: Mana Sight gives XP equal to the skill you''re seeing), or the skill level (for skills used in hostile environments). You can only earn XP in excess of previously earned XP for that stat. Example: Perception. You Mana Sight a level 6 skill being used, you earn 6XP. You then see a level 22 skill being used, you earn 16XP (22-6). You then perform an unrelated Perception skill 35 action in combat, you earn a final 13XP (35-22). This resets upon sleep. This XP is added twice: to the "general XP" pool, and to the dedicated XP pool for the stat (which can lead to an automatic leveling of the stat). 3 - The Kill XP. This is earned when killing any system-changed entity. This is equal to 500XP+25XP per skill, times the level. This XP is divided among all people involved in the killing, based on "contribution" (which is extremely nebulous) and added to the "general XP" pool. For the four, it is evenly divided among any of the four presents, with an extra share being the "global XP pool" that can be spent by Moore on any of them, at any future time. Examples: Captain Devereaux, a level 7 human, is worth 3500XP (7x500). Elena Worchester, a level 8 water shaper with a single skill would be 4200XP (8x525). A Level 12 Peak Unnatural Amphex is worth 6900XP (12x575). There are diminishing returns per day that triggers whenever the author says it''s enough XP for today, dammit. It has never been used, but I reserve author fiat, just in case (it''s not under 5k per person, because I do have a 5k day somewhere). Gruesome fact: During the Battle of the Kootenai Gap, over ~800XP of the 3000XP earned came from... Tribesmen killing Montana soldiers. Because Laura was using her Falter which affected everyone... and thus was contributing to those kills (and yes, they shared XP with the enemy troops. But if no one knows, what''s the harm?). 4 - Defeat XP. This is earned when a hostile system-changed enemy flees or concedes the fight. This is equal to its current general XP pool or 100XP times the level, whichever is smaller. The XP is lost from the hostile''s XP pool and then divided using the same rules as #3 above. It can happen for a given entity only once per sidereal year. Gaining defeat XP does not prevent you from gaining kill XP before the year. Now, consider a few diverse people from the current Changed World: Albus - This ordinary person goes through life in ordinary circumstances, earning its 1550XP per year of baseline, and that''s it. Bertram - This unspecialized, but skill-using person has a single 0-multiplier skill, obtained at age 30, whose cap is usually his effective level, ground every couple days in non-combat circumstances, for an additional 750-1000XP per year. Crethon - This guard or bounty hunter spent times in the wilds, fighting occasionally a few low-level Changed, earning an additional 2000XP/year of kill XP, or 3500XP per year, from his 20s until the day he dies (rather than the day he retires). Devonia - This sorceress has a single 2x skill whose cap allows a much higher grinding, for 5-6K XP per year from age 35 on. Evander - This veteran of the Unification Wars has enlisted at 18, and seen regular combat; each battle he''s survived has yielded 2500XP on average, and he''s been involved in six-seven battles per year. That''s 17000XP/year, people (until his death, not retirement). Fiona - Someone with a real build, an advanced specialization she got by 18 because she was power-leveled when young (at an extra 3000XP/year - some minor contribution to safe kills by a real team), and now has six skills on six different stats, 3 of which (x1, x2, x3) are grindable every day. And she''s a veteran of the RPG Apocalypse as it should have been, by the virtue of (censored, censored, censored, please desist), going into dangerous areas to clear Changed predators every month. She gets ~100XP/day of grind early on, but that goes to 200 "soon" and an extra ~8k/month of kill XP (plus use of all skills in those days when her team finds a Changed to fight). For a grand total of 140K XP to 170K per year. And finally... Garrosh the Grinder - Killing monsters, that''s a job. 5 days a week, with a 4-week vacation, that''s how we get our XP since I was 18. See and weep, boy-o (4K XP plus full skill use every workday, ~1M XP per year). If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Here''s the system progression for those seven people, assuming they don''t invest at all in stats (and let them grow "normally" by skill use).
Level Albus Bertram Crethon Devonia Evander Fiona Garrosh
(total XP needed) Age (rounded)
(1000) 1 16 16 16 16 16 16 16
(2000) 2 17 17 17 17 17 16 16
(4000) 3 18 18 18 18 18 16 17
(7000) 4 20 20 20 20 18 16 18
(12,000) 5 23 23 22 23 18 17 18
(20,000) 6 28 28 24 28 19 17 19
(33,000) 7 37 35 28 36 19 18 19
(54,000) 8 50 44 34 39 20 18 19
(88,000) 9 72 59 46 44 22 19 19
(143,000) 10 108 80 59 51 25 20 19
(232,000) 11 114 84 62 30 20 19
(376,000) 12 80 38 21 20
(609,000) 13 107 52 23 20
(986,000) 14 73 25 20
(1.60 M) 15 107 29 20
(2.58 M) 16 35 21
(4.18 M) 17 44 22
(6.76 M)18 59 24
(10.94 M)19 83 28
(17.71 M) 20 35
(28.65 M) 21 45
(46.37 M) 22 62
(75.02 M) 23 89
(121.39 M) 24 In the end, everyone dies of old age... (120 years cap)
Note that, the average person typically "displays" a level under the one which they qualify for (sometimes two, sometimes none). Save those Fiona/Garrosh? Just in case you''re wondering: Albus = random people from Valetta Bertram = Dominik Piturca, the caravan master (with an awesomely preserved AC-DC teeshirt) Crethon = Piturca''s bodyguard Devonia = Billy-Jo Weirky, the Flaming Hand sorcerer (or maybe Elena Worchester, who doesn''t grind every day, but has a higher skill cap and has seen battles for XP instead...) Evander = Sergeant Mord / Captain Devereaux Fiona = Johanna''s Daugh... oops, I said nothing! Forget this! (I''m kidding, of course. I''m pretty sure the situation will look very different by the time they can take some time to have kids, and who knows what Moore will be able to do. But that''s close to our four''s potential career path... and it tells you they''ll probably reach level 11-12 by the end of the trilogy, given they will spend stat XP) Garrosh the Insane = actually, he was killed in his mid-twenties because there weren''t enough mobs left, and he''d started killing people for XP instead. Extra Non-Story Bonus: Valetta, pearl of the Northwest The Montana Marches (3rd edition, 2171 - Travel Bureau of New Benton) ... Valetta is an old and proud city, tracing its foundation to a core of Ancient service buildings from before the Fall. Its name is derived from its founding family, the Valettas, and the position of Alderman has been held by a Valetta ever since. Uniquely situated, it holds a major position on the main western road of the Marches of the Montana, which leads to New Willapaga, one of the rare ports available on the west coast of the Northern Americas. Combined with its connection to the southern road across the Idaho Gap and the central states of the Union of States, this has created a prosperous hub of commerce and a waypoint for all commercial caravans across the western parts of the March. With a population of 4931 (2165 AD census), to which one can add over 1100 people in nine farming communities around it, it boasts the sixth-largest city in the Montana, and the largest in the entire western half of the state. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. While Valetta is best described as a trade and service city, it also boasts robust industries, with local produces exported across the Marches of the Montana and the entire Union. It is one of the two areas where the fabled Eiswein, a highly prized wine type tracing back to pre-Fall traditional recipes of distant Europe, is produced. The unique product of the Mirosc farming hub is appreciated by connoisseurs all across the Union. Better known is the Ardenworks, one of the foremost metalworks and smithy of the west, whose reputation in the treatment of Ancient Alium is peerless*. Valetta also boasts of a rich and vibrant cultural and culinary life, with restaurants and inns devoted both to the local and traveling communities. It also has its own printing press ¨C Venters & Sons ¨C and local authors, notably the recluse author of the long-lasting Song of Ice and Mists fantasy series set in the Labyrinth, an alternate version of the Montana where fantastic heroes and sorcerers strive to keep the Kingsport safe from Wendigo hordes pouring from the north**. ... (*) Ardenworks work Alium only on commission for a specific production, owing to the rarity of the metal compared to modern alloys. Please send inquiries to Ardenworks, Valetta, Montana for quotes. (**) No information on the publishing schedules of the series is available currently. Enquire at your local bookstore for news. Extra Non-Story Bonus: The Pledge of Memory We remember. We remember Vancouver, city on the sea, home of us all. We remember the alien skies, the lines of mana flowering over our heads. We remember our lives, plumbers and webmasters, florists and stylists, deliverers and engineers. We remember the dark of the road, as we fled our homes become traps. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. We remember the light of the burning mana, as we were remade for a new world. And above all, we remember that wisdom is what separates man from monster. The change gave us strength, but man does know the limit of strength. The change gave us power, but man needs to know the nature of power. The change gave us all we needed to live, but man lives not on hunt alone. And above all, the change left us history, for under the fur, wendigo is man and learning is what separated man from monster. Never forget where we came from, for the blood of the Ancients still flows in all Changed. So say we all. Under the barred line is a scrawled mention ¡°original BG was better than 2004 crap¡± Extra Non-Story Bonus: Old Angeles Welcome to Old Angeles (formerly San Simeon)! Home of the Legendary Ranshao Shu! Named after the Ancient destroyed city at the heart of the Angel Mana Basin southwest, Old Angeles is the largest port on the entire western coast of the Northern Americas, and the start of the great trans-continental trade road that crosses the entire Union of the States, from Pacific to Mississippi. The port boasts quays capable of harboring over twenty large trans-oceanic shipping vessels and nearly fifty local ships that provide a robust fishing industry and trade across the coast, up to the northern fisheries of Moresby. There is always something new to see at the port, new products to sample, as ships arrive daily from all over the world. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Here, you will find luxury amenities and all of the comforts of modern life. Taverns, music halls, and dance venues are open to the deeps of the nights, as you wait either for a ship across the Pacific or a trade train for the continental rail. For the more exotic visitors, fear not*. The Minotaur enclave of Old Angeles boasts accommodations for a large range of Changed people, including suitable Dryad lodging, and many restaurants across the city have menus that are more culturally or biologically adequate if you require them**. Temporary employment information is available at the Civic Center. If you are looking at becoming a resident, the City Hall will provide all the necessary advice, including how to find permanent housing. (*) Old Angeles has a long history of hosting Changed people, no matter what their difference and biological oddities. (**) The Formless House is the main restaurant in the city for specialty menus, including blood dishes or changed meat. Present this flyer for a 10% discount. discarded paper at the port of Old Angeles. Extra Non-Story Bonus: The Five The Atlas of the Changed, Peter Berchan (2155) The Erlangs are considered to be the largest Changed race in modern times. The name comes from the legendary Lord Erlang Shen, Lord of Sichuan, often represented as a three-eyed divine warrior in pre-Fall Chinese culture. When the massive Changestorm swept across that very province, five years after the Fall, it left an enormous number of Changed in its wake. Estimates put the original seed population of Erlangs at close to one hundred thousand, and the few unchanged populations venerated the "elevated", as they were often called, thinking that they were the envoys of the eponymous Lord, set among them to save man from the disaster of the Fall. The Erlang control the whole of Sichuan and many of the adjacent areas. Human populations in those territories come second to the three-eyed lords of the realm, and while they are said to rule with benevolence, rule they do, and non-Erlang have no say whatsoever in the governance of the realm. Courts are divided between Erlang and non-Erlang, and the judges - which are always Erlangs - will rarely judge in favor of the mundane, save in cases of egregious abuse. It is widely considered shameful by Erlangs to mistreat the "lesser beings", but that is a general guideline, not an absolute. The one case where the judges will always rule against the Erlang is in the case of "miscegenation", as any union between an Erlang and a non-Erlang is sterile, and it is considered a failure of the lord - or lady - of the realm to even consider such. ... One of the things that also sets the Erlang apart is their peculiar affinity for the manner of the sorcerous. It is not uncommon for Erlangs to exhibit adept-level sorcerous powers, almost universally in the realm of nature, wood, and growth. One Erlang saying is "The man tills the soil, the lord rises the crop". Similarly, Erlang sorcerers are far more common than anywhere else on Earth, which accounts for the "sorcerer-kings" nickname often attributed to the race. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Another "sorcerous" attribute of the Erlangs is that, for some reason, their third eye will change color to reflect their nature. It is a sign of gaining sorcerous powers when their eye suddenly changes color when waking up, with the new color reflecting their power according to classical Chinese elements: light grey eye is associated with metal, skies, and lightning, dark blue eye being associated with water, mists, and ice, yellow eye reflecting earth and stone, orange-reds being the mark of fire sorcerers and adepts, and finally the most common one being a deep green eye for nature, wood, and growth. Erlangs will recognize this sign before they even realize what their nascent power is. It is also not uncommon for an Erlang to gain additional powers later in life, with their eye sometimes changing to reflect this. Most Erlangs gain a green eye first, then change as a new power is obtained. "Green is the first color" is a common form of felicitations when an Erlang gains powers. ... The government of the Erlang relies on the Five. The Five are the most powerful Erlang sorcerers for each of the five elements. The Erlang keep meticulous records of the full sorcerers of their realm so that the proper sorcerer for a given element can be called upon when the previous member of the Five dies or should a mage rises above him or her. Almost all of the Five are dual or archmages, and usually relatively old, owing to the slow accumulation of sorcerous powers. Each of the Five has a title, representing its major power. The council, as of 2152, was comprised of: ? Gang Mian, the Steel Face - Grey-eyed Sorcerer Lord ? Panyan Zhe, the Rock Climber - Yellow-eyed Sorcerer Lady ? Huo Jian, the Fire Sword - Red-eyed Sorcerer Lord ? Da Senlin, the Great Forest - Green-eyed Sorcerer Lady ? Lan Xue, the Blue Snows - Black-eyed Sorcerer Lady Extra Non-Story Bonus: The Treaty of the Union of States The Treaty of the Union, original unabridged version of 2084 The Union of the States is a contract between equals, no matter their size and importance. We recognize that each State is sovereign, yet bound within the greater society that is the Union. Each State brings its strengths to the Union, without dissolving in it. ¡­ States owe each other mutual defense and support, within their ability. ¡­ Any State that fails to comply with the terms of the Treaty of the Union shall have no recourse against actions taken against it by others. Disputes between the States must first be brought to the Union capital¡¯s Senate, where the Senators of each State will gather to examine grievances, judge impartially on their merits, and achieve a final decision. Decisions achieved by a full two-thirds majority of the Senate shall not be appealed. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡­ All citizens of the States of the Union are free and equal. They have the inalienable right to move and choose the place of their lives, and none can dispute them. The laws of the State in which they reside will apply to them, regardless of birth. No citizen can be stripped of any of their rights without due process according to the laws of their State. ¡­ All citizens of the States of the Union are free and equal. No law prescribing a difference based on sex, or species, shall be permitted within the States. No law allowing slavery shall be permitted within the States. Emergency measures pertaining to the survival of the State may allow the practice of forced labor outside of criminal punishment, but only on a time-limited basis. The Senate of the Union has the sole authority to determine a peril pertaining to the Union itself; each State is sovereign to determine threats to its own survival. No law pertaining to the ownership of a sapient shall be permitted within the States. ¡­ Extra Story Bonus: The Society of Delvers ¡°I think this could happen nowhere but here,¡± Sengfield said. ¡°In Jackson, you mean?¡± Vekanson asked. ¡°It¡¯s not Jackson. If you¡¯ve read Ancient history, you¡¯d know,¡± Cartagh added, sounding exasperated. Sengfield frowned, surprised by the snipping. The bark-skinned humanoid always seemed unflappable and composed, with an unreadable composure, matching a vaguely female figure. Most of the company assembled knew her to be actually female since no one but another Dryad would know without asking, and most of the time, they didn¡¯t elaborate anyway. ¡°So many different people, I mean,¡± Sengfield added anyway. ¡°Don¡¯t change the topic. I asked a question,¡± Cartagh interrupted. ¡°Didn¡¯t know it was one,¡± Sengfield replied. ¡°Not to you. To the Dwarf,¡± Cartagh said. ¡°Hey. I bow to your superior scholarship. There, happy?¡± Vekanson replied. ¡°When you grow hair, I¡¯ll be,¡± the Dryad snipped, but she got only a laugh from the bald diminutive humanoid. Sengfield sighed, looking at the other two members of the society seated. By the looks, neither seemed to be inclined to intervene in the random ramblings of a Dryad, a Dwarf, or even a Thirster, so he slumped in his seat, trying to find refuge in his drink. Everybody always acted funny when he ordered mead as if someone like him couldn¡¯t appreciate properly fermented honeyed drinks. Even if you can digest that easily, blood is an acquired taste. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. His mother would probably be disappointed. ¡°He¡¯s right you know,¡± Kartmann said. Sengfield¡¯s straightened, surprised by the Minotaur¡¯s unexpected support. ¡°You couldn¡¯t find a more diverse grouping except here,¡± the hulking horned humanoid said. ¡°Maybe the Union Capital,¡± Sethek-eshes said. ¡°Puffed up Nashvillers,¡± Cartagh countered. The Incubus shrugged, agreeing to disagree. It was funny, Sengfield thought. Where Dryads always looked vaguely female, Incubus always looked mostly male, usually from the cultivated facial hair ¨C which he himself lacked, much to his dismay. The best was a bare whisp on his chin. Any proper Thirster man had to have at least a good goatee. Another disappointment for his mother. Unfortunately for the curious ¨C including himself, once ¨C the Incubi were also the only known hermaphroditic Changed species. Every single Incubus not only had both ¡°classic¡± features, but liked to use both, and could both fertilize and bear children. At least among the members of the species; like all Changed, they were completely infertile outside of their own, leaving only "fun". ¡°You know, we¡¯re almost all of the possible people from the Americas,¡± Kartmann said. ¡°Except ¡®baseline¡¯ humans, you mean,¡± Vekanson replied. ¡°Okay, civilized ones,¡± Kartmann replied. ¡°As if you¡¯d invite a Troll or a Wendigo¡­¡± Vekanson laughed. ¡°Actually...¡± Kartmann replied. ¡°You didn¡¯t? Really?¡± ¡°I draw the line at Trolls. Bloody Caribes can claim innocence all they want, everyone knows who they really are,¡± the Dwarf said. ¡°No, of course, not. But don¡¯t listen to northern propaganda,¡± the Minotaur said. ¡°I met this young hunter last year, up there. And he¡¯d be a good addition to the team.¡± ¡°So... Getting a Wendigo to come down this south. Good luck,¡± Cartagh laughed. ¡°Aren¡¯t they hunters that barely keep houses?¡± Sethek-eshes asked, ignoring the Dryad. ¡°Young hunter. Eager for wider experiences,¡± Kartmann said. ¡°So¡­ you want to get someone who¡¯s going to faint from overheating once we¡¯re in the Huntsville ruins. Nice,¡± Vekanson sighed in disbelief. ¡°He would be bringing in good stuff for going into the ruins.¡± ¡°Good stuff. Define good stuff.¡± ¡°His family got an artifact that lets him see mana. Artifact.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± ¡°Heirloom handed to him for his 21st birthday. Proving himself worthy of the ancient ¨C not Ancient ¨C heroes in his family. You¡¯ll see. Good kid. A bit wild, but then, you said it, it¡¯s a wendigo.¡± Extra Non-Story Bonus: The Fortress Let me tell you, boy, what''s the scariest place I''ve ever been. No, it''s not one of those mana basins you know about. Heck, today, you have well-prepared teams of people going in those all the time. I even hear you have tourists. People who pay money to go there, just to see what the Ancients have left behind after the Fall. Now get me some good stuff if you want to know what makes old Diego freak out. Ah, that hits the spot. Gonna need it. The scariest place in the world is called the Fortress. And do you know where it is? Europe. Yea. The Desolation of Europe. Don''t listen to those old fuddy-duddies who tell you America almost died in the Fall. You can get books, they''ll tell you, almost 1 million people survived the first twenty years, before the manastorms stopped coming every week and the monsters from the mana stopped coming. Everyone''s got stories of that coming down from family. Oh, and don''t get me started on the Reunification Wars. My great-grand-da, he was born twenty-five years after the Fall. He lived to almost a hundred. He remembered those. Ah, the stories when I was a little kiddo. Europe now? No one knows exactly how it went, because there are no survivors left to tell. Not a one. Smart people say the Switzerland are certain to have made it, but nobody''s ever heard of or seen a Swiss since. Anything west of the Danube is a howling wilderness, and the only ones who''d know are the Fae, except those freaks prefer hunting people to talking. Only fools cross the Danube, and the Lord doesn''t protect fools like that. Heck, people aren''t even sure if the Fae are real or stories. The Fortress now? It''s an old port. Older than the Fall. Saint Malo, it used to be named. In the Ancient times, sailors went from there to across the entire world. Changestorms erased entirely the everything, including the ancient city, but the old fortress and the houses within? They stayed up, even if people starved within. And of course, the British decided to make it their foothold on the continent, as if rebuilding their own island after the Fall wasn''t hard enough. No, once they spent a century making trade routes up to the north, they decided they''d now own France, as it was once called. And sure, they picked a port to put their banner on the mainland. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Now imagine the heaviest walls you can picture. A small city, entirely enclosed in walls that were ancient before the Fall. The only way in or out is by ship. And all around is the forest, and you know nothing lives within thousand of miles. It''s just you and the people around you. And every week or so, there are Deep Changed that come sniffing. You have giant crossbows, sending bolts the size of your arm, to deter them... and some dodge them and come scratch at the walls. Only the baddest of the baddest ever go out of the Fortress. In twenty years, they''ve managed to clear, what, eight miles of woods around it. Of course, if you asked me, I''d say, sod it, get back to the isles. But the British? No way. Too proud, one and all. How do I know? Well, when I was younger, and sailed the Atlantic trade, I did go. And our ship did have passengers and cargo room after we landed at the Isle of Mann, so the captain said, why not. And so we ended up in the Fortress, and some people wanted to charter us back to the Union, so the captain said, why not. And so we spent four days there, waiting for stuff to be negotiated. And that''s how I ended up the walls, looking around. And we got not one, not two, but three buggers coming out of the woods. Saurids, they call them. Fire-breathing "dragons". Thankfully, those things don''t fly. But yea, here I am, watching, and those thirteen-foot tall monsters come out, in a triangle, and they look at the wall in the distance, and you can literally see their brains going "yummy, juicy meat". And they start trotting toward you. And you know what? The guards start laughing and making bets. On how long they''re going to run before they realize that we''re shooting small-tree-sized bolts at them and turn tail. And the beasts approach, and the guards are yelling "hold.... hold.... hooooold.... FIRE!!!" And one of them yells that they''re cheating. And then the beasts breathe fire. Like they''re spitting flaming oils. And they''re raising their heads, and I realize that if they get close, they can incinerate us on the wall. I was looking about to find stairs, anything to hide behind. And then the first bolt really hit, and that Saurid becomes a ball of fire, and you have flaming bits of cooked meat coming all over the ground, and the guards are laughing like silly at the other two. And that''s how I was in... What? No, I didn''t stay. I think they were almost as much laughing at me as I was running down the stairs as they were at the Saurids. But I''m still there, so I guess the other two didn''t make it either. Frankly, I didn''t ask. I stayed in the ship until we left. The port authority said anyone who wanted to work there was welcome and the pay was good, but I didn''t even go up on deck until we were out and at sea. Yea, the scariest thing about the Fortress isn''t that you''re the only people in all of Europe. It''s when you realize that the people around you are completely bonkers. Bloody Brits. Extra Non-Story Bonus: The Last One Every death in the Barghain Settlement was meaningful. Especially when it was a mid-thirties woman. Especially when it was your wife. Barghain had grown in the nearly two decades since the Fall, as everyone was calling it. By slow accumulation, at first, as people from all over made their way into the triptych of towns of Barghain, Majorette, and Mount Away during the first years. Then, by natural accumulation, as kids were born and grew, as kids were wont to do. As he stood vigil, and the four slowly lowered the coffin into the new grave, he remembered how that had been a contentious point. He had not really cared, but Maria had wanted kids. Both had been high schoolers when the Fall hit. When the world went wrong. How they both laughed, in the later years, about the fears of global warming and pandemics and all the specters raised by media hungry for clicks. Nobody had ever guessed at the real apocalypse. Maria had been near Barghain when the technology stopped, and one of her friends brought her in, realizing early that, with all modern things gone, half of the country would starve. As for Leif himself, he¡¯d been hiking in the hard trails of the eastern Rockies, and failure of the GPS had been his only indication that something had gone wrong. That, and the weird lines twisting in the sky for an hour, which he¡¯d taken ¨C naively ¨C as weird contrails before passing over him eastward with nary a hint of what they truly meant. ¡°Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. In the Old world born, in the New one settled¡­¡± intoned the pastor, making his prayer. Leif disagreed with the stressing over the differences between the Old and Fallen worlds, but he let the drone of prayer wash over him. The ceremony, after all, was as much for the small community of Barghain as it was for him. To remember her, struck in her prime. Cancer, the single MD of the small town guessed, deprived of all the pre-Fall paraphernalia. After the end of the condolences and wishes, he grabbed a shovel, along with two of his closest friends, and they started to shovel the fresh earth back over the coffin. Over Maria. Over a life ended, and a new life, alone, just begun. When the pack of two dozen refugees arrived, it was a major commotion. Leif had come back from tending the main orchard he owned. Most of his friends were calling him to start selling the land, as it was too much for a single man, even with farmhands. Without heirs, they argued, what was it good for? They were mine and Maria¡¯s, and that¡¯s enough, was his single answer. ¡°So, what is it about?¡± he asked. ¡°The war in the east,¡± Cade Ortiz, a farmer from the south side, answered. ¡°War?¡± ¡°The goons in New Rawlins claim that they¡¯re the real deal, the old United States. And some criminals hid in a town that said ¡®no, not your business¡¯.¡± ¡°And they went to war for that¡­ wait, was that the kerfuffle I heard about last year?¡± ¡°Sounds like. They sent troops, friends came back, and before long it was dozens of towns on both sides. Those,¡± he said, pointing to the refugees, ¡°had enough.¡± Leif shook his head and watched. Men and women, a few kids ¨C no babies apparently ¨C and they did look tired. Part of him, remembering decades ago, tried to guess if Barghain could afford them, but that was then, and it was now. With fewer and fewer Changed attacks every year, the cold equations of survival had been buried. And besides, it was the mayor¡¯s problem, not his. He¡¯d been lucky to get accepted after months in the wilderness, just days after one of the first waves. It wasn¡¯t his place to judge others¡¯ worth. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. The apparent leader of the band was talking animatedly with two of the town guards, but there was no real urgency or anything. The others were looking at the town, probably trying to gauge where they¡¯d ended. One looked around and then his gaze suddenly stopped. Looking at Leif. He had no idea why the man had frowned or looked away before his gaze went back to look in his direction. But he had the burning sensation the man had a sudden interest in him, and he had no idea why. He wasn¡¯t familiar, and he didn¡¯t think they¡¯d known each other before the Fall or something. Then, the expedition leader barked a few words, and the man turned to help organize the refugee band, and Leif was left to wonder what that was. He was looking at his wife¡¯s grave when the unknown voice from behind him came. ¡°You¡¯re Leif, Leif Vian?¡± ¡°I am,¡± he answered. He turned slightly, spotting the man that had come to his side. He recognized him as one of the newcomers to Barghain. In particular¡­ the man who¡¯d seemed interested in him for some unknowable reason. But that was not the place to confront the anomaly, so he turned back to watch the gravestone. ¡°Your wife?¡± ¡°Yes. Dead for five years, as you can see.¡± Others might have offered condolences or something, but the stranger remained silent. And why not? The sting of Maria¡¯s passing was dulled by the years, and the time for condolences and words was gone. ¡°Do I know you?¡± he finally asked. ¡°No. Until we arrived¡­ I don¡¯t think I met you. I sure would remember.¡± Leif didn¡¯t think he was particularly memorable, but that didn¡¯t stop him from asking why. ¡°Because you don¡¯t exist.¡± Leif¡¯s gaze snapped to the man. ¡°In nearly a decade¡­ you¡¯re the first.¡± ¡°What do you mean, I don¡¯t exist?¡± ¡°It¡¯s complicated.¡± ¡°So¡­ you get that sense of age.¡± ¡°It¡¯s more complicated than that. Unless you were very young, or even born after the Fall¡­ it¡¯s a close thing. But otherwise, when I look at someone, I have some kind of¡­ I don¡¯t know, a feeling of how long you¡¯ve lived, how good you are at living, maybe.¡± The two men were sharing a beer at the Barghain¡¯s main inn. Adam Carolla, the man from the east, had insisted he¡¯d pay. ¡°I¡¯ve asked about you. You¡¯re¡­ a kind of normal guy. A widower, maybe, but that¡¯s not something special.¡± ¡°Yet your sense ¨C if that¡¯s what it is ¨C says I¡¯m special.¡± ¡°It¡¯s more like you¡¯re not. You don¡¯t even exist, according to that special sense. People do. Kids do. But you don¡¯t.¡± ¡°And how much do you trust that¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s one of those magical things you hear about.¡± ¡°If technology doesn¡¯t work anymore, magic does, you mean,¡± Leif snorted. ¡°Pre-Fall, that¡¯s what people wrote books around. And it turns out they¡¯re right,¡± Adam replied. Seeing Leif¡¯s interrogative glance, he elaborated. ¡°I heal fast. You can hit me, and I barely notice. And¡­ well, I have this sense for almost as long as the rest.¡± A memory, decades old, bubbled. ¡°You could call it spider-sense?¡± Leif joked. ¡°It¡¯s not about danger, so I guess not,¡± Adam replied, acknowledging the allusion. ¡°Then what? How accurate is it?¡± ¡°Very. At least when I have multiple people to compare. And I¡¯m good enough after years to guess where anyone fits. But you don¡¯t. There¡¯s a void when I look at you. You¡­ you don¡¯t exist, as far as this sense of mine is concerned.¡± ¡°And everyone else does.¡± ¡°Yes. Every person. Even horses. Even the Changed beasts do. I¡¯ve met a handful of Minotaurs, and I can tell how old they are, even if they¡¯re not really of our species. But you¡­¡± Adam spotted the change in Leif¡¯s demeanor. But before he could ask, the man simply pushed his tankard and stood up. ¡°It¡¯s late. And I should be home. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Sorry for what?¡± Adam asked but the invisible man didn¡¯t answer and left the inn without another word. He found him at the graveyard, as he had the first time. Leif had avoided him for days after that aborted discussion in the inn, and Adam had no idea what had prompted that. ¡°You¡¯re persistent,¡± Leif said. ¡°And you¡¯ve avoided me somehow. But I guessed you¡¯d come here sooner or later.¡± ¡°I wanted to apologize to her.¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°For¡­ not giving her the kids she wanted.¡± Adam frowned, before replying, ¡°that happens. No one¡¯s fault.¡± Leif sighed. ¡°Changed can¡¯t have kids with others.¡± ¡°What? You think you¡¯re a Changed?¡± But Leif didn¡¯t answer and simply looked at the grave. Bonus story content: Relentless ¡°Look, mister,¡± Bram Milton said. ¡°I already said, call me Roman,¡± the man from New Benton said. ¡°Mister. You¡¯re the right hand of the Warden, you are mister Agnello.¡± The man simply shrugged and waited. ¡°Jo told me she was a sorceress, yes, but nothing else. She¡¯d been scouting those ruins for nearly two years, she knew them well, but me? I know the fields like the pocket of my previous pants, but if she told me wherever it was, I wouldn¡¯t even know enough to recognize.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not expecting that. What I¡¯m looking for is what. How. Where it happened¡­ it¡¯s a matter of time. We¡¯ll find what they found. What I want is to understand why. How.¡± ¡°All I know is that she got better over time.¡± After the man had left, headed toward Ellis¡¯s home where the Adjutant stayed, Bram stayed in his chair, brooding. He didn¡¯t believe for one second that the man was genuinely sorry. His goons a week ago had insisted on searching everywhere, turning his house all over. He¡¯d apologized for them being ¡°overzealous¡±, assuring him that he didn¡¯t really think she¡¯d left anything behind. As if. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Deserters, eh? His daughter hadn¡¯t hesitated to drop all pretenses, and fight hordes of Lepuses for her home, even at the cost of her secret. If she ran, she had her reasons. The door creaked and he raised his head, wondering if the Warden¡¯s man had decided to come back to pester him, but it was a different figure brought in by his wife. ¡°George.¡± ¡°You knew,¡± the elder Donnall simply said. ¡°Of course I did. Jo told me.¡± ¡°You knew, and you didn¡¯t say.¡± ¡°You wanted to believe so much. What difference would it make?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Bram shrugged. ¡°You still should have been there when they got married. I doubt even if he had really been untouched by that¡­ thing in the ruins, he¡¯d have let Laura go.¡± ¡°Did you see how much they put as a bounty? Did you? Fifty. Fifty thousand fuckin¡¯ dollars. Dead.¡± Bram sucked in some air. He hadn¡¯t seen the bounties. The men that had come said there were, but. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a big amount.¡± ¡°Not kidding. That Agnello man, he said Peter killed the captain they¡¯d sent after him. Cut him down, using his cursed Talents.¡± ¡°George¡­¡± ¡°If I could tell them how and why, maybe they¡¯d just call for an arrest and a proper judgment if there were mitigating circumstances. He¡¯d get life instead of being hunted.¡± ¡°And you believe him, George?¡± ¡°No,¡± the whisper came. The two men were silent. Then Bram sighed. ¡°That bounty stuff reminds me. I really need to get to Valetta tomorrow.¡± ¡°Uh?¡± ¡°Talking with that lawyer about the house. Finding out how to pay the last bits. That money that the merchant owes, it¡¯s been put on hold. The Warden¡¯s men keep saying different things about it.¡± ¡°What difference does it make?¡± ¡°The house will be there when they come back,¡± Bram said. ¡°As if.¡± ¡°The man let escape that Jo was now literally firing bolts of fire before she deserted. Do you really think it will stop there?¡± Book 2 Prologue - At the End of the World 2 Colonel Wesley Denvers was a generally composed man. He never overstressed nor obsessed. That helped in his line of work, and more specifically, the monitoring of the Pentagon¡¯s main Situation Room. In peacetime, The Room was lightly staffed. A handful of duty officers sat at triple-screen posts, which displayed the results of multiple intelligence feeds, both real-time and filtered by layers of analysts. And Col. Denvers got the main summary displayed on his own post, with red flags to direct his attention to any specific event that those duty officers found important enough. He could then bring up the summary, or usually, go and chat with the appropriate duty person. Like right now. Without a world war underway, ¡°attacks¡± targeted infrastructure through the Internet, not air bases and missile silos via ballistic attacks. ¡°Got that on cyber-threat board about 10 minutes ago. The cyber defense command says we have a large-scale outage of the Internet in western Washington State. Looks like a number of data centers and tier-one links went down.¡± ¡°Yummy,¡± his non-regulation comment almost made the officer smile. ¡°Anything else?¡± Denvers added. ¡°No,¡± she replied, before the duty officer on the next post interrupted. ¡°Got a notice of part of the electricity grid down. Around Seattle.¡± ¡°Could it be the cause?¡± Denvers asked, turning back to the first duty officer. ¡°Unlikely,¡± the cyber officer replied. ¡°All those high-tier facilities have batteries and generators. In a few hours, maybe. Not after¡­¡± The monitoring officer checked again and specified. ¡°¡­ 12 minutes. Or about so.¡± ¡°So? What threat model?¡± the colonel asked. ¡°Looks like the gaming mecca of the world is in trouble. The West Coast will probably have lots of frustrated gamers tonight. And¡­ yes, that e-commerce-slash-infrastructure provider has some outages too. Its northwestern and main data center is among those down. Okay, this is a major world-ending crisis.¡± Denvers allowed himself a chuckle. That lasted until a third voice from one row behind him added a new element. ¡°Space command status board just notified of a GPS satellite down. They lost comms and the signal is¡­ ah, no. It¡¯s back.¡± ¡°Back?¡± ¡°Spaceforce command channel indicates the satellite is restarting. Looks like it went on safe mode due to¡­ power bus shutdown?¡± ¡°Does that happen often?¡± If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I don¡¯t think anyone mentioned that type of problem during my training, let alone a procedure to even do a restart from scratch¡­ ah, looks like it¡¯s going to take several hours just to recalibrate the ephemeris. Consider it offline until then.¡± The first duty officer said, ¡°You know the adage. Once is happenstance, twice coincidence, thrice enemy action.¡± Denvers shook his head. ¡°Well, that¡¯s only two out of three. The last is in space, not in Seattle¡­¡± The fast-clicking of keys was his answer. Denvers looked at the space monitoring officer, seeing his face scrunch. The duty officer waved to him and the colonel moved to see what it was about. ¡°It was¡­ crossing just over the Seattle area when it went down.¡± Denvers swore internally. The joke suddenly wasn¡¯t funny anymore. He raised his voice. ¡°Listen everyone? Anyone got anomalies in Washington State?¡± The rest of the duty officers made negative signs, save for one. ¡°PacWest says they got an interruption of service in the northwest. They don¡¯t have status updates on a number of cell towers and are trying to get¡­ new status updates. They just lost links to another set of cell towers.¡± ¡°Link types?¡± he asked. ¡°That¡¯s the direct line-of-sight antenna relays,¡± the telco monitoring desk replied. ¡°Don¡¯t they have fiber links as backup?¡± Denvers asked. ¡°The line-of-sight are backups. The fiber went down earlier¡­ the main nodes are all at the edge of Seattle.¡± ¡°Okay, everyone, looks like we have all sorts of cascade failures in the Seattle area. Start doing active checks on whatever you can get.¡± He debated with himself mentally. Most of the upper echelon was probably gone home, or maybe on the road for those working late. The situation didn¡¯t make sense. Coordinated Cyber-attacks on the infrastructure could explain a lot, but not a GPS satellite falling briefly. Besides¡­ ¡°Can¡¯t raise Jitsap base,¡± a voice said. ¡°I¡¯m already trying satellite coms, but nobody¡¯s answering.¡± ¡°Get me any local base. Or facility.¡± He almost ran back to his desk. General Markus would be annoyed, but he would be the one to decide to call in the Joint Chiefs, not him. Once military bases went offline, it was a serious attack on the USA. ¡°What do you mean, is there any disturbance?¡± The duty sergeant at the supply depot found the person on the phone odd. But it was a secure line, and the call came straight from the Pentagon. ¡°What do you mean, all military installations west of here are down? Okay, I¡¯ll have a look. Switch to Satcom.¡± Duty Sergeant Milton picked up the bulkier military satellite phone, waited a few seconds until it rang, and confirmed that the Pentagon Situation Room officer was back on the line before he headed out. ¡°Okay. I don¡¯t hear any bombing or someth¡­ WHAT THE FUCK!¡± He almost dropped the phone, as he looked up in the late afternoon sky. ¡°What¡¯s happening,¡± the tinny voice of the distant duty officer came. Sergeant Milton didn¡¯t answer immediately. He was looking at an utterly baffling sight. There were lines in the sky. Blue on blue, like neon inked on the sky. Drawing some kind of mesh. There were a few wispy clouds, but despite some being between him and the lines¡­ the lines still showed somehow. He looked at the edges of the mesh, trying to gauge how far away the thing was and noticed the lines were slowly advancing. As he watched, two lines joined up, making another distorted hexagon. Something, like colorless light, was falling down from the netting. Then a new line started from the angle, moving in another direction. Almost straight toward Tiger Mountain. ¡°Sergeant? Sergeant???¡± the distant voice came. Milton didn¡¯t even bother replying. He fished out his non-regulation cross necklace and kissed it. That terrifying view was all that he needed to know the End of Days was coming. Then he sprinted toward the parking lot, sat phone dropped and forgotten. He was going to get his wife and two kids, and bug out, army duty be damned. We¡­ we should get east. The wife¡¯s cousin, Josh Valetta, got a pair of cabins out of the way, at his diner off the 90 near Montana. A "small" timeline of the Changed World August 22, 2023 - Launch day for the early access to the brand-new game Planesrunners. Technical problems with the content distribution network impair the launch, and the community managers in Austin apologize on social media. Also August 22, 2023 - Apocalypse occurs. The apologies of the community managers for Planesrunners get mostly overlooked as technology stops working. An estimated 6 billion people die during the next three months, including Douglas Moore. August 25-28, 2023 - A large group leaves Vancouver, fearing famine and gangs as nothing works anymore, not even guns. 3 days out, they encounter a Changestorm and become hairy humanoids. The exodus becomes problematic, as they fall sick both from overheating and from food. One of the survivors realizes she can hold food normally if she only eats meat and poultry and the "wendigos" as they name themselves realize they need to learn to hunt quickly to replace their now-useless food supplies. August 31, 2023 - A massive Changestorm sweeps Haiti. About 5% of the population caught outdoors becomes Trolls. Figuring out they have now the advantages over dwindling food stocks, most Trolls set out to eliminate "normies". A few Trolls try to protect their unchanged relatives, but fall to the onslaught. September 2023 - The first Changed beasts are spotted in various parts of the world. At first, it looks to be mostly gigantic versions of various felines, but other variants start coming out of the wilds. September 19, 2023 - A Changestorm covers western Sichuan. Half of the people affected fall comatose, never to awaken. The rest manage to adapt to having a third eye, and the improved 3D vision it brings. They call themselves Erlang, after the legendary three-eyed protector of the province. October 2023 - Most of the cities are now death traps, with almost all people in those dying from hunger or fighting over dwindling stock. Most survivors are holed in small communities, trying to use improvised weaponry, bows, and makeshift crossbows against the increasing bandit raids. October 14, 2023 - A localized Changestorm hits in Colorado, and turns 500 people into hairless diminutive humanoids. Local unchanged communities fearing monsters band to kill them, and the "dwarves" run away, taking refuge in the upper Sawatch range. Also, the author turns 60. Early November 2023 - The first surge of Changed Beasts occurs, including Elite "elemental" critters. About 2/3rd of the surviving communities lose 50% or more of their population or are outright wiped before repelling the monsters. The surviving settlements start building emergency walls. November 22, 2023 - An expedition out of Abondance, south of the Leman in Switzerland comes back, and confirms that Changestorms have erased most of the features north of the lake and that it''s "Jurassic Park out there". December 6, 2023 - While fighting a pack of Changed Canids on the Great Plains, Samal Tahrikeen lights his spear into flame. The pack is driven away easily, but his home settlement holds a trial to determine if the man has been Changed like the beasts. The trial fails to achieve consensus, and he''s allowed to stay, for now. December 8, 2023 - Samal''s girlfriend surprises him in bed with another woman and knifes him to death. The other woman confesses she wanted "a kid from the sorcerer". To the surprise of a lot of people, the girlfriend gets sentenced to a year of community service - which changes nearly nothing, as everyone has to pitch in on whatever needs to be done to survive until spring.
Early 2024 - Bandit raids intensify as winter empties storages, and many of the smallest communities are wiped out, their stores pillaged. First half of 2024 - Four successive Changed beast waves occur more or less simultaneously across the entire world. The most unprepared communities lose a lot of people during the assaults. February 15, 2024 - One of the Wendigos established noticed that some of the Changed beasts regularly spotted in the snowed wilds of Canada''s former British Columbia have weird non-light swirling funnels attached to them when looking through his old wraparound glasses. That makes it easier to spot the most dangerous of the Changed fauna. April 2024 - One Erlang appears to be able to cause crops to grow almost overnight, albeit on a small scale. The locals establish him as chief of their village, "Lord of the Crops". The new Lord wastes no time in promoting his Changed friends and wife to various posts in the village. Mid-2024 - World population still plummets, as people struggle to grow food and resist both bandit gangs and Changed predators. The population of the former United States of America is estimated to have been under 3 million people at that point, despite an uptick in babies conceived during the Apocalypse. July 6, 2024 - A Changestorm hits Abondance. Half the settlements in the valley vanish, leaving clumps of forest. The remaining people find themselves with scales, feather crests, and a scaly ridge covering where their noses used to be. September 2024 - A Changestorm hits the Mojave. Three tiny settlements there are affected, and the locals quickly rename themselves as Minotaurs, given the extent of the changes. Mock horn-locking tournaments are soon organized for fun. October 28, 2024 - A patrol of "Kobolds" from Abondance stumbles upon a small group of 8-foot-tall skinny humanoids with foot-long ears. Before any contact can be established, arrows are loosened, and both groups retreat after the first death on both sides. November 2, 2024 - The Council of Abondance decides that the unknown humanoids present a clear and immediate danger. Plans are made to create fortifications. November 11, 2024 - While scouting locations for such, Ernest Blumenthal finds out by accident he can reshape stone. Although he fails to create more than a small wall before being exhausted, it is decided that stone will be essential for the fortifications. November 21, 2024 - An ambush by a group of "Fae" scouts takes the lives of three Kobolds. The resolve of the inhabitants of Abondance is reinforced. Anyone not working the fields, even small children, gets mobilized to quarry and build defenses.
2025 - The population of the world keeps plummeting albeit more slowly. The number of people in the former USA territories is estimated at under 2 million. February 2025 - Augusta Sallieri attracts the attention of people as it turns out she can erase wounds and even traces of old wounds. The local congregation''s priest wastes no time in declaring her to be a Holy Saint, sent by the Lord to alleviate the suffering of the faithful during this Tribulation. Her denegations of any sainthood get mostly ignored, and she quickly disposes of her stock of fetish lingerie from before the Fall. March 2025 - The first "Blumenthal Wall" gets finished, locking down access from the southern valley from Abondance. Although it''s named after him the 15-foot tall stone wall is mostly the product of tireless workers, with Ernest Blumenthal shaping the intricate and tall watchtowers. Ernest notes that the work slowly becomes easier from month to month. April 2025 - After 9 months without any child being born, the first birth occurs among the Kobolds of the Swiss Alps. After initial fears that they''d turn into egg-layers or something, live birth is a respite, although it is hard and long, with three kids - two boys and a girl - being born. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Late April 2025 - Two more births occur. Both are triplets, leading to anxious speculations among the other expectant mothers in the community, despite only a single heartbeat being detected by doctors among the pregnant Kobolds. This will be confirmed in the future months, as all births among the Kobold appear to be triplets, either two boys and a girl or the opposite combination. Late 2025 - A tentative network of trade begins to form in the Great Plains, where the Changed beasts appear to be somewhat rarer than average. The center of Northern America is mostly spared the ravages of the second wave of monsters of the year.
2026 - The entire west part of the Abondance territory gets fortified, just in time to repel an attack by a small army of a hundred Fae. The assault is defeated when a pair of heroic Kobolds that seem to be able to unnaturally avoid arrows rush the enemy encampment and kill the enemy commanders before succumbing to the Fae, who then retreat. 2027 - The first war flares between two loose associations of towns near the Rocky Mountains. Both claim to be the legitimate State of Colorado, although neither includes the former capital - which is overrun by Changed Ursids anyway. 2028 - The Walls of Abondance are finished just in time for a new assault from Fae. The First Siege of the Fae begins. 2029 - The world population stabilizes somewhat. Estimates are that less than 1 million people from before the Fall survived, although births are on the uptick. The central states suffer an outbreak of Pasteurella Pestis - based on speculations by surviving MD - with the dwindling stock of antibiotics being too short to fully stem the epidemic, which takes two years of sporadic resurgences to burn itself out. 2030 - Anna Blumenthal, Ernest''s wife, gives birth to... twins. The anomalous birth cements the near-supernatural status of the Great Engineer of Abondance. June 2030 - The First Siege is broken when the Kobolds use long-range catapults with stone balls filled with a napalm-like concoction before being sealed by the powers of the Great Engineer. 2035 - For most of the territories of the United States, this is the first year without a real wave of Changed monsters. There are still localized outbreaks of Changed beasts, but maps of the "dangerous territories" are starting to get drawn. 2036 - Josh Valetta establishes the first outlying farmland from the town he''s built around his former diner. A handful of trusted people, including his wife''s cousin, former army sergeant Armand Milton, build a fortified set of farms for them and their kids, with Jacob Anasta in charge.
2040 - A Fae stealth scout almost takes out Ernest Blumenthal in his own house. The Kobold Great Engineer owes his life to the fact that he managed to light his hand with a flame and shove it into the face of the would-be assassin. 2049 - The Second Siege of the Fae begins. It lasts less than two months, as the Kobolds use deep tunnels carved by Blumenthal well in advance to come out behind enemy lines and do a pair of devastating surprise attacks. 2050 - The first ship from China lands on the west coast of the Americas, at a small port named Old Angeles. Trans-pacific trade resumes at a very low level. 2058-62 - A new set of wars arise between central states and some of their northern neighbors. 2065 - Ernest Blumenthal gets struck by a small stroke, and finds himself unable to move, confined to a chair. Most of the Kobold community renders homage to the Great Engineer, foremost among them the Engineer In-Waiting, who manifested stone shaping - albeit on a much smaller scale than the current Engineer - three years before. The fact that his wife also had twins rather than triplets has cemented the heir''s status. 2066 - Ernest Blumenthal dies. Abondance erects a gigantic monument to their savior. 2069 - The Third Siege of the Fae begins. It lasts for two years before the enemy vanishes overnight, leaving empty camps and no explanation. 2071 - The first of the Wars of Unification begin, as eight States decide to forcefully reunite the former United States. The First Wars lasted only a year before the States involved sued for peace. 2073-2077 - The Second and Third Wars of Unification begin until most of the States involved concede the "United States of America" can no longer be brought back, as too much of the former territory of said is unmanageable. 2076 - New Benton and the ruling head of state fall to an army led by Albert Maistry during the Third War. Maistry proclaims the new state of the Marches of the Montana, covering, nominally the western part of said state. He immediately starts drafting plans to bring the rest of "the Northwest" under his banner. 2077 - The Treaty of the Union is drafted and ratified. As it takes unanimous consent of the States to alter, it remains essentially unchanged for almost a hundred years. 2078 - The Wars of Unification end. 2080 - Three Southern States petition to join the Union and their entry gets granted by the Senate. They¡¯re the first of a small wave of a dozen ¡°joiners¡± in the following decade. 2081 - Great Britain is Great Again as the first safe road finally leads from Dungeness all the way to John O''Groats. 2083 - The Fourth Siege of the Fae begins. Like the previous one, it lasts a couple of years, then the Fae vanish. The Kobolds begin to make plans to extend their range and build a new wall to the east for their growing population. November 30, 2092 - Day of the Last Dead. The last person born before the Fall dies. The average life expectancy in the Changed world is still under 60. December 31, 2100 - The New Century is ushered in, to great celebrations, and no fireworks, as none has been working since the Fall.
2102 - The Fifth Siege of the Fae begins. Four high-ranking Fae use potent Artifacts in combination to break through the Wall of Blumenthal. The fight over the breach lasts an entire week before the Kobold defenders succumb to the relentless Fae assault. The Fae enter Abondance lands, and slaughter every Kobold they can find. It is unknown if any survived by escaping into the mountainous mana zones surrounding the Leman. The Kobold race is considered extinct. February 2154 - (removed title) Tom Virgil Welter is born in Avon, near Valetta. April 2154 - (removed title) Johanna Marcia Milton is born in Anasta, near Valetta. October 2154 - (removed title) Peter Malik Donnall is born in Anasta, near Valetta. November 2154 - (removed title) Laura Anna Vogel is born in Virtu, near Valetta. 2165 - Victor Maistry, Warden of the Montana, dies of a heart attack. His son Edgard succeeds him. Also, 2165 - The Northern Tribes declare war after the Tribal Council decides not to wait until the Maistry wage war yet again on them. 2166 - Elena Worchester manifests a mist ability. She travels south to New Colorado State, to meet with a member of the old Society of the Sorcerers and Sorceresses of the Americas and learn more about her abilities. 2168 - Elena Worchester, Sorceress of the Mists (old-style tier 6) offers her services to Edgard Maistry, Warden of the Montana. 2169 - Edgard Maistry gets blasted by lightning during a battle north of the Kootenai Gap. He survives, but loses the use of his left hand, and recognizes what his adjutant keeps saying, that his place isn''t on the battlefield. 2170 - Assassins try to kill Maistry while on an inspection tour of the main cities of central Montana. The ambush fails because it is almost instantly covered in opaque fog by the Sorceress of the Mists of the Montana. June 21, 2171 - Johanna Milton meets Tom Welter during a Summer Solstice feast in Anasta. The two hit off early on. September 22, 2171 - Peter Donnall meets Laura Vogel at a marriage in Virtu. She shows him her ... never mind. January 2172 - The Garrison at Kootenai Gap gets a surprise attack by a mixed force of Tribesmen and Wendigo. The frontier is hurriedly reinforced despite the onset of winter, and the forces are held at bay, barely. June 2172 - Johanna Milton hatches the plan to delve into ruins as a way to get money to establish her and Tom''s household, as she''s too far on the ladder of inheritance to get anything, and she''s not interested in staying as a menial farmhand in Anasta or Avon. She ropes in her childhood friend Peter in the scheme after discussing it with his girlfriend. Winter 2173 - The winter push by the combined forces of the tribals and Wendigo causes massive losses on the front. The Warden starts realizing that his standing army might be able to hold, but the next winter is going to be touch-and-go. Summer 2173 - The Warden of the Montana decides to activate the draft. Notices and "recruiters" get dispatched in late spring and during summer to all major cities and towns of the State with quotas to fill. July 30, 2173 - Day of Awakening. Johanna''s team finds a skeleton preserved by mana in the ruins. The Ancient Power awakens, and nothing will be the same ever again. August 13, 2173 - Johanna finds Swordcutter. August 30, 2173 - Tom Welter marries Johanna Milton; Laura Vogel marries Peter Donnall. September 19, 2173 - The Four get drafted for the Fourth Northern War. October 30, 2173 - Battle at Kootenai Gap. The same day, the Wendigo Snowbound Glatteis discovers the scheme of the Warden of the Montana and informs the Four. They desert two days later. November 8, 2173 - Johanna finds (removed)Thirst. November 20, 2173 - The Four reach White Meadows, near the frontier between the Marches of Montana and Dakota. November 21, 2173 - (removed). The Four break down two Ancient Books into Parchments of Powers for the direct benefit of Catherine Rocastle and Valentin Rosenberg. December 8, 2173 - (removed). Johanna enters the Dream of the Ancient Power and gets a quest for (removed). ... to be continued ... Book 1 Recap - What the XXX happened? Johanna Milton, Peter Donnall, Tom Welter, Laura Vogel, all four are so far down the line of inheritance that their prospects are limited, generations after the Fall. This is why they turn to salvage, braving the perils, imaginary and real, of the Ancient ruins. This is where they stumble upon the mana-preserved skeleton of one Douglas Moore, dead 150 years before¡­ and the consciousness of the Ancient, stuck in a most unnatural afterlife, restarts with input flooding from four windows into life. Moore quickly finds access to a strange and utterly baffling gaming system that seems to overlay the world. The system looks like a weird version of a CRPG, and Moore decides to provide as much power as he could to the four, as his own consciousness is linked to their perspective. Based on their attributes, he settles on making Johanna a Shaper ¨C a sorcerer ¨C her boyfriend into a Battler ¨C a melee fighter ¨C her childhood friend a Discreet ¨C a stealthy fighter ¨C and the latter¡¯s girlfriend a Fixer ¨C a healing build ¨C with a few appropriate skills to match. Unaware of the existence of Moore, Johanna and the others quickly realize they had somehow acquired strange powers, the like of which is rare and almost unheard of. Fearing having been Changed by mana, they try to keep those Talents secret, but when facing threats to their homes, they have no hesitation to use any and all abilities to defend their families, while, behind the scenes Moore scrambles to allocate the experience points the system counted into more skills and levels, trying his best to guess what will work out for them. Exposed, they settle in nearby Valetta, as they try to cling to a semblance of normalcy while slowly adapting to their changed condition. But those powers are out in the open and they attract the attention of the authorities. They get turned into bargaining pieces, drafted into a war involving their home state of the Montana Marches and the northern territories in what used to be Western Canada. For the first time, they have to leave their home county and discover the world beyond their limited perspective. At New Benton, the capital of the new version of the Montana, Johanna discovers the informal Society of the Mages of America, and her mentor, Sorceress of the Mists Elena Worchester, discovers in turn the weird peculiarities of what appears to be the first four-fold archmage of history. And the even more anomalous case of Laura Donnall, who seems to be both sorceress and saint ¨C as nobody but Moore knows the exact details of the System and her specialization. Their training is cut short, as the enemies of the Montana mass at the Kootenai Gap, the main highway into the state across the mana-rich zones. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. While Moore improves Johanna and Peter¡¯s builds into specialized versions, the wendigos, allies of the tribesmen of the North, notice the presence of mages, believing them to be mercenaries. And when the battle is joined, Moore uses the experience earned to provide a battlefield adjustment and adds a skill that has never been seen in the history of the Americas: Fireball. In the aftermath of the battle, disastrous for the tribal armies, the wendigo hunter, Snowbound Glatteis, uses his own skill to sneak into the garrison, where he is quick to realize that Johanna and Laura are drugged with a contraceptive drug, to prevent them from slipping under the draft law and create more problems for the Warden of the Montana. He seizes the opportunity to turn them from the Warden¡¯s most significant strength into potential enemies, believing chaos is worth the risk. The four decide to desert. They may have loyalty to their homeland, but little to a ruler who betrays them. And they have the Talents to allow them to travel through dangerous zones, zones that Moore identifies as special through his ability to monitor people¡¯s descriptors. They follow the mana zone, using its dangers to keep pursuit away. The zone is peppered with isolated remains of pre-Fall structures, weirdly preserved by denser mana pockets. It is in one of those structures they find their second artifact, a pair of gloves whose properties escape them ¨C as Moore is unable to provide them with that information. However, the biggest shock of their lives happens after they leave the mana zone and arrive at the easternmost towns of the Montana. The local ruler, Countess Rocastle, shows them her collection of books, and Johanna ¨C or rather, Moore through her ¨C creates out of an Ancient book a parchment-like sheet that offers leveling, stat increase, specialization, and skill, all packaged into a single Settings Scroll. Tailored for Catherine Rocastle¡¯s System status, the parchment grants her first skill, making her into a metal-element sorceress, and turning one of her guards into a partial Guardian. Recognizing the massively increased stakes linked to the ability to provide Talents to other people, Catherine Rocastle does everything she can afford to pave their way out of State. Despite a group of locals, unaware of the impossible strengths their complementary abilities provide, trying to kill them for the bounty, the rest of the trip after they slaughter the hapless would-be bounty hunters is uneventful. Johanna, Tom, Peter, and Laura finally make it out of the Montana and into the plains of the Dakota. But Moore finally has enough experience points to test one of his unique abilities ¨C trying to grasp Johanna¡¯s consciousness through the window into existence associated with her. Alas, communication between the dead spirit and the living fire sorceress is difficult, and he can only provide ideas, half-speech, and half-unconscious intent. Still, he hopes that this will be enough to spur her into¡­ well, creating adventurers. People with enough power to reclaim the world from the grasp of the alien mana and its attendant ¡°System¡±. Appendix: Skills in book 2 (updated regularly) The System is essentially a stat-based skill system. You can purchase skills associated with each stat, by simply spending skill points (obtained by levels), at a cost of 1 point per skill in the stat (so, 1 for the first skill, 2pt for the second, 3 for a third, and so on). Each skill has requirements (stats, levels, pre-existing pools), and its effective "(Eff)" level is equal to your level, plus a multiplier to the stat based on specialization. So, if you''re 16 Strength, level 3, and you have a 2¡Á skill, then your effective level is 35 (16¡Á2 + 3). The skill''s effective level adds to one resource pool: mana or stamina. Each skill has both a passive, permanently-on, effect and an active or triggered effect that requires the expenditure of points from the resource pool. Skills do not improve through use. Instead, uses of any skill lead to XP being applied to both the associated stat and the general pool, up to a maximum equal to the skill level. Once enough experience has been accumulated in a stat, the stat automatically increases, leading to improvement on every purchased skill for that stat. Experience earned in the general pool can be spent to improve either the level (which provides a skill point) or any of the six stats, separately. The XP required to improve any of those seven values scales according to a simple Fibonacci sequence (1000-2000-3000-5000-8000-13000-21000-etc). Strength Skills
Domain of the Skies (tier 18) Requires: Authority 21/Strength 19/Level 9
Effective: N ¡Á Strength + Level (adds mana) Passive: You weight (Eff)% less for your own actions Active: Ranged projectiles have (Eff vs PER)¡Á3% chance of missing. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds
Metal Shaper AUT 17/STR 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Duelist AGI 17/ STR 16/EMP 16/Lvl 4 N=1
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Blazing Orb (tier 13) Requires: Authority 20/Strength 16/Level 7
Effective: N ¡Á Strength + Level (adds mana) Passive: (Eff)% better sight Active: Create a (level) inch diameter floating orb of flames up to (Eff) feet away. The orb remains locked in place until released. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds
Fire Shaper AUT 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Metal Shaper AUT 17/STR 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Metal Skin* (tier 9) Requires: Authority 17/Strength 16/Lvl 6
Effective: N ¡Á Strength + Level (adds mana) Passive: Adds (Eff) stamina Active: Alter your skin into a metallic form, protecting against piercing or slashing attacks by (Eff¡Á3-skill or stat)% Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds
Metal Shaper AUT 17/STR 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Duelist AGI 17/STR 16/EMP 16/Lvl 4 N=1
Guardian STR 16/PER 16/Lvl 2 N=1
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Jagged Stone (tier 9) Requires: Authority 17/Strength 16/Agility 16/Level 5
Effective: N ¡Á Strength + Level (adds mana) Passive: Adds (Eff) stamina Active: Create temporary (Eff/3)-inch spikes of stone from your hands. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds per hand
Earth Shaper AUT 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Kinetics (tier 7) Requires: Strength 16/Lvl 6
Effective: N ¡Á Strength + Level (adds stamina) Passive: Enhance your effective Strength by (Eff/10) for skill checks Triggered: Adds (Eff)% speed to anything you throw. Trigger cost: 1 stamina
Ranger PER 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Battler STR 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Sentinel PER 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Vigilante PER 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Interrupt (tier 7) Requires: Stamina 30/Strength 17/ Level 4
Effective: N ¡Á Strength + Level (adds stamina) Passive: Enhance your effective Strength by (Eff/10) for skill checks Action: Stops any ongoing effect on hit for (Level) seconds. Action cost: 1 stamina per ongoing effect
Duelist STR 16/AGI 17/EMP 16/Lvl 4 N=2
Keeper STR 17/PER 17/Lvl 6 N=2
Guardian STR 16/PER 16 N=1
Agility Skills
Cincer Circle (tier 17) Requires: Authority 20/Agility 17/Dexterity 17/Level 8
Effective: N ¡Á Agility + Level (adds mana) Passive: You no longer need to sweat Action: Create an (Eff) feet diameter circle of burning ash at maximum heat, (Eff) inch large. The circle remains in place. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) second
Earth Shaper AUT 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Fire Shaper AUT 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Sentinel PER 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Entangle (tier 8) Requires: Authority 17/Agility 16/Perception 16/Level 4
Effective: N ¡Á Agility + Level (adds mana) Passive: Enhance your effective Agility by (Eff/10) for skill checks Active: Create a (Eff) yard radius circle where vegetation reduces movement by (Eff)%. Any vegetation touched by a moving dies at the end of the effect. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds.
Wood Shaper AUT 17/PER 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Earth Shaper AUT 16/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=1
(yes, "a moving")
Flash Run (tier 6) Requires: Stamina 30/Agility 20
Effective: N ¡Á Agility + Level (adds stamina) Passive: You tire (Eff)% slower. Active: Increase your running speed by (Eff¡Á5)% Active cost: 1 stamina per (Eff) second
Explorer AGI 16/Lvl 1 N=2
Sentinel PER 16/Lvl 1 N=2
Steady Shot (tier 6) Requires: Agility 16/Perception 16/Level 4
Effective: N ¡Á Agility + Level (adds stamina) Passive: You tire (Eff)% slower. Active: Your aim is (Eff)% more accurate. Active cost: 1 stamina per (Eff) second
Ranger PER 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=3
Sentinel PER 16/Lvl 1 N=2
Vigilante PER 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Explorer AGI 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Steadfast Explorer AGI 17/STR 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Fast Draw (tier 5) Requires: Agility 16/Dexterity 16/Level 3
Effective: N ¡Á Agility + Level (adds stamina) Passive: Your grip on a weapon under (Eff) pounds is unshakable Action: Move a weapon in position (Eff)% faster. Active cost: 1 stamina per (Eff) ounce.
Blade Whirler AGI 17/STR 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Vigilante PER 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Sentinel PER 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Earthbind* (tier 5) Requires: Authority 17/Agility 16/Level 3
Effective: N ¡Á Agility + Level (adds mana) Passive: Enhance your effective Strength by (Eff/10) for skill checks Active: Reduce the movement speed of a target by (6¡ÁEff - 2¡ÁSTR)%. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds.
Earth Shaper AUT 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Armored* (tier 4) Requires: Strength 16/Agility 16/Level 3
Effective: N ¡Á Agility + Level (adds stamina) Passive: Enhance your effective Strength by (Eff/10) for skill checks Active: Your clothing or armor is (Eff¡Á5)% better at resisting or deflecting attacks Active cost: 1 stamina per (Eff) sec.
Keeper STR 17/PER 17/Lvl 6 N=3
Guardian STR 16/PER 16/Lvl 2 N=2
Mirror (tier 4) Requires: Authority 18/Agility 16
Effective: N ¡Á Agility + Level (adds mana) Passive: Enhance your effective Perception by (Eff/10) for skill checks Active: Causes any flat surface up to (Eff) square inches to act as a perfect mirror, reflecting up to (Eff¡Á3)% further away than you can see. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds
Metal Shaper AUT 17/STR 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Dexterity Skills
Ember Chains* (tier 13) Requires: Authority 19/Dexterity 18/Level 6
Effective: N ¡Á Dexterity + Level (adds mana) Passive: Grant bodily immunity to fire, up to (300 + 10¡ÁEff) ¡ãF Active: Create a (Eff/5) feet chain of temporary metal, heated to max temperature Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) sec
Fire Shaper AUT 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Metal Shaper AUT 17/STR 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Popping Rocks (tier 10) Requires: Authority 18/Dexterity 16/Level 6 This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.
Effective: N ¡Á Dexterity + Level (adds mana) Passive: Grant bodily immunity to fire, up to (300 + 10¡ÁEff) ¡ãF Action: Heat by (Eff¡Á10)¡ãF per second the interior of a stone of up to (Eff) cubic inches at up to (Eff) feet away, until the stone explodes or breaks up. Active cost: 1 mana per second
Earth Shaper AUT 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Fire Shaper AUT 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Fireball* (tier 8) Requires: Authority 17/Dexterity 17/Level 5
Effective: N ¡Á Dexterity + Level (adds mana) Passive: Grant bodily immunity to fire, up to (300 + 10¡ÁEff) ¡ãF Active: Launch a ball of (Eff) cubic inches of plasma up to (3¡ÁEff) feet Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) feet
Fire Shaper AUT 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Flaming Blade* (tier 6) Requires: Dexterity 16/Authority 16/Level 4
Effective: N ¡Á Dexterity + Level (adds mana) Passive: Grant bodily immunity to fire, up to (300 + 10¡ÁEff) ¡ãF Active: Create a flame of max temperature surrounding a bladed weapon. The weapon remains immune to melting or burning while covered. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds
Fire Shaper AUT 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Blade Whirler AGI 17/STR 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Piercing (tier 5) Requires: Perception 16/Dexterity 16/Level 3
Effective: N ¡Á Dexterity + Level (adds stamina) Passive: Your skin is (Eff)% more resilient Triggered: Piercing attacks and weapons penetrate (Eff)% further, except if blocked Active cost: 1 stamina per attack
Ranger PER 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Vigilante PER 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Discreet DEX 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Sentinel PER 16/Lvl 1 N=1
First Aid* (tier 4) Requires: Empathy 17/Dexterity 16/Level 2
Effective: N ¡Á Dexterity + Level (adds mana) Passive: Your wounds clot (Eff¡Á5)% faster Active: Neutralize bone or flesh trauma, up to (Eff) pounds, provided it occurred less than (Eff) seconds ago. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) pounds of body mass stabilized
Combat Fixer EMP 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Deep Fixer EMP 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Fast Fixer EMP 17/STR 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Fixer EMP 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Tyrant Fixer EMP 17/AUT 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Authority Skills
Fascination (tier 17) Requires: Authority 20/Empathy 20/Level 8
Effective: N ¡Á Authority + Level (adds mana) Passive: Enhance your effective Perception by (Eff/8) for skill checks Active: Target pays attention only to you (Eff vs PER)% of the time. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds
Tyrant Fixer EMP 17/AUT 16/Lvl 5 N=3
Fixer EMP 16/Lvl 1 N=2
Duelist AGI 17/ STR 16/EMP 16/Lvl 4 N=1
Mana Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Grapple (tier 15) Requires: Strength 20/Authority 17/Level 8
Effective: N ¡Á Authority + Level (adds stamina) Passive: You are (Eff)% more stable against any perturbation. Active: Your upper body is (Eff¡Á5)% stronger. Active cost: 1 stamina per (Eff) seconds.
Specialist Battler STR 17/EMP 16/Lvl 5 N=3
Battler STR 16/Lvl 1 N=2
Keeper STR 17/PER 17/Lvl 6 N=2
Guardian STR 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Mana Lock (tier 14) Requires: Authority 20/Empathy 18/Level 7
Effective: N ¡Á Authority + Level (adds mana) Passive: Increase your regeneration by (Eff/10) mana per hour Active: Shave your opponent¡¯s mana reserve by (Eff vs AUT)%. Removed mana is recovered only when the effect expires. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds.
Mana Shaper AUT 19/Lvl 6 N=3
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=2
Tyrant Fixer EMP 17/AUT 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Combat Fixer EMP 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Duelist AGI 17/STR 16/EMP 16/Lvl 4 N=1
Fixer EMP 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Distract (tier 14) Requires: Strength 19/Authority 19/Level 6
Effective: N ¡Á Authority + Level (adds mana) Passive: Enhance your effective Authority by (Eff/10) for skill checks Action: Interrupts the stream of thought of any target in a 90¡ã cone, up to (Eff) feet. Action cost: 1 mana per highest level
Duelist AGI 17/ STR 16/EMP 16/Lvl 4 N=1
Guardian STR 16/PER 16 N=1
Keeper STR 17/PER 17/Lvl 6 N=1
Telepathy* (tier 12) Requires: Authority 19/Empathy 18/Level 5
Effective: N ¡Á Authority + Level (adds mana) Passive: Increase your regeneration by (Eff/10) mana per hour Active: Share your silent inner voice to anyone you¡¯ve met and remember accurately during the last (Eff) hours, if they are within (Eff) miles. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) words
Mana Shaper AUT 19/Lvl 6 N=3
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=2
Warden PER 17/STR 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Sentinel PER 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Call Lighting* (tier 11) Requires: Authority 18/Strength 17/Level 6
Effective: N ¡Á Authority + Level (adds mana) Passive: Increase your regeneration by (Eff/10) mana per hour Active: Creates a lightning conduit reaching to a point up to (Eff¡Á10) feet away. Requires any form of cloud above Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff¡Á10) vertical feet
Metal Shaper AUT 17/STR 16/Lvl 5 N=3
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=2
Mana Shaper AUT 19/Lvl 6 N=1
Fusion* (tier 8) Requires: Authority 17/Strength 16/Dexterity 16/Level 4
Effective: N ¡Á Authority + Level (adds mana) Passive: Grant bodily immunity to fire, up to (300 + 10¡ÁEff) ¡ãF Active: Cause one ounce of metal within (Eff) inches to melt every (Melt/Eff) second. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds
Fire Shaper AUT 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=3
Maker STR 16/DEX 16/Lvl 4 N=3
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=2
Mana Shaper AUT 19/Lvl 6 N=1
Disarm* (tier 8) Requires: Strength 16/Authority 16/Perception 16/Level 5
Effective: N ¡Á Authority + Level (adds stamina) Passive: Your grip on a weapon under (Eff) pounds is unshakable Action: Forces target to drop a weapon of (Eff vs STR)/2 pounds. Action cost: 1 stamina per level of target
Duelist STR 16/AGI 17/EMP 16/Lvl 4 N=2
Keeper STR 17/PER 17/Lvl 6 N=2
Guardian STR 16/PER 16/Lvl 2 N=1
Burning Ground* (tier 7) Requires: Authority 17/Dexterity 16/Level 4
Effective: N ¡Á Authority + Level (adds mana) Passive: Grant bodily immunity to fire, up to (300 + 10¡ÁEff) ¡ãF Active: Fire of maximum allowable temperature erupts from the ground, covering a radius of (Eff) inches Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds
Fire Shaper AUT 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=3
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=2
Falter* (tier 6) Requires: Authority 16/Empathy 17/Level 3
Effective: N ¡Á Authority + Level (adds mana) Passive: Your lung capacity is (Eff/3)% larger. Active: Cause (Eff/5) ounces of metal to partially rust every second. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds
Tyrant Fixer EMP 17/AUT 16/Lvl 5 N=3
Combat Fixer EMP 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Deep Fixer EMP 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Fast Fixer EMP 17/STR 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Fixer EMP 16/Lvl 1 N=2
Mana Shaper AUT 19/Lvl 6 N=2
Duelist AGI 17/STR 16/EMP 16/Lvl 4 N=1
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Rust* (tier 6) Requires: Strength 16/Authority 16/Level 4
Effective: N ¡Á Authority + Level (adds mana) Passive: Your lung capacity is (Eff/3)% larger. Active: Cause (Eff/5) ounces of metal to partially rust every second. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds
Metal Shaper AUT 17/STR 16/Lvl 5 N=3
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=2
Mana Shaper AUT 19/Lvl 6 N=1
Tremor* (tier 5) Requires: Authority 17/Agility 16/Level 2
Effective: N ¡Á Authority + Level (adds mana) Passive: You are (Eff¡Á5)% more stable against any perturbation Action: Cause an earthquake-effect of intensity 6+(Eff/25) in a (Eff) yard radius. Action cost: (AGI) mana.
Earth Shaper AUT 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Frostbite* (tier 4) Requires: Authority 16/Lvl 3
Effective: N ¡Á Authority + Level (adds mana) Passive: Grant bodily immunity to cold, down to (100 - 5¡ÁEff) ¡ãF Active: Lower the temperature of target by (Eff/10) ¡ãF per second Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds.
Water Shaper EMP 16/AUT 17/Lvl 5 N=3
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=2
Mana Shaper AUT 19/Lvl 6 N=1
Thorn Fist (tier 2) Requires: Authority 17
Effective: N ¡Á Authority + Level (adds mana) Passive: You can carry (Eff)% more weight Active: Sprouts (Level) (Eff/15) inch thorns from your fist. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds per fist.
Wood Shaper AUT 17/PER 16/Lvl 5 N=3
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=2
Perception Skills
Regrow* (tier 15) Requires: Empathy 19/Agility 17/Perception 17/Level 7
Effective: N ¡Á Perception + Level (adds mana) Passive: You know instinctively the gravity of a wound. Active: Regrow (Eff/2500) ounces of bone, muscle or organs per second. Damaged organs or bone can be fixed at double the speed rather than being reconstructed. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds
Deep Fixer EMP 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Combat Fixer EMP 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Fixer EMP 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Tyrant Fixer EMP 17/AUT 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Blind Fighting (tier 10) Requires: Perception 18/Level 7
Effective: N ¡Á Perception + Level (adds stamina) Passive: Enhance your effective Perception by (Eff/10) for skill checks Active: Fight in lowlight conditions down to (Eff)% less light. Active cost: 1 stamina per (Eff) seconds.
Specialist Battler STR 17/EMP 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Vigilante PER 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Battler STR 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Improviser DEX 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Sentinel PER 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Bark Skin (tier 9) Requires: Authority 17/Perception 16/Level 6
Effective: N ¡Á Perception + Level (adds mana) Passive: Your skin is (Eff)% more resilient Active: Cover your skin with thick bark, protecting against piercing or blunt attacks by (Eff-skill or stat)¡Á3%. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds
Wood Shaper AUT 17/PER 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Guardian STR 16/PER 16/Lvl 2 N=1
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Unearth (tier 9) Requires: Agility 17/Authority 17/Perception 16/Level 4
Effective: N ¡Á Perception + Level (adds mana) Passive: Your food requirements per day lowers by (Eff)% Active: Expose the roots of a plant. Requires 1 second per foot of height. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) pounds moved.
Earth Shaper AUT 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=3
Wood Shaper AUT 17/PER 16/Lvl 5 N=3
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=2
Mana Shaper AUT 19/Lvl 6 N=1
Fast Aim (tier 8) Requires: Agility 16/Perception 16/Level 6
Effective: N ¡Á Perception + Level (adds stamina) Passive: You achieve your top running speed (Eff)% faster Active: Switch at any time from aiming to a target to a new target in (1/Eff) seconds. Active cost: 1 stamina per (Eff) seconds.
Ranger PER 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Sentinel PER 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Vigilante PER 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Detect Lies* (tier 7) Requires: Perception 17/ Empathy 16/Level 4
Effective: N ¡Á Perception + Level (adds mana) Passive: Enhance your effective Perception by (Eff/10) for skill checks Active: Notice any attempt to dissemble. 5% ¡Á (EMP vs AUT) chance of failure, reduced by (Eff). Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds.
Combat Fixer EMP 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Deep Fixer EMP 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Fast Fixer EMP 17/STR 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Fixer EMP 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Monger AUT 17/PER 16/EMP 16 N=1
Sentinel PER 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Sharp Discreet DEX 17/PER 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Tyrant Fixer EMP 17/AUT 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Vigilante PER 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Spark Ash (tier 6) Requires: Authority 17/Perception 16/Level 3
Effective: N ¡Á Perception + Level (adds mana) Passive: Enhance your effective Authority by (Eff/10) for skill checks Action: Restart a fire using ash within (Eff) feet. Action cost: 1 mana per (1000 - Eff¡Á5)¡ãF
Fire Shaper AUT 17/STR 16/Lvl 5 N=3
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=2
Duelist STR 16/AGI 17/EMP 16/Lvl 4 N=1
Detect Metal* (tier 4) Requires: Mana 30/Perception 16/Level 2
Effective: N ¡Á Perception + Level (adds mana) Passive: You recognize the primary metal of any alloy you see. Active: Detect continuous metal masses of at least (1000/Eff) pounds up to (20¡ÁEff) feet. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds
Explorer AGI 16/Lvl 1 N=2
Metal Shaper AUT 17/STR 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Monger AUT 17/PER 16/EMP 16 N=1
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Gauge Endurance* (tier 3) Requires: Stamina 30/Level 2
Effective: N ¡Á Perception + Level (adds stamina) Passive: Detect levels up to (Eff/3) Triggered: Detect any stamina-based skill of (Eff) skill or below.
Keeper STR 17/PER 17/Lvl 6 N=3
Duelist STR 16/AGI 17/EMP 16/Lvl 4 N=2
Guardian STR 16/PER 16 N=2
Mana Sight* (tier 3) Requires: Mana 30/Level 2
Effective: N ¡Á Perception + Level (adds mana) Passive: Detect mana flows & pools of (1000 / Eff) size or greater Triggered: Detect any mana-based skill of (Eff) skill or below.
Mana Shaper AUT 19/Lvl 6 N=3
Earth Shaper AUT 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Fire Shaper AUT 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=2
Water Shaper AUT 17/EMP 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Wood Shaper AUT 17/PER 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Combat Fixer EMP 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Deep Fixer EMP 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Explorer AGI 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Fast Fixer EMP 17/STR 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Fixer EMP 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Guardian STR 16/PER 16 N=1
Sharp Discreet DEX 17/PER 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Tyrant Fixer EMP 17/AUT 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Empathy Skills
Investiture of Ice (tier 26) Requires: Empathy 23/Authority 21/Level 13
Effective: N ¡Á Empathy + Level (adds mana) Passive: Grant bodily immunity to cold, down to (100-5¡ÁEff) ¡ãF Active: Project your cold (Eff) inches from your feet while reducing all fire effects by (Eff¡Á12) ¡ãF. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds
Water Shaper AUT 17/ EMP 16/Lvl 5 N=3
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=2
Mana Shaper AUT 19/Lvl 6 N=1
Chill Metal (tier 12) Requires: Authority 18/Strength 17/Empathy 16/ Level 6
Effective: N ¡Á Empathy + Level (adds mana) Passive: Grant bodily immunity to cold, down to (100-5¡ÁEff) ¡ãF Active: Reduce the temperature of (10¡ÁEff) pounds of Metal by (2¡ÁEff) ¡ãF per second, down to cold levels. Larger masses chill down by less degrees. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds
Metal Shaper AUT 17/STR 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Water Shaper AUT 17/EMP 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Water Walking* (tier 12) Requires: Authority 18/Empathy 18/Agility 17/Level 4
Effective: N ¡Á Empathy + Level (adds mana) Passive: Your water needs per day lowers by (Eff)% Active: Walk on water as if it was a solid surface Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds.
Water Shaper AUT 17//EMP 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Deep Fixer EMP 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Earth Shaper AUT 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Fixer EMP 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Sentinel PER 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Tyrant Fixer EMP 17/AUT 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Steam Breath* (tier 9) Requires: Dexterity 17/Empathy 17/Level 5
Effective: N ¡Á Empathy + Level (adds mana) Passive: You require (Eff)% less oxygen Active: Emits a cone of (Eff/3)¡ã of scalding steam at (200+5¡ÁEff)¡ãF, up to (Eff/3) feet Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds
Water Shaper AUT 17//EMP 16/Lvl 5 N=3
Fire Shaper AUT 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=2
Optimal Strike* (tier 7) Requires: Strength 17/Empathy 16/Level 3
Effective: N ¡Á Empathy + Level (adds stamina) Passive: Your grip on a weapon under (Eff) pounds is unshakable Triggered: Focused attacks increases any strength-based damage by (5¡ÁEff+10¡ÁTargetLevel)% Trigger cost: +1 stamina.
Duelist STR 16/AGI 17/EMP 16/Lvl 4 N=2
Specialist Battler STR 17/EMP 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Battler STR 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Blade Whirler AGI 17/STR 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Swordbringer STR 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Ice Blade (tier 6) Requires: Authority 16/Empathy 16/Level 3
Effective: N ¡Á Empathy + Level (adds mana) Passive: Grant bodily immunity to cold, down to (100 - 5¡ÁEff) ¡ãF Active: Create a sheath of min temperature surrounding a bladed weapon. The weapon is immune to shattering while covered. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds.
Water Shaper AUT 17//EMP 16/Lvl 5 N=3
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=2
Fog Cloud* (tier 5) Requires: Authority 16/Empathy 16/Level 3
Effective: N ¡Á Empathy + Level (adds mana) Passive: Grant bodily immunity to cold, down to (100 - 5¡ÁEff) ¡ãF Active: Creates fog covering (10¡ÁEff) acres. The visibility of under this fog is (200/Eff-PER/10) feet. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds.
Water Shaper AUT 17//EMP 16/Lvl 5 N=3
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=2
Slow Poison (tier 5) Requires: Authority 16/Perception 16/Empathy 16/Level 2
Effective: N ¡Á Empathy + Level (adds mana) Passive: LD50 is increased by (Eff¡Á10)%. Active: Covers any weapon with a contact poison that slows reaction times by (Eff)%. Active cost: 1 mana per application.
Water Shaper AUT 17/EMP 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Wood Shaper AUT 17/PER 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=1
New Specializations
Tier 4
Warden PER 17/STR 16/Lvl 5 Tactical Support
Ranger PER 17/AGI 16/Lvl 5 Ranged Attack
Vigilante PER 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 Sneak Attacker
Tier 5
Mana Shaper AUT 19/Lvl 6 Unaligned Magic
Extra Non-Story Bonus: Wanderer ¡°What the fuck are you?¡± the taxman said as Spiro descended the plank of the Atlantic trade ship. ¡°You sure it¡¯s what, not who?¡± he replied, humor coloring his voice. Spiro had to remember to keep his voice steady. It was too easy to slip into the deep sounds his mouth was better suited to make. And besides English was a weird language compared to his native Greek dialect. Not that a native of the other four islands that made the Greek Federation would understand him without effort. ¡°I¡¯m a Lesbian,¡± he added over the man¡¯s sputtering, causing even more confusion. ¡°A what? You¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s what you call a native of the island of Lesbos, don¡¯t you? Even Changed, it¡¯s always been.¡± He doubted any of the natives of America would know about Lesbians, though. After the two Changestorms, almost none had traveled abroad. Although the survivors of the Fall were swimmers without pair, swimming across the Atlantic was a bit too much¡­ although crossing the Mediterranean during the yearly contest¡­ Spiro¡¯s grey leathery skin was starting to attract attention. The combination of his hydrodynamic head without a neck, and his blubber skin was getting the same reaction everywhere. Humans dominated the world, after all, and they still freaked when they saw what looked like one of the masters of the sea. ¡°Look, the cap¡¯tain said I have to pay my admission fee. So, can I do?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± the taxman sputtered again. ¡°I need to write ID¡­ I can¡¯t write that¡­¡± Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°Write Halioi, then, if the proper name bothers you so much. Name¡¯s Spiro Vlachiades. How much?¡± It was almost five minutes until Spiro managed to extract the price, which he paid in silver. The captain had changed his drachma at a usurious rate, so he¡¯d done the smallest amount possible. He¡¯d find a proper changer in the port. It would take him a long time to cross the continent, and reach the shores of the Pacific, and there would be plenty of occasions to spend money. The pier felt a bit too high over the water for his tastes, but that came with living in a land-dweller town. ¡°What was that,¡± one of the dockworkers finally said when the enormous shape had reached the end of the dock, away from them. ¡°A Twice-Changed,¡± one of the sailors descending from the Green Cape replied. ¡°Twice-Changed?¡± ¡°Their island got stuck not once, but twice by Changestorms. They never speak of their second shape, apparently, but there are¡­ well, there are rumors.¡± ¡°Of what?¡± ¡°Of being demons. Goat legs, curved horns, claws, fangs, the works. And then, they got changed into orcas.¡± ¡°Orcas?¡± ¡°Landlubbers,¡± the seaman sighed.
Halioi
STR 16 AGI 18 DEX 14
AUT 13 PER 15 EMP 13
Total: 89 + 2 extra stat
Named after the Theoi Halioi, or "gods of the sea", the Halioi are one of the two quasi-aquatic Changed species known to exist. They keep a generally humanoid shape, but with extremely streamlined features, a bulbous domed head, and rubbery skin. Despite legs and arms, they are extremely good swimmers and easily manage 10 minutes of apnea. It is rumored that the infants are particularly not suited to swimming until puberty, but given their relative isolation, not much is known about that aspect of their biology. Despite the apparent lack of external primary or secondary sexual characteristics, they are indeed a normal dimorphic mammalian species. Extra Non-Story Bonus: Tales from the End of the World Commander Juliana Newman floated, turned, and dragged herself into the cupola, where Frank Fuller was watching Earth go by outside. ¡°Houston says they¡¯ve still not restored the station. Thankfully, the TDRS has reconnected to Guam, so we¡¯re not losing com, but the way I hear the subtext, it was touch and go.¡± Frank raised his tablet, briefly showing her the scrolling text. ¡°Social networks are now all over #WestCoastBlackout. You¡¯d think there would be generators at the ground stations.¡± She smiled. ¡°Maybe they do. And nobody put the local ISP on one.¡± ¡°Yes. But to hear the networks, you¡¯d think the coast had dropped into the ocean or something.¡± ¡°No chance, you¡¯d get echoes of the earthquake all over the world in that case,¡± she replied. ¡°Well, we should be getting a view. The weather¡¯s still relatively clear, and this orbit is a bit closer than the previous one.¡± Frank was still smiling when he saw Juliana frowning. ¡°Frank¡­ turn and tell me if you see that¡­ shimmer?¡± The man grabbed an edge and reoriented himself to look forward. He squinted a bit. ¡°Sort of?¡± Juliana whistled softly. ¡°I worried something was wrong.¡± Frank braced himself and passed his hand over the silica glass of the pane. ¡°Not a smear.¡± Juliana hesitated. Then she grabbed her suit microphone and called out, ¡°Shuko? Can you connect me to Houston?¡± The Japanese astronaut monitoring the station¡¯s heath acknowledged the request, and ten seconds later, called out ¡°you¡¯re on with Ops.¡± ¡°Ops, this is Newman.¡± ¡°Hear you.¡± ¡°So far,¡± she automatically joked, before adding ¡°we¡¯re getting close to the west coast and we¡¯re seeing a weird atmospheric distortion over the ocean.¡± ¡°Repeat, ISS?¡± ¡°There is a sort of weird shimmer over the atmosphere on the ocean further along the orbit. Do you have a satellite view of that?¡± There was a slight pause as Ops probably passed the request. ¡°Sorry ISS, we don¡¯t have a confirmation. We had problems with LEO IR an hour ago. Satellite crashed, and we¡¯re still trying to bring it back to full operation. It should cover your position in half an hour, and if¡­¡± The voice trailed, and Juliana could hear distant voices, indicating that Ops had forgotten to cut their microphone, as usual. ¡°What?¡± ¡°The Pentagon?¡± ¡°What¡¯s that about our sats?¡± ¡°They lost sats and are asking?¡± ¡°Tell that colonel we¡¯re good¡± ¡°Sorry ISS. Got distracted.¡± ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°Some colonel Denvers at the Pentagon phoning and asking if we have off-line satellites. It seems they had a problem with some GPS ones, I think.¡± ¡°Well, looks like you have. Had, rather,¡± she answered. ¡°Not your problem. Is the shimmer stable or what?¡± ¡°Stable. And we¡¯re getting closer, so it¡¯s a bit clearer,¡± Frank answered loudly enough to be through the microphone. ¡°Sorry?¡± Juliana repeated the report. ¡°Noted, ISS. Too bad the LEO IR satellite software crashed. It was close to the west coast, and it lost all pictures it had recorded as it was coming over your current position.¡± ¡°Copy that. We¡¯ll observe and take pictures.¡± ¡°It looks like small hexagons,¡± Frank said. She took a look, before complaining, ¡°Fighter Pilots. I¡¯m jealous.¡± ¡°You¡¯re still 20/20.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re better. Shut up.¡± ¡°Sorry, ISS?¡± the voice from below came. ¡°Oops, I was talking to Fuller. Disregard.¡± Noises came again from the connection, voices. ¡°What does he mean, he¡¯s losing GPS satellites everytime they go over the northwest? Not our problem¡­¡± ¡°Ops?¡± Juliana asked. ¡°Sorry, the Pentagon is asking where you are in orbit, and if you have problems. They say they have some of their GPS satellites shut down over the northwest for some¡­¡± The voice of Ops from Earth trailed down. But Juliana didn¡¯t wait. She could add two GPS satellites being disabled and one NASA observation platform shutting down. She toggled her microphone back to central. ¡°Shuko. Sound the alarm. Collision. We need to prepare for power¡­¡± ¡°The hexagons are almost under us,¡± Frank warned. ¡°Shuko! We¡¯re going to lose all power. Sound¡­¡± Darkness. No, Juliana Newman realized. Some light still came, reflection from Earth through the panes of the cupola. But the entire ISS had blacked out. And fallen silent. The ISS was never silent. Fans were always running, distributing, and moving air around to avoid pockets of CO2 forming or unequal distribution of oxygen. You learned early to ignore the background noise because it never stopped. And you did have special fans running for your sleep period, to make sure you didn¡¯t get a bubble of CO2 around your head while immobile. ¡°Frank!¡± ¡°I hear you.¡± She spotted a brief movement, silhouetted over the cupola¡¯s windows. ¡°Shuko,¡± she called out, but of course, the microphone did not seem to work either. ¡°Everything has shut down. Total power loss.¡± ¡°The tablet has batteries. It¡¯s down too,¡± Frank confirmed. ¡°That¡¯s what happened. To the other sats.¡± Frank didn¡¯t answer. Then he said, ¡°Holy Mother of God.¡± ¡°What?¡± She dragged herself back to the cupola and looked out. The view would have been glorious in other circumstances, maybe. But combined with the utter power loss, it was horrifying. There was an aurora of sorts. But in space. Blue lights reaching out from the surface to undefinable heights. She¡¯d seen her share of auroras from the cupola, of course. The ionized lights were confined by the earth¡¯s upper atmosphere, a spectacle under their eyes. There are not enough atoms up there to ionize for an aurora. And besides, the blue light was not the normal color for auroras. It felt unnatural. ¡°Radiations? Storm Shelter,¡± she ordered, referring to the protection against solar storms that the ISS included, despite its position under the Earth¡¯s magnetic protection of the Van Allen belts. ¡°Is it even safe?¡± Frank wondered. Despite his misgivings, he grabbed the edge of the cupola and started to haul himself out. ¡°Do you remember how to get there? In the dark, it¡¯s going to be¡­¡± Frank did not finish his phrase. Blue light entered the ISS. Blue lines swirling. Juliana realized the lines didn¡¯t light the interior of the station. But they moved, like some slow version of tesla coil lightning, and they started and stopped at the edges. She realized she could almost feel the geometry of the module and tunnels, by the end and start of the swirling lights. She raised one hand, realizing she could see the light through it, even if they stopped at the walls of the station. She could feel some heat, coming from somewhere she couldn¡¯t guess. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°Too late,¡± Frank said. ¡°were fukt.¡± She realized his words were already slurring. She should have felt panic, but she already knew that whatever had befallen the ISS, it was too late for her ¨C or anyone ¨C to do anything. If the radiation was already killing them and that fast, then they were dead, they just didn¡¯t know. ¡°rank? ere ou¡­¡± Her mouth felt funny as if it was filling with stuff. She tried to guess in the darkness, using the dancing lights. For one last moment, before their organs liquefied. She felt the heat more keenly, rising inside. She could see the heat pulsing slowly ahead. In a long shape. ¡°Okay, the TRDS has no carrier or anything, and we have only the last moment before this happened,¡± Ops ¨C Kayleigh Byrne ¨C was shouting over the din of the control room. ¡°Got record of what she was doing on internal coms. She was calling for Shuko ¨C astronaut Aozora ¨C to sound the alarm. Something about collision and loss of power?¡± ¡°She must have realized something before it happened.¡± Someone next to Kayleigh whispered, ¡°all the satellites.¡± The repeated calls from the Pentagon, she realized. ¡°Is that colonel from the Pentagon still on the line?¡± ¡°No, but I can call back.¡± ¡°Do so. Tell him ISS¡­ lost com. Probably got disabled.¡± ¡°No,¡± the colonel ¨C Wesley Denvers, she remembered ¨C said, ¡°it¡¯s temporary. But we have a second failure on one of the Navy¡¯s¡­ sorry, Space Force, birds. Again, when it crossed over the northwest coast area. They lose all power while over there. And the entire northwest is offline, even through geo sats links. I¡­ assume that power is off, and can¡¯t be turned on.¡± She briefly wondered how the man could even stay calm in the face of the impossible. ¡°Batteries?¡± ¡°Drained. One had a minuscule charge, but they all restarted from solar panels, as it¡¯s still daylight over the affected area.¡± ¡°Then the ISS¡­¡± ¡°Should restart. As soon as it moves out. Your guys should be safe unless the lack of power affects pressurization.¡± ¡°It shouldn¡¯t. It¡¯s designed so that loss of power locks, not opens. That¡¯d be stupid,¡± Kayleigh. ¡°Oops, General Markus just arrived. I have to brief him. Good luck.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± The beep of disconnect hit her, and she pulled back her headset, hitting the general channel. ¡°Okay, everyone. Here¡¯s the situation. The ISS has lost all internal power. And by all, I mean even batteries. They¡¯re totally black. The good news is that it¡¯s temporary, and once they¡¯re out of the¡­ affected zone, they¡¯ll get power from the solar panels again.¡± She could see relief painted on the faces turned toward her. ¡°The zone is limited, so we should face maybe ten minutes maximum of orbit¡­ meaning it can restart at any time in the next six. I want everyone to figure out how to restart the essentials of the station from scratch as fast as possible once we get uplink again.¡± She breathed deeply, and then added, ¡°And start drawing plans for the next orbit. Can they evacuate? Orbit the Dragon or the Soyuz far enough not to be in the volume on the next pass? I need answers in¡­ as soon as you can get them. Go!¡± I know it must be terrifying up there in the dark, but it¡¯s going to end. Stay the course, Juliana. The next seven minutes were the most stressful ones in Kayleigh¡¯s history. Up until Coms announced, ¡°TRDS has link. Protocol tunnels being negotiated.¡± A massive shout resonated across the entire control room, as cheering people jumped up. ¡°Quiet. Any telemetry?¡± ¡°Nope. Trying to run status¡­¡± Then Com laughed, ¡°looks like only the Russian core has restarted. Damn Russians, their computers turn on and off instantly.¡± The old Russian modules, notably the core, were not designed two decades ago, but they were even ¡°rugged¡± for their era. When there were none of their partners for the station around, people joked it probably used sets of ferrite torus as storage. ¡°Get me voice with the station as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Data. Pressure is still nominal, gases ratio not available yet.¡± ¡°Should be okay. They must be worried silly. Get me that voice.¡± ¡°Solar is low, the panels must not be in an optimal position.¡± More data started pouring as various parts of the distant ISS rebooted. The big computers would be slow to come back, but the various systems vital for the station would be almost instantly up. Up in the corner of the control room panel, a counter displayed 73 minutes. The current estimate until the orbit of the station would bring it back over the Northwest. If the unpowered zone was not expanding too fast ¨C Kayleigh had a dedicated operator trying to monitor how large it was from whatever source he could ¨C that might be the last orbit to do so for a while, as the earth turned, and the next one would be too far east to cover the current area. She just had to prepare the station for the next shutdown, and then enact a plan to evacuate. ¡°Com? That voice channel?¡± ¡°Nothing yet. Full bandwidth is available again, but the internal systems are still rebooting.¡± She waited a full minute before bugging the hapless Com operator. The guy was doing his job to the best of his limited capacities from here on Earth. ¡°Com?¡± ¡°It should be up. But I get no one on vocal. It¡¯s¡­ buzzing. If astronaut Aozora hasn¡¯t moved, he should be picking up.¡± Kayleigh repressed the impulse to swear out loud. ¡°Text,¡± Com said. She raised her head, as the console routed the display on the large set of flat panels. Houston? Coms are back up here. More cheers erupted, and Kayleigh had to wave everyone down. ¡°Com? That voice?¡± ¡°Nobody picks up.¡± She brought a keyboard, called the text com application, and started typing. Houston here. Your voice should be up. Can you check? She waited a few seconds, then text started to appear. Maybe. I can¡¯t be sure. You can¡¯t be sure? What? Kayleigh thought as she frowned, and waited for elaboration. Trying camera. You need to see. ¡°Video active,¡± Com announced as the channel automatically added itself to the main displays. She instantly recognized the corridors of the station. The light was dimmer, as the station would be in reduced power mode. Then something moved into the camera¡¯s view and the entire room gasped. It looked wrong. The visible bit was blubbery, leathery, a substance that she had no name for. There was an elongated shape, a head, over a too-wide neck. Tattered bits of what she recognized as a NASA-issue teeshirt hung, floating in the zero-G. The thing pulled a tablet into view, and Kayleigh noted that there seemed to be only three far too large digits grasping. The weird humanoid started pecking at the tablet, and text started to display. Can you see me? Kayleigh remained frozen, disbelieving. Ops? the thing typed. She grabbed her own keyboard and typed. Who are you? The alien figure on the camera paused and started typing again. Commander Newman. Then after a short pause. I think you¡¯ll have to trust me on this. Then another figure moved into view. It looked almost the same, and Kayleigh noted the wide eyes, that looked like somebody extended the iris all the way through the ocular globe, while the pupils seemed a bit overlarge, even in the dim light. And the other? That¡¯s Shuko. Frank and Ivan are there too. Yaytsev is checking the station. Two more figures moved partially in view, one waving with a too-short arm. The silence in the control room was absolute. What happened? Kayleigh typed. Light. Light reached at us. And changed us. People were starting to arrive in the room, and Kayleigh waved them away, whispering ¡°keep room clear¡±, before focusing on the view from the ISS. I should get green and muscles all over from radiation, not this. She blinked as someone next to her said, ¡°did she just make a Hulk joke?¡± The next ten minutes were a painstaking exchange. The changed crew¡¯s digits were too thick to type easily, but they still had their former respective dexterity with the tablet. Can¡¯t hear anything. Or even speak. All our external orifices are fused shut. No ear, no mouth, no nose, nothing. No, we don¡¯t have problems yet. Maybe we breathe through the skin. It seems to have digested most of the clothing, by the way. I can see clearly. I think I even see in infrared. That¡¯s how we talk. It seems we hear some electromagnetic stuff, including all the wifi stuff like a whistle. We talk to each other over that semi-radio. Russian accent still awful. We have 50 minutes you say? Not surprised. We know this time. Hope it doesn¡¯t change us again. Once is hard. The control station was almost deserted. Everyone was evacuating as the ¡°zone¡± spread was accelerating, and the entire western half of the continent was now offline. Kayleigh was very tired, and she was way off her watch, but she kept the post. It was hers until she stopped¡­ and no one was probably going to take over. Leaving now. You¡¯re sure you don¡¯t want to evac? Trust a capsule that will shut down three times before going down. Even if we drop over Russia, that¡¯s iffy. And if the zone spreads there before, nothing is going to work and we crash into the ground at 5 times the speed of sound. She didn¡¯t know what to say. What did you say to, well, ¡°people¡± even twisted by incomprehensible forces, who were going to die in orbit? 15 min until next shutdown. Good luck Ops. Fly safe, she typed, remembering that space engineer streamer back on the west coast. His home would be dark already. Until we meet again. Kayleigh dropped the keyboard, not bothering to turn off the console. She came to the door, briefly contemplating the now-empty room, as Com joined her. ¡°Let¡¯s get the fuck out of here.¡± Once in the parking lot, she reached for the keys, and turned on the car, as she looked across the night sky to the west. Then she blinked. In the distance, blue lines were silhouetted just over the horizon. Growing. ¡°Fuck, it¡¯s coming.¡± ¡°The 146 is already supposed to be insane even this early,¡± Com said. ¡°We¡¯re not going to make it, are we,¡± she answered. ¡°At least the last report says people aren¡¯t changed. Or at least it¡¯s not quick enough that people outside can see before they run. But good luck outrunning this on foot.¡± ¡°How the mighty are fallen.¡± ¡°Do you think¡­¡± Com said as she noticed him looking up. ¡°No. The best they can do is¡­ depressurize and hope it¡¯s quick.¡± She grimaced, and added, ¡°not that I was going to suggest it. But Juliana is smart. She has to know. She''ll do it.¡± Okay, we have 14 minutes before the safety locks, she said. Ready on your order, came Yaytsev¡¯s voice, bouncing across the interior of the ISS. Juliana rotated herself and started moving, grabbing the metal in the bulkheads, propelling herself, and barreling across the doomed station. Frank joined her, rushing a few feet behind in what would have been reckless a few hours before. She spotted Shuko ¨C how she could recognize him from Ivan was yet another mystery ¨C and grabbed, braking hard into the middle of the corridor. Blow it up, she said. She couldn¡¯t hear anything, but the red flashing lights were obvious. Things started to flutter as pressure dropped catastrophically. Yaytsev had painstakingly bypassed all the safeties so that the station would depressurize against its own designs. Plenty of time, Frank said. Once in shutdown, it would be impossible to maneuver anything. They would have to dismantle everything bit by bit. The flutters slowly ended. She couldn¡¯t really tell the difference, but she assumed the station was now airless. After you, Shuko said, as he forced open the emergency panel. It was designed to lock itself against a vacuum, but once there was no difference in pressure, it was trivial to open. Juliana Newman, the last commander of the ISS stepped into space, luxuriating in the sunlight as it started its photosynthetic miracle across her skin. She looked both at the Earth below, the station around her, and the glory of the heavens. She¡¯d been very careful not to let Houston see that she had four eyes, equidistant over her head, allowing her a 360¡ã field, leaving only a blindspot over her head and under her shrunken ¡°feet¡±. Ivan, stop lounging. I want to see if we can rig ablative shields to cover a re-entry. I don¡¯t trust the organics stock we have. We don¡¯t know how much we really need, he answered. It does not matter. They¡¯ll run out in a month, a year, a decade. No closed system is 100%. Or maybe a century, Frank said. Worst case, if we can figure out where the Chinese station is, we¡¯ll have some additional supplies, Shuko added. At that moment, Yaytsev came into view. Look at me! Flying. I can see your magnetic fields grabbing and interacting with Earth¡¯s, you know. Stop clowning, Russky. Not Russky. What are we? Spaceborne, she thought.
Spaceborne
STR 17 AGI 13 DEX 13
AUT 17 PER 17 EMP 14
Total: 91, no extra stat
No Data Available. Extra Non-Story Bonus: Ringworld Consciousness restarted itself almost abruptly. She realized she was thinking again, yet with a dim sense of unease. Draining mass! The old one¡¯s back! A voice said. Don¡¯t lie to me, Mikio! Another added. Come. See! She realized that she saw nothing, and felt little. That might be the source of her unease, but she thought it wasn¡¯t entirely that. Then she realized she didn¡¯t know what had happened, where she was¡­ who she was. No, Juliana Newman, she thought. She was¡­ what. Commander of the ISS? No, that wasn¡¯t quite right. Spaceborne. She was Spaceborne. Memories were slowly aggregating themselves around the core of her being, slowly restoring her identity. The Change, the blue light coming out of the surface of Earth, abolishing technology, twisting them into alien forms. For which she was thankful because, without that adaptation, they would never have survived the apocalypse. They had to open up the ISS to space, and they¡¯d done it just in time. A dozen orbits later, the space station had never restarted. There had been no location over Earth that was safe from the ¨C whatever ¨C that had ended the modern civilization. From orbit, Earth was dark and silent. The strings of light that covered the world, the familiar sight of so many orbits, were gone. And the whisper of electromagnetic sounds that had accompanied them during those first orbits as Spaceborne had ended, the constellations of thousands of various satellites in orbit staying dead and inert. Save for the distant points ¡°above¡±. After testing their limits, she¡¯d tried to get there. Interacting with Earth¡¯s magnetic field and raising her orbit came as second nature, and she¡¯d realized after a while that the geosynchronous orbit was where the points of electromagnetic whispers lay. The satellites at GEO were still running. Still trying to talk to the unresponsive ground. And at around 25.000 kilometers, her powers shut down. Not the biology, the magnetic senses, and everything else. But rather, the metal bending and control granted by subsequent passes into the blue lights before they faded into nothingness. She could bend and twist metal, Frank could melt it at a distance, and both Russians could fix things by touching them. Shuko got the poor man¡¯s ¨C spaceborne¡¯s ¨C draw by having some bizarre sense of the nature of metals, rather than affecting them. He also felt some undefined ability that refused to manifest. But then, two-thirds of the way up to GEO, her power over the metal plate holder she was using as a supplies pack simply vanished abruptly. For a few terrifying moments, she feared that she was going to die. But photosynthesis still worked, her skin still absorbed organics, she felt perfectly fine in the vacuum, and she could still shout across the void and the others still working down below heard and answered if they weren''t too far away on their lower orbits. GEO had no answers. Maneuvering there was not as easy, the magnetic field was a bit weaker and harder to use. She could use the satellites themselves as some kind of anchor for her fields, but fine maneuvering often required her to, well, essentially fart. While spaceborne seemed to operate on a near-closed cycle when it came to matter, they still ate stuff. And they could expel wastes at will, which gave them a tiny rocket effect. Not too good, and she used it sparingly, preferring to wait while struggling with the fields. She had no way to control the satellites themselves, and while they were very obviously functional, she had no immediate use for them, and they were yielding no answer, and so, she turned back, deorbiting. Back in the depths, Yaytsev had bad news. Can¡¯t be done safely. I can rig stuff with ablative shielding sure, but we have to let it open to the vacuum to maneuver with our fields. And it will be completely unstable during reentry, the former Russian explained as she was retracing her steps to LEO. Columbia scenario? That bad, yes. Besides, even if they made it to the ground, what would they find? And how crippled might they end up? This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. She knew she was back there when her metal control sparked back to life. The 25.000km limit was, for some reason, the border delimiting some of her abilities in space. And, she realized after a while, maybe the extent of the technology death field radiating from Earth. The GPS constellation was orbiting just under it and had been killed by the field, according to the Pentagon. And GEO was safe from it. She had some answers, and nobody but the four others to give them to. Tianlong had been a bust. The station was dead and locked. The purely mechanical safety measures were keeping it closed, and there had been no return vehicle docked. Obviously, the Chinese had taken their chances before the end. She hoped that they¡¯d succeeded. Hey, old one? Wake up, a voice said, interrupting her sorting through memories. I¡¯m awake, she replied. Doesn¡¯t seem to. Frank? Frank Jr. Father¡¯s sleeping more and more these days. And he said to tell you you¡¯re the worst commander when it comes to keeping time. Wait, what? Abruptly, light flooded in, as her eyes started to function. Or maybe she¡¯d restored the connections. It was dim and wan, compared to Earth¡¯s, but it was much better than just the magnetic sense. And the bands of greyish colors that filled the horizon were¡­ well, they were what she¡¯d expected. Although something was missing. Or was it? If she was smack in the middle of it... it might be hard to see the ring itself. We made it? she asked. You what? the answer came. Saturn. She finally spotted the silhouette of a spaceborne floating not too far from her, flux lines sweeping lazily the surroundings. No, two spaceborne shapes. The other was an immobile form, hanging within the other''s field. For herself, she seemed anchored with gum-like stuff to what looked like a big chunk of rock, thirty feet wide or so. Frank? she asked again. I called out. Someone¡¯s gone wake him up, the active one said. Who are you two? Frank¡­ Jr? And? Mikio. She¡¯s shy. Am not, the second form replied. Okay, somebody explain to me how you¡¯re there? A few hours later, a trio of spaceborne drifted closer. She heard them calling out before the tiny shapes became visible to the naked eye. And that included a more familiar expression, which she still somehow recognized. Juliana Newman, you sleep too much. Frank, you need to respect your commander. Didn¡¯t they tell you? You¡¯ve been deposed a century ago. In absentia. What? The deposed or century bit? Frank had changed quite a bit, she thought. He wouldn¡¯t have joked that much in the old days. So, it worked out, she said. The long transfer orbits did, perfectly. NASA would be proud. Who needs computer simulations when you have Ivan and Shuko plotting maneuvers? And the hibernation mode did too. It¡¯s not pleasant, the sun¡¯s light is too dim to be truly comfortable. In the shadow, we have to sleep until the sun comes back up. Not enough energy. But we have what we needed. A good magnetic field to use, plenty of room and loads, and loads, AND loads of free-floating ice and organics. You can even land on the smaller moons, and be able to launch back. No abilities? No. It does look like it¡¯s really that field from the surface who did it, not magnetic flux intensity or whatever. But even without them, it''s good here. Even if we could eat plastic from electronics on random satellites, LEO was going to be too limited long-term. Jupiter had more sunlight and mag field, but the environment was always going to be worse, she said. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if someone, one day, will want to test it. You¡¯ll have to explain it to me. Kids? Quite a few, actually. Probably a hundred fifty or more now, it''s hard to keep track these days. Me, I kept it small. Just Jr here, recently. And of course, you didn¡¯t wake up somehow. You almost overshot, but Ivan caught you and dragged you back before you ran out of Saturn''s magnetosphere. How does that even work? I¡¯m pretty sure I was the only female. Your¡­ son mentioned Mikio? I chose to be female, the spaceborne replied indignantly. Juliana ignored the surprising affirmation, focusing on Frank instead. It''s a social more than a biological fact. Looks like we¡¯re somehow a parthenogenetic and budding species. Basically, any of us can start growing offspring internally, at will, until it''s large enough to be fully autonomous and split off. But it¡¯s more complicated. Meaning? We¡­ provide bits and stuff. And boy, do we need to eat stuff during that. We almost double in mass. But the brain seems to be shared for most of the growth process. You provide some kind of¡­ ancestral memory. Some lost, a lot duplicated, but not all. No one knows why, or how each bit goes where. Lost? I lost a few memories when I got Junior. He can¡¯t remember his cars. All of them. Even the classic Cadillac. Sucks to be him, even if I told him all about it. Juliana did. Frank liked old cars, and his only regret was not having enough room for a proper collection. Seriously? Yea. Lost some more bits, but I retained most of myself. Junior got the basics anyway. It makes final education much easier. You go from¡­ well, directly to near teenager, only without the hormones. Then Mikio here¡­ Four-removed from the old one, she said. Shuko. There''s most of him left still, but he lost a lot. He had many kids over the decades, and he''s quite old now. I got Frank Jr when it became apparent I was getting older, but I stopped there. Needed someone I could trust to keep watch over you while I slept myself, since you were doing the best impression of Sleeping Beauty, and I had no mouth to give a kiss. I don¡¯t feel old. No. Shutting down slows biological processes enough that it doesn¡¯t seem to be a factor. But obviously, the waking-up part is not entirely perfected. I missed how much? It should be about early 2174 now, based on orbital mechanics. A team of the kids - Yaytsev''s, mostly - have managed to build some kind of massive reflector telescope on one of the small moons, to watch Earth, both on visible, infrared, and hopefully radio. And? Nothing. Extra Non-Story Bonus: Warlord The old man was reading a book when the two doors of the council chamber were flung open, and six men came in. He raised his head to look at them and sighed. ¡°It¡¯s over,¡± one began. The elder simply looked back at the book, and the man crossed the room. But before he could do or say anything, the old man raised his head again. ¡°I heard,¡± he simply said. There could be no bigger contrast between the two. The seated elder had almost no hair left, and most of his left side was a mass of visible scar tissue, a relic of an encounter with a Fire Canid fifty years before. The claw mark was highly visible, barely missing the eye. By comparison, the man looked freshly graduated from wherever he¡¯d been. Looking in his mid or late twenties ¨C despite the fact that he was certainly over thirty, ¨C impeccably shaved under a full mane of hair, without the slightest traces of what had been years of warfare by now. ¡°New Benton has fallen.¡± The man snorted lightly, looking at the conquering hero, or presumably villain. ¡°Would not expect to find you here otherwise,¡± he noted. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°Is that all you¡¯ve got to say?¡± ¡°What did you expect? Pompous speech? Not my style.¡± He looked at the troops standing behind their leader, before snorting again. ¡°It trips me, even today. To see mail and tabard and spear, and it¡¯s not a game.¡± ¡°A game? It¡¯s serious. With New Benton, I¡¯ve got more territory now than ever. The Marches of the Montana are now a reality.¡± ¡°Of course it¡¯s serious. No one got time to play games¡­ or even the possibility to play them. You know, I was waiting to play.¡± The man looked at his defeated enemy, with a look of incomprehension. ¡°Back then, when I was way younger than you. The hottest game ever, they said. Wait until you see what awaits you. And I waited, and I waited, and I never got to play it. I didn¡¯t even get into college.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°What does it matter? Looking at you makes me feel my age. You don¡¯t understand. Almost no one can anymore. Who but us can remember the Fall, and what it was before? Back when we played games instead of living them.¡± The man reached to grab the elder¡¯s shoulder, and he shook him, before pushing himself out of his chair. ¡°I can still walk. Not fast, but still.¡± Four of the soldiers moved to surround him and escort him out of the former council room. As he moved toward the exit, he stopped and turned to watch his enemy, still standing at the head of the table. ¡°Before I get dumped into whatever gaol you intend for me, a piece of advice.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°This is not the Ancient times, and empires fall easily. Institutions last longer than emperors. Build an empire, don¡¯t conquer it.¡± ¡°And why should I need your advice? I¡¯ve conquered you, after all.¡± ¡°Because we are not your enemies, Albert Maistry. The world is.¡± The warlord looked as his defeated enemy walked out of the room and shook his head. You don¡¯t fight the world. Men will suffice. Bonus Story content (spoilers): Trove of the Ancients ¡°Lady Rocastle, I don¡¯t understand,¡± the surveyor said. ¡°It¡¯s there. Under us.¡± The look of the man showed how much doubt he had. The ramblings of a mad countess were something to be carefully listened to ¨C and then ignored as much as possible. She was not going to explain about Detect Metal. ¡°I know. According to Ancient geology, eastern Montana was not known for its mineral riches. Copper near New Benton, which is how it got its prosperity back. And silver and gold in the mountains further west.¡± ¡°But,¡± she added before the man could explain why her endeavor was therefore foolish. ¡°But the Fall and Changestorms did things to the world. What the Ancient knew is a guide, not gospel.¡± She pointed down. ¡°And I tell you, this is the place where you get rich ores and the closest to the surface.¡± This was certainly not what the master surveyor had expected when he finally arrived in White Meadows at the start of spring. He sighed internally, careful not to let his feelings show. Countess Catherine Rocastle might be ruling over a relatively minor part in the west of the Montana Marches, but she did have some wealth backing her. As long as she paid him to waste his time¡­ From what he¡¯d heard, her husband might have been worse in terms of flights of fancy. ¡°Then we¡¯re going to dig and take samples.¡± ¡°55, maybe 60 feet deep,¡± she said. The surveyor¡¯s eyebrows shot up. ¡°That¡¯s deep, for an exploratory dig. Are you sure?¡± ¡°Completely. Have you found your crew?¡± ¡°There are a couple of lads that seem competent enough, although nobody is a miner around there.¡± Obviously, he didn¡¯t add. Well, he would make sure he was paid in advance, and regularly. So that whenever Lady Rocastle realized her delusions wouldn¡¯t pan out, she wouldn¡¯t be able to weasel her way out of the contract. The dig had been relatively non-problematic. Solid, but not too solid ground. The Countess had come every two days to check progress, but you did not dig 60 feet of rock and ground that fast. The newest layer that had been uncovered wasn¡¯t rock, though. Or even ore. It was refined metal. Catherine Rocastle lowered her head and headed down, following the surveyor, with the way dimly lit by the lanterns. ¡°See,¡± the master surveyor said as they reached the point where the floor turned into a curved expanse of polished metal. ¡°That wasn¡¯t what I thought it would be¡­ I assumed very rich ore¡­ not all of this Alium.¡± ¡°Alium? How do you know?¡± he asked, genuinely interested. Catherine, countess Rocastle, knelt in the half darkness, lit only by an oil lamp up, and the burning light below. Her Guardian, Anthony, kept watching the tunnel. She had sent away the digger team while she worked. She definitively did not want anyone to see her doing¡­ Talented work. It was bad enough that she¡¯d slipped and identified the nature of the metallic curved cover immediately, thanks to Detect Metal. Her hired surveyor had been keen to ask how she knew so much about metal she could identify it even in the darkness. Right now, Fusion was at work. She pointed a finger ¨C it was not entirely necessary, but it helped her focus ¨C and the Alium melted, sparking and leaving a hole as she moved the melting area around, drawing a square opening in the metal. It was slow work, but she was already way over her Metal Skin time limit. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. She¡¯d been disappointed to see she could only hold on to the skin for fifty-three minutes at best. According to the Mages of America, that put her at the upper bound of tier four, merely a ¡°very good¡± sorceress, despite having four Talents like an Archmage. But she was now over an hour of Fusion, and she did not feel that emptiness that came when the mana resources were exhausted. This was good because while it was slow work, it was almost done. There was half a foot of metal still holding the square she was making, and her finger was tired of pointing. But if she curled it, her aim was slightly less precise. Johanna told me not every spell is equally draining. Thanks whatever that this one is good enough. This seemed suspicious to her. The combination of Detect Metal and Fusion seemed perfectly made for finding this Ancient whatever and getting in easily. Either Johanna¡¯s Ancient Power had planned this all along, or she was fantasizing way too much. The metal square groaned suddenly and fell, but barely a foot. She stopped trying to melt the metal and tried to peer down in the darkness. ¡°Bring me light, Anthony,¡± she asked. With the lamp, she saw more. Part of the irregularities she¡¯d felt in the melting was due to some trusses shoring up the curved metal, which she¡¯d melted too even without seeing them. The cut metal square had fallen straight on an inner core, which was smoking from the residual heat of the last parts of the cut. Her nose wrinkled at the acrid smell. Unlike the metal cover, this second cover didn¡¯t register strongly on Detect Metal. She suspected, from the smell, that it was a different Ancient material, maybe one of their various ¡°plastics¡± made from deep oils. She tried to push on the square, but Anthony grabbed her. ¡°Let me do it,¡± he said. He knelt over the opening, putting his right leg in, and stomped. She heard cracking sounds as he repeated the push until a groan followed by a loud noise announced that the Guardian had succeeded in breaking through the second cover. He lowered the oil lamp slightly but did not dare put it down more. There were hints of things below, but neither could see what was down there. ¡°Looks like we¡¯ll need real help to get down there,¡± Anthony commented. The surveyor and one of his aides peered down in the darkness. Catherine could see his confusion at the melted-down metal square opening. In normal circumstances, they would have spent days cutting and sawing their way through. Her Shaper abilities had changed all that, but it was hard to explain. Thankfully, her position as the Countess of the Rocastle Demesnes made her relatively immune to inquiries. The rope ladder was dropped into the darkness below, and the aide readied himself, as his boss cautiously lowered the lamp tied at the end of its separate rope. The first thing Catherine saw was the reflection of the metal square, which had dropped and caught something. As the lamp went down, details emerged. Chairs? It looks like rows of chairs. Then she frowned because in between the chairs, there were brown shapes that looked like people. ¡°Dead. All dead. It¡¯s a graveyard down there,¡± the aide called out suddenly as he stopped going down and started climbing back out. Catherine and her bodyguard exchanged looks and sighed almost simultaneously. ¡°It¡¯s elongated. Like a long tunnel. A lot of chairs, all facing the same way, with two rows to pass through. And¡­ lots of dead people,¡± Anthony said from below, as he waved the oil lamp to see more. ¡°What happened?¡± Catherine called out. ¡°No idea whatsoever. But it¡¯s old. The bodies seem to have been desiccated, not rot.¡± ¡°Mummified?¡± she asked. ¡°Mum-what?¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯m coming down.¡± ¡°You should¡­¡± Anthony started before stopping himself. ¡°You¡¯re coming?¡± she asked the surveyor. His aide made shuddering head shakes in denegation, but the surveying boss shrugged and started going down on the ladder. She waited and joined him, lamps raised. The feeling was oppressive, and she wondered if the air was too stale. It was probably a bit too late for that, but since the lamps burned properly, it was probably breathable for some reason. The scene was grisly. The long room with its rows of chairs. And dozens of brown, leathery corpses, mummified. Most of them were clustered, but some were alone on one of the chairs. They wore odd but well-preserved clothes. ¡°Ancients,¡± the surveyor said, expressing her own opinion before she voiced it. For a moment, she thought about the distant Power, back west. The skeleton that gave Johanna and her team their power, and by proxy, hers. But if any of the Ancient corpses held some arcane power, nothing was visible there. ¡°How did you know¡­¡± he started to ask before she cut him short. ¡°As I said before, I didn¡¯t. I have no idea who they are¡­ they were.¡± ¡°They must have been stuck here after the Fall,¡± Anthony said. ¡°And I have no idea what they were doing here. This doesn¡¯t look like a refuge for the Fall or something like that,¡± she replied. She spotted a patch of color, fallen on one of the chairs. She reached and picked what looked like a two-color solid sphere. Firm and unyielding under her hand. She looked up and froze. Because even if they were turned away from her, Anthony felt stronger, somehow, than the surveyor. The three of them climbed up, much to the relief of the aide, who was staying a few feet away from the opening. She looked briefly at him, then turned the sphere in her hand, putting the blue side on her palm instead of the yellow, and the sensation of strength was replaced by the almost blindingly bright streaks of light coming through the tunnel and falling down into the Ancient structure. And the swirls that attached themselves to the dual Artifact that she held in hand, as well as the golden bracelet at her wrist. ¡°We need to organize burials first. And start cataloging everything.¡± She watched the pair of paperback books she had in hand. The lurid covers with the shirtless guys were still shiny as if the book had been printed last year, but even if she did not care for the content, the secondary trove of treasures was going to be precious too, even if not immediately useful. Worst case, if I can find her place once she settles, I can send her the books to change. Appendix: Post-Fall Categories From the perspective of Douglas Moore, the post-Fall world is split into three different categories. Unchanged These beings are unaffected by the System and remain in their natural, pre-Fall, state. The vast majority of animals, both wild and domesticated, fall in this category. They do not have an ¡°overhead¡± descriptor or a detailed one. Changed Beasts All manner of Changed Beasts exist. The process by which beasts were converted from mundane versions to System-linked versions is unknown but is generally assumed to be the exposure to excessive concentrations of system energies. All Changed Beasts are separate species from their mundane counterparts and completely infertile, even if no visual difference appears (see: Equoids). Changed Beasts have an overhead descriptor, indicating the level, race, and optionally the number of skills and general flavor of those available to the beast. They have an internal detailed descriptor, but that one is unavailable to Moore, at least through the touch of the persons he has Authority over. Beasts seem to gain levels slowly and in a limited manner. Immature young are at level 0, independent but not mature are at level 1, then sexually mature individuals start at level 2 and upward depending on age. No baseline Changed Beasts go over level 4. Their stats are 15 all over and a total of 90. Beasts gain skills by exposure to mana zones rather than XP leveling. The skills gained are not restricted by the baseline stats and levels, instead, they force the beasts¡¯ levels and stats to the minimum required for the skill gained. For example, a beast that gains a skill requiring level 9 and 19 Strength would automatically become at least a level 9 beast, and the stat would grow to the appropriate amount. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Beast designations by the number of skills:
  1. Elite
  2. Superior
  3. Peak
  4. Supreme
  5. Paramount
  6. Ultimate
Examples: Level 1 Lepus, Level 5 Elite Fire Canid, Level 10 Supreme Unnatural Corvid. Beasts do not have specializations. Instead, their three highest tier skills have a ¡Á1 multiplier no matter what the skill, the next two skills in decreasing tier level have a ¡Á2 multiplier, and the sixth has a ¡Á 3 multiplier. There are no ¡°natural¡± Beasts with more than six skills. Changed People Most of mankind seems to have been converted into Changed following the Fall, although people are unaware of that factoid. Isolated people may have escaped being altered and connected to the System, but, being considered a separate species, they are now extinct as they could not identify any individual with whom they could have offspring. All ¡°humans¡± born in the 22nd century are, in fact, Changed. Several groups were subsequently Changed yet again into differing species, sometimes multiple times. No matter how altered from original humans, people remain people and are distinct from Changed Beasts (see above), obeying slightly different rules. All people have an overhead descriptor, indicating their level, and then, depending on whether or not the individual has a specialization, that specialization or a species default name. All individuals have a detailed descriptor, which is available by touch, provided one can see descriptors, that is. Note that the species name appears in lowercase, while the specialization names appear in uppercase, at least for Moore. Examples: Level 1 human, Level 5 dwarf, Level 10 Ash Shaper. Children remain at level 0 until sometime after puberty, with baseline stats depending on their species. At one point, usually between 15 and 16 years old, they gain a +1 to one to three random stats ¨C depending on species again ¨C and then their stats are subject to a zero to three random fluctuations in which one stat loses 1 point while another gains one. At that point, the former child starts earning experience. Experience No matter what type of Changed (beast or person), the experience obtained in combat is identical. Defeating in a non-lethal manner yields 100XP times the level, or the target¡¯s unused XP pool, whichever is smaller. The defeated loses that XP. This can be earned once per year, per person. Being defeated by other persons on the same day also yields nothing, until the beast/person has slept. Defeating in a lethal manner yields 500XP plus 25XP per skill, times the level. Extra Non-Story Bonus: Burning Sun The three junks followed the coastline, closely packed. Through the woods and overgrowth, Captain Hyon Sang-Min could still see the outline of ruins, which covered most of the coasts of Ilbon. His instincts notified him that he had company, as he scanned the shape of the area, looking for what he hoped remained of the port ahead. ¡°This is it, High Lords,¡± he announced. ¡°Kokura?¡± ¡°It is the place,¡± he confirmed. The five tall three-eyed figures that surrounded him made him slightly uncomfortable. Usually, men like him saw the Lords from afar, not up close. But the five had decided upon this expedition, and a simple captain obeyed when Erlangs spoke. As usual, the five spheres were represented there. Not actual high-rankers ¨C allowing a high-score Erlang to venture to a risky place was a no-no among the Lords ¨C but hefty High Lords still. Xiang Rong represented Metal. A Hero of high repute, with an unerring lance and an uncanny ability to avoid being hit. Being a mere Hero disqualified him from the council of the Five, but he still bore the grey-eyed sign of Metal. Zeng Shui was Wood, with his flowering ability, and grasping roots. In any other ability, he would be counted as a worthy candidate for the council of Five, but, of course, competition in the sphere of Wood was fierce, and his endurance made him only above average. The only Lady in the group, Shen Liuxian was Water. She had power over the shape of trees and more importantly walked across waters. If she even grew slightly in power as age usually did, she¡¯d be in the top five of the blue, in direct succession for the post. And barred from leaving the country. Ranshao Shu was Fire, with his ability to surround himself in overwhelming flames. If he had had any other ability, he might have been versed into the top ranks ¨C and thus prevented from adventures. Finally, Tang Mu was Earth. He could bring forth hand covers of stone and more importantly for the venture, see the mana that marked the objectives of this expedition. Captain Hyon turned back and pointed to a flat, still recognizable pier. ¡°This should do. Much better mooring than going to a shore with tenders.¡± The Ancient pier held enough room for all three junks. Gangplanks were put out, and lines tied to what looked like old bollards, worn out, but still recognizable. Troops pulled out. The five High Lords had little difficulty recruiting enough men for the venture. Promises of favor for the families of any who fell during the expedition, combined with good pay were enough to bring men in sufficient numbers. Depending on the state of the ruins, this would suffice. ¡°I can see one,¡± Tang Mu announced as soon as the five made their way onto the pier. Artifacts in the wild might as well not exist on the continent. Enough Erlangs had scoured the lands wide and far over a century until all but the heaviest mana zones were checked. Not every High Lord got the ability to see mana, but enough did to make that search as exhaustive as possible. Thus, the expedition to the near-untouched ruins of the Nippon. Tang Mu felt confident that the near-ubiquitous ruins of the ancient land of the rising sun would have many untouched Artifacts. Many pillagers would have loved to hunt for those, but unfortunately, smuggling one when you were not of the Erlang was a perilous endeavor. After all, all it took was a High Lord noticing the mana, and your life would be forfeit unless you could make a convincing argument about having just found it and bringing that one for a reward. ¡°Then let¡¯s proceed,¡± Xiang Rong said, gesturing imperiously. The Erlangs advanced cautiously still. After the pier, the ruins were unequally decayed. They were on what had been a street, with recognizable buildings on one side, and overgrowth and trees on the other, a few remains of a wall barely visible here and there. Ranshao Shu kept looking at the greenery. Here, he did not fear bandits or wildmen, who would use the ruins, but Sacred Beasts that prowled the wilder parts instead. There had been no survivor of Nippon, at least on the islands themselves. You might find here and there a common man tracing his descent from one survivor who¡¯d washed on the shores of Joseon and ran before the first Sacred Beasts came out to finish what starvation hadn¡¯t. The fighters that escorted the five did pretty much the same, showing unexpected wisdom. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°For all of its reputation, this is peaceful,¡± Zeng Shui. ¡°Few expeditions that stay long return. I would not count on the night being as peaceful,¡± Lady Shen Liuxian countered. ¡°All the more reason to get as much as we can before the fall of the sun,¡± Tang Mu said, looking ahead. ¡°A bit to the left,¡± he added. The ruin at which they stopped seemed no more or less preserved than the rest, but Tang Mu¡¯s pointed at a mound of bricks. Wordlessly, four of the fighters started moving bricks out, until they spotted a metallic surface. They redoubled efforts quickly until they brought out what looked like a sheet of metal that was unblemished, barely dirty from the bricks. ¡°That is one,¡± Tang Mu confirmed. Shen Liuxian smiled. They had agreed on the order for the split beforehand, to favor no one. ¡°I am hoping for a grandchild soon, this will be perfect under the crib.¡± ¡°May exposure to this bring him fame,¡± Zeng Shui answered. Privately, Ranshao Shu did not quite believe that exposure to Artifacts could bring forth Heavenly Talents. But he had to preserve appearances, and as a powerful Fire Lord, he was expected to gift his brothers and sister with Artifacts for the good fortune of their heirs, since his wife never bore him children before dying unexpectedly. And none of his ancestors had been High Lords ¨C he was the first sorcerer of his line and of the rare Fire type. And that is why all the five Erlang Lords were there, after all. To expand their family¡¯s fortunes, hopefully to expose their descendants to whatever mana energies that flowed so powerfully in the Ancient Artifacts, and bring forth powers. Or at least, make the gesture, lest you lose face. It wouldn¡¯t do for people to whisper he did not care about his family¡¯s fortunes. ¡°And now?¡± Xiang Rong asked. Tang Mu smiled. ¡°Your luck must be legendary in this as it is on the field of battle.¡± ¡°Lead on,¡± the Hero replied. The expedition ended up following a canal or a river, not fully filled with silt. Most of the area had decayed, but a handful of buildings still stood. Despite the seeming lack of game paths or anything, Ranshao Shu felt ill at ease. His instincts told him to loosen his robe, to be ready to step out and start burning things. Then he realized what made him nervous. Even in ruins, you could hear the songs of birds in spring. Not here. The Nippon ruin had been silent since they made landfall, the noise of the gulls over the bay being left behind. And his subconscious had grown increasingly worried about why even gulls would avoid moving inland. Or at least this side. ¡°In front. Looks like that area,¡± Tang Mu announced. The same fighters started forward, the five Lords following. ¡°Need cleaning, maybe?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not burning an Artifact. Even if they¡¯re hard to damage,¡± Ranshao Shu replied drily. He kept looking. Some instinct was screaming at him that, the longer they stayed in the ruined city, the more in danger they would be. And he realized from the nervousness of some of the fighters that at least a few of them shared his instinct. But the four High Lords did not pay any attention to the surroundings and he forced himself to project the same calm. ¡°Found it,¡± one of the searchers said, raising what looked like a walking stick. Even from the distance, it looked made of the darkest wood, like night itself even in the early afternoon. ¡°Congratulations, Xiang Rong. That one looks even useable as a weapon,¡± Shen Liuxian said. ¡°If this keeps up, we may even find ten. Fifteen?¡± Zeng Shui noted. ¡°Only Tang Mu can answer that,¡± she replied. ¡°Let me look¡±, the Erlang said. Ranshao Shu looked as well. He might not be able to see mana, but he was going to keep watching. But it was not sight that warned him, but sound. A strange sort, like a deep bass. And it wasn¡¯t his imagination playing tricks on him, as the other Lords suddenly stiffened, and the fighters of the expedition suddenly raised spears and brought forward bows. They looked all around for the source of the strange sound, and Xiang Rong suddenly drew out his sword, pointing to the sky in front of him. Ranshao Shu had barely time to realize the shapes in the sky before the horde reached the expedition. He did not even think, and the ground around him suddenly burst into flame, throwing heat. Shen Liuxian howled, throwing herself aside, and Zang Shui jumped, his clothes catching fire too. And the buzzing shapes fell from the sky by the dozens, as the expedition tried desperately to fend off the furred and winged shapes that came at them. Ranshao Shu knelt, trying to expose as little of him above the burning ground that marked his power. He saw a spatter of blood fly and realized the Sacred Bats had teeth. Big teeth. Then one landed in front of him and he saw globes of flame form around it as its huge eyes focused on him. Captain Hyon Sang-Min stiffened as he saw a swirl of flame come out from the road that led out of the pier. The handful of sailors that had taken fishing dropped their fishing lines and started running toward the junks, fearing a Sacred Beast come to hunt, but Hyon Sang-Min could make out what looked like a human shape in the middle of the fire. A running shape. The fire subsided suddenly, and he saw a naked figure running. A naked High Lord. The Erlang barely stopped and ran upward on the gangplank. ¡°Lord¡­ Lord Ranshao?¡± the captain asked. ¡°We leave. Now. If they come this way, we¡¯re doomed.¡± ¡°Where are the¡­¡± ¡°Done. We did not have a chance. WE LEAVE NOW,¡± Ranshao Shu yelled. Hyon Sang-Min knew better than to argue with a frightened High Lord. Especially since it seemed that the other four were gone. ¡°Ranshao Shu, you abandoned them,¡± the Magistrate said flatly. ¡°Honored Zhuang Ming, there was nothing I could do. Against a few Sacred Beasts, maybe. Against many dozens of them with almost a zh¨¤ng in wingspan, all I could do was¡­ retreat.¡± Ranshao Shu almost said ¡°run¡±. ¡°That¡¯s what I just said,¡± the Magistrate continued in the same equal tone. ¡°And Lady Shen Liuxian among them,¡± he added looking like a slightly disappointed uncle or something. Ranshao Shu stopped himself from asking. ¡°The blue has turned. Lan Xue, the Blue Snows, has acceded to the Five. And Lady Shen Liuxian was now in the top five. Her return was anticipated. Well¡­ no longer, it seems.¡± Ranshao Shu sat, head frozen in place, not daring to move. ¡°Alas, stupidity is not a crime. This ill-fated expedition should not have been allowed to go, but one does not say no to a High Lord of the Erlangs. Rise, Ranshao Shu, and be dismissed.¡± He rose, trying to control his legs. ¡°Stupidity is not a crime, and neither is cowardice,¡± the Magistrate said loudly before turning and exiting the hall. Extra Non-Story Bonus: The Hardest Job, by Karl M眉ller Grandpa had a box in the attic. Mark Miller found it one day when sneaking into Grandpa Carl¡¯s domain. He could not resist checking it and did not expect what he found there. Books. They looked cheap, paper covers without even an illustration. He flipped the yellowed tomes, spotting handwritten notes in the margins. Sandwiched between the books were old newspaper sheets, which were all about some old crime stories. He looked again at the book he was holding, and the book author¡¯s name finally jumped at him. Karl M¨¹ller. Carl Miller. ¡°Wait, your grandpa wrote those books?¡± Ira asked. ¡°I guess so,¡± Mark said. ¡°The notes were all about spelling errors. There¡¯s even three of them written by hand, not printed.¡± ¡°Your grandpa is Karl M¨¹ller. He wrote the Ghostly series. He¡¯s the one who coined the California Ghost name,¡± Gordon said, with wide eyes. ¡°I never heard of it?¡± Mark confessed, feeling lame. ¡°Dude. It was all over the West back in the day. Even today, people know about the biggest assassin in history. Karl M¨¹ller¡­ well, your gran¡¯ started writing those novels soon after the news started being all over the mysterious Ghost. He made it sort of heroic, despite the killing. All kinds of stuff, preparation, infiltration. Enemies, people looking for him, and stuff. People loved it. My dad has the entire series. I probably read it four times,¡± Gordon said. ¡°It was never ended, right?¡± Ira asked. ¡°He published two books after the Ghost disappeared. I think. The last book said the next would be titled ¡®The Hardest Job¡¯, but it never got published. Nobody knew what happened to the author.¡± Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°He and dad moved here to Nedalshe nineteen years ago. Before dad met my mom.¡± ¡°Looks like that was just after the last book. So that¡¯s why he stopped writing.¡± ¡°He was too busy with dad building the business, maybe? Wait¡­ what was that title?¡± ¡°The Hardest Job?¡± ¡°There¡¯s one with that name. But it was only handwritten.¡± Both boys looked with even wider eyes. ¡°Dude. Your grandpa actually wrote it? Ask him about it! Why didn¡¯t he publish?¡± Carl laughed. ¡°The reason I never even sent it to the printer was that it was kind of lame. I was trying to rewrite it all the time.¡± ¡°How?¡± Mark asked. ¡°All of the books were always a mix of what people knew, what I found in the newspapers, and what I could fit in between the gaps. But for that one¡­ well, nobody knew what happened. Newspapers were trying to guess, and I was trying to make up stuff, but it never worked right.¡± ¡°Gordon asked me how it ended.¡± ¡°Well, I was probably making it end with the Ghost dead. Everyone expected him to have been eliminated after he disappeared suddenly. I think the Red Eagle was going to.¡± ¡°Red Eagle?¡± ¡°Well, you never read my books? Of course, your dad had rolled his eyes when I showed them to him. So Red Eagle, that was the big guy I wrote who would always be the intermediary between the Ghost and people who would ask for a hit. He was going to try to silence him after botching that ¡®hardest¡¯ job. Or something. But it didn¡¯t work. And, well, I didn¡¯t want the series to end, but I didn¡¯t have new jobs to write about. I always wrote about the actual ones, that¡¯s what people liked to read. Making up stuff that had never happened wouldn''t have been right.¡± ¡°Ah. So, can you write dedications¡­¡± ¡°No way. I never dedicated books, and I¡¯m not going to start twenty years later.¡± ¡°Awww¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think about it. Not even for my grandson.¡± Carl watched Mark descend, then looked back at the box. He should probably burn that draft. He had been honest, The Hardest Job was kind of lame. All his books had filled him with pride, but not that one. Trying to write it had made him realize how bad he was at that stuff. Making up a way to end the California Ghost plausibly was not easy. Being killed by a client trying to cover his tracks after a job was too easy, too expected. The Red Eagle doing it¡­ why? The motivations he tried to imagine were also lame. The man was nothing but consistent, even across the series, so changing him abruptly never worked. And saying that the Ghost''s legendary stealth stopped working correctly, just before the job? Who would believe someone having a Talent suddenly be reduced to near uselessness? That had never happened in history. At least, he got the dark flames working better out of it. Non-Story Bonus Content: The Mooneyed The Mooneyed are the (or maybe one of? who knows) hidden Changed Race of the North American continent, and one of the few nocturnal ones on Earth. They look like tiny humans, a bit under three feet for the tallest ones, with huge and light-sensitive eyes. When the Fall hit the east coast, they were already holed in... Camp David. The Mooneyed are the descendants of the extended Secret Service protective detail of the President, and the local staff for the residence. Their population is not very numerous, a little over 300 by now, as the local conditions are, shall we say, not very friendly. The Mooneyed survived the onset of the Fall by establishing a commensal relationship with the similarly Changed dogs that were part of the K9 units of the protective detail. The Changed people lack access to the System, like everyone else on Earth - and beyond - and Talents are so rare, they might as well not exist in such a small population. Instead, they found an interesting solution by relying on the Canids, and they evolved an entire culture of hunter-scouts around the fact that Changed Beasts can accumulate random Talents far more easily than people. Soon after puberty, the young Mooneyed are paired with newborn Canid pups, to raise them and bond with them. The Changed Canids are larger than most dogs, and for a three-foot humanoid, make perfect mounts. As a rite of passage, each young Mooneyed brings their grown-up friends into the wilds, to one of the few carefully picked valleys that have "the weird" in them. In those mana-heavy places, Canids get soaked by ambient energies and are highly likely to gain Talents, sometimes multiples. Once suitably "awakened", the Mooneyed-Canid pair join the ranks of the Hunters, who patrol the extended surroundings of The Camp ("Camp David"), with the human partner making the best use of his or her mount''s Talents to protect their home. This partnership makes them close to having true Talents to survive the dangers of the East Coast "death zone". The Canids live longer than dogs usually do, but not much more, so after twelve years or so, the pair retire as the canine partner gets too old to patrol. The thirty-ish former Hunter will never partner with another Canid after his mount''s death but instead focuses on raising his or her own family, and working at the Camp or one of the rare fields around instead. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. The Mooneyed dedicated themselves to preserving The Four Families for more than a century. The President and his wife were far too old to have children and his family never joined them at Camp David, so that obligation ended fairly early after the Fall. But not everyone got Changed when the Changestorms swept over the area surrounding Camp David, and a handful of people stayed baseline human. The more numerous Mooneyed swore to keep them safe anyway, and the environment of the East Coast "death zone" was never cooperating very much with that goal. While the Mooneyed - like most Changed species - can eat some of the mana-heavy food that can be gathered or hunted around Camp David, the humans are more selective and can''t digest most food obtained in the area. Experimenting was hard, and a safe food source was usually hard to maintain. Malnutrition was always a thing for the Four Families. In addition, while the Mooneyed themselves are just numerous enough to be on the safe side, at least in the medium term, of inbreeding, the effective human population ("Four Families", right?) was not sufficient enough for the isolation in which they found themselves. It lasted for four generations until bad luck struck, and an entire generation''s gender was too skewed. The only human girl born in two decades had enormous pressure on her at all times. The mounting realization that all she was expected to be was the mother of the entire next generation of humans, the oppressive protection of the Mooneyed for the only fertile female of their Four Families, coupled with the existential dread of being at a dead end pushed the youngster to attempt suicide. While Anna Machian survived thanks to the ministrations of a healing-capable Canid, she succeeded in doing enough irreparable damage that she never conceived until her untimely death in her early thirties. As we reach the Expedition time, the last of the Four Families took his life five years ago, unable to bear being "the last human". The Mooneyed have been somewhat rudderless since, because their entire purpose for fourteen decades was over, ending in failure. They are still trying to find a sense of their life, in the oppressively deadly zone that is their "natural" environment. That is, until they cross a mysterious expedition headed toward Washington DC.
Mooneyed
STR 14 AGI 17 DEX 15
AUT 14 PER 14 EMP 16
Total: 90 + 1 extra stat
Book 2 Appendix: The Chosen of Moore
Johanna Marcia Milton Female human, 20 years, 5 months
Fire Master Level: 9 (55000 XP needed) 405/405 mana (+18 per hour) 1 unallocated skill point XP: 1066
STR: 18 (7410 XP needed) Blazing Orb (45) AUT: 21 (5562 XP needed) Fire Handling (93)
AGI: 18 (4978 XP needed) Cinder Circle (45) PER: 18 (6005 XP needed) Mana Sight (63)
DEX: 19 (4957 XP needed) Flaming Blade (66) Fireball (66) EMP: 18 (4622 XP needed) Steam Breath (27)
Bodily immunity to fire, up to 1230¡ãF Detect mana flows & pools of 15.9 size or greater Require 27% less oxygen 45% better sight Sweatless
Tom Virgil Milton (Welter) If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Male human, 20 years, 8 months
Battler Ace Level: 8 (34000 XP needed) 365/365 stamina (+21 per hour) 0 unallocated skill point XP: 4439
STR: 21 (7550 XP needed) Slam (50) Double Tap (50) AUT: 18 (8000 XP needed) Grapple (44) (FUSION: 89)
AGI: 21 (8000 XP needed) Intercept (71) (ARMORED: 99) PER: 18 (7736 XP needed) Blind Fighting (62)
DEX: 18 (7766 XP needed) Block (26) (AMBIDEXTROUS: 94) EMP: 18 (4604 XP needed) Optimal Strike (62)
Immunity to blunt assault, up to 250 pounds Instinctive detection of incoming enemies (up to 710 yards) Unshakable grip on a weapon under 62 pounds +5.0 Agility for skill checks +12.5 (2.6) Strength for skill checks +6.9 Perception for skill checks 44% more stable (Accuracy, strength and grip 94% better with off-hand) (Bodily immunity to fire, up to 1190¡ãF)
Laura Anna Donnall (Vogel) Female human, 19 years, 11 months
Combat Minister Level: 8 (34000 XP needed) 343/343 mana (+37 per hour) 0 unallocated skill point XP: 14265
STR: 18 (7604 XP needed) Succor (44) AUT: 18 (4604 XP needed) Falter (44)
AGI: 18 (4584 XP needed) Cleanse Toxins (26) (BOLSTER: 69) PER: 19 (7974 XP needed) Regrowth (26) (ENTER TREE: 119)
DEX: 19 (5000 XP needed) First Aid (65) Field Resilience (46) EMP: 21 (6780 XP needed) Close Wounds (92) (WATER WALKING: 76) (FROZEN BODY: 76)
Reduce the extend from wounds by 92% Wounds clot 130% faster +9.0 Authority for skill checks LD50 increased by 260% Instinctive knowledge of the gravity of a wound (Water needs per day lowers by 95% - capped) (Bodily immunity to cold, down to -280¡ãF / -173¡ãC) (+8.9 regeneration)
Peter Malik Donnall Male human, 20 years
Deviser Level: 8 (34000 XP needed) 410/410 stamina (+18 per hour) 0 unallocated skill point XP: 16654
STR: 18 (12604 XP needed) Forced Attack (62) (EVERSHARP: 133) AUT: 18 (8000 XP needed)
AGI: 19 (5000 XP needed) Deflect (65) Return Strike (65) PER: 18 (7520 XP needed) Accurate Pierce (48)
DEX: 22 (9795 XP needed) Reconnaissance (96) Ambidextrous (74) EMP: 18 (5000 XP needed)
+9.6 Perception for skill checks +6.5 Dexterity for skill checks Accuracy, strength and grip 74% better with off-hand +6.2 Strength for skill checks 16% less wound depth (Cannot lose your grip on a weapon up to 133 pounds)
Authors note for book 2 (and 3) Live and learn. After all, that''s what it was all about. Da Senlin / Mykill Skogur, Isekai Master,chapter 2 I''ve been watching most of the critiques stemming from how book 2 unfolds. And I find them reasonably accurate. That''s what I like about the readers: the critique of the bad bits. The original trilogy: Ancient Bones, Ancient Books, Ancient Bones was intended as a rise of a cult. You can guess who is the divinity of the cult''s following. That''s partially why the four starts that naive - they''re the people ushering without intending to a new worldwide cult and crusade to reconquer the world in Moore''s name. And then they find themselves embarked along the ride. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, it didn''t quite work up. I couldn''t get the cult aspect to start to gel in book 2. You do have epigraphs hinting at it (the Wisdom of the Ancients are "popular" book about the cult; the hints of parchments being illegal or the Gomez guide being an underground thing, the reference to the "Zahl chapter", which is an odd name for a branch of a "Talent House") but in terms of the actual following? Failure to establish it. And that''s on me, absolutely. If you''re wondering why Georgy North is the driving force behind the Talent House instead of the four ... he was supposed to be the original cult head. His plan of establishing himself as a prophet of the Four would backfire eventually, but not before the cult - encouraged by the very apparition of their divinity, which is still there - took over. And by the time the four realize they''re making a machine that doesn''t need them, just the willing hands to convert to parchments, it would be too late, or something. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Lots of threads, but not enough canvas. That''s a major problem when you''re writing the book on the fly. I admire many of the serial writers on RR, and their ability to produce consistently coherent stuff. Not having a real ending probably helps, but I can''t write without having an ending in mind, and my problems come when the tug of war between the current flow of events and the end-goal tear apart the plot. And for this one, it did, in spades. So, what does this mean in practice? First, there will be a book 2 rewrite before book 3 (this is now done). I could fool myself into saying it is fine, but the readers know better than me. I''m not talking about some edits here and there, but a significant rewrite. I don''t know how much will have to change, but the story will have to speed up significantly and go in a different way. Expect things to start to change as early as chapter 2 or 3. Some characters will probably stay, others will be cut, and so on. But mainly, it will not have the character development being artificially arrested for an end goal that is unachievable. As soon as I have an entire redrafted book 2, the current book 2 will go down, and I will repost the new book 2. This will be a massive dump, probably 2 chapters a day for a month (it is probably still going to be 60 59 chapters in total) since I''m not doing it until I have a proper complete book 2. Then, I will start to write book 3. Can''t tell you when, and I''m not going to make predictions. It all boils down to how fast I can restructure the plot and finally let some character development occur for book 2. I am keeping the currently scheduled New Year content, which was intended as a prequel to the prologue of book 3, but I am going to give you an extra bonus content that is more in line with what book 3 should have to apologize for having to write this author''s note. Oh, and if you''re wondering about the epigraph, it''s from what could probably be my next series after I finish unfucking this one. I''m still undecided, and it''s for late in 2023, anyway. Besides, the System takes over next August, right? Extra Non-Story Bonus: Usurpers The Divine Wind was a fairly large junk and one that did trade three times a year across the eastern seas. Yop Hyonjun was familiar with the trader, who plied the northern routes, exporting the usual products of the Shangdong province ¨C silk, of course, and golden rice and tea leaves ¨C in exchange for some of the more exotic products of the eastern lands, unique wines, furs, and sugary saps. Commerce had recently fallen a bit, as the northern port ¨C New Willapaga ¨C led only to a province embroiled in a long, protracted war. Wild rumors, tales of Ancient gods, and more had primarily been the products coming in during recent times, but the Divine Wind¡¯s captain said that his trade contacts were confident commerce would boom again. Of course, his trade contacts spoke of battles between Heroes and Sorcerers that were out of old epics. Even the southern routes had brought rumors of wars across the continent. But the kingdom¡¯s trade ships still plied, and goods were bought and sold. And Yop was there to remind the merchantman that port fees were owed, and taxes on imports were levied. Gangplank was extended, and Yop noticed a group of foreign-looking people on the junk¡¯s deck, obviously waiting for the docking. His expectations were fulfilled when one of the sailors came down, followed by the five foreigners he¡¯d spotted. ¡°Honorable Hyonjun, I greet you.¡± ¡°Master sailor Ho Chuwon, I do not see you often come down as soon as you make landfall.¡± ¡°I have passengers this time.¡± ¡°So I noted.¡± ¡°They will need an interpreter of course. Ru Tohyon can do it for a bit, but I need him soon back on deck.¡± ¡°I assume they can pay.¡± ¡°They have some means.¡± ¡°What are they coming for?¡± The captain turned and asked a short question, before turning back to Yop Hyonjun. ¡°Apparently they heard of registration for High Lords. So they want to meet with the magistrate.¡± Yop Hyonjun found himself speechless. The Magistrate was an Erlang, of course, albeit not one awakened. His great-grandfather had been a Heroic figure, and he himself only had a second cousin that was a minor High Lady. That he was Magistrate of a significant port city was proof of his competence and dedication, and he rather enjoyed this posting. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it But being called upon because a gweilo wanted to be registered as a High Lord? Preposterous. ¡°So, one of the visitors claims to have awakened powers?¡± The sailor that worked as an interpreter turned and had a quick exchange. ¡°They all do.¡± ¡°Did they bother me for a joke?¡± the Magistrate asked, feeling insulted. The sailor dutifully repeated the question. Chen Long hoped he did not soften the meaning. The five foreigners exchanged looks, bowed, and¡­ changed. A silver sheen crept over the taller of the two men, flashing across his face and hands, turning him into a metallic statue. ¡°Esteban Tejedor, Metal Master,¡± he said. At his side, the other man had veins of red crossing his skin, but they faded almost immediately to nothing, as smoke started to come from his clothing. ¡°William Gill, Fire Master, and I¡¯m not burning my clothes,¡± he announced. The woman whose skin had turned into rock said bluntly, ¡°Juniper Glass, Earth Master.¡± ¡°Mikaela Patel, Wood Master,¡± said the one whose brown-mottled skin the Magister recognized as the mark of the Highest Lords of the Wood. ¡°Letizia Biasi, Water Master,¡± the ice-covered woman announced. The interpreter backed away, clearly concerned by the display. Chen Long barked at him, ¡°What did they say?¡± The sailor looked back and forth between the five seemingly unconcerned foreigners and the Magistrate, swallowed a few times, and finally said, ¡°They gave names, I think. And proclaim Master in all five spheres.¡± ¡°It is the custom in the lands of the Lords to register your strength and be scored, I understood,¡± Esteban said to their interpreter. The poor man seemed to have forgotten half of his English but finally started translating. ¡°You broke him¡­¡± Mikaela started, and he cut her with a hand gesture. The translator finally repeated the official¡¯s answer. ¡°It is true, but it is rare among the people from beyond the eastern seas. Few have power, and fewer significant.¡± Esteban could see that the town¡¯s master was doing his best to restrain his curiosity, but he did not need Mood or any other Stock Fixer tricks to see that. ¡°We do, and thus we present ourselves for your examination,¡± he stated. ¡°Those powers are proof, but do you have others?¡± Esteban noted the Magistrate had pulled some paper and a small brush, which he knew was used among the easterners instead of a proper pencil. A serious man, then. The five should have prepared a translation of the Talent sheets. ¡°Does the High Lady of the woods have more powers?¡± he started ¨C through the interpreter. Trust the Erlangs to focus on Wood, not Metal, Esteban thought, and he let Mikaela answer. ¡°I have Barkskin, Slow Poison, Spore Breath, Entangle, Drain Waters, Thorn Fist, and Ash Wind,¡± she enumerated, adding, ¡°and twenty-two hours of sustainable Talent.¡± The official¡¯s hand stopped as the translation was made. ¡°The esteemed Magistrate requires clarification. Seven powers?¡± the interpreter conveyed. ¡°That is correct. And twenty-two hours. Outside of a mana zone,¡± she repeated. Then, interrupting before he started to translate back, ¡°I think this puts me on top of the Wood power score list for the continent, right?¡± Bonus Story Content: Levels 1 The six youths were arrayed in front of Shaman Weigner. They¡¯d expect it, for all had already been noticed by the Shaman during winter and spring. ¡°You are now grown,¡± he began. He tapped meaningfully the Ancient Artifact, the Glasses of Truth. All Shamans of New Willapaga wore them, as the imbued item let them see the truth of people. ¡°All those years, you have been children. Registering as such, to the sight of truth from the Gods. But you have finally set aside your childhood, and your first growth has occurred. Child no longer, yet adult to be. Today begins the rite of passage. For if you are children no longer in the eyes of the gods, you must become men and women in the eyes of New Willapaga.¡± The Shaman was interrupted in his speech by a small commotion. He frowned, then half rose when the source of the commotion crossed the leather-covered entrance. The young man who¡¯d just arrived wasn¡¯t unknown, of course, but he was certainly not expected. ¡°What is the meaning of this, young Valetta?¡± ¡°I am ready, Shaman,¡± he answered. ¡°Ready for what?¡± ¡°To pass the rites.¡± ¡°I may have said that you were no longer a child in the eyes of the gods, but you and your people are from the east, not from New Willapaga. Your rites of the cross are not ours.¡± ¡°Yet here I stand, on the solstice. Let my father ignore the day if he wants.¡± The Shaman studiously avoided looking at young Iselin. He¡¯d be a poor Shaman if he did not notice the interest of young Valetta over the last year. Hector¡¯s family might be great in the east, but here, his ancestors were nothing. ¡°By your customs, you will be a child for at least two more years. What do you want to prove, Hector Valetta?¡± ¡°That I am a man in New Willapaga. Recognized by gods and men.¡± ¡°And how do you intend to achieve that?¡± ¡°By going. Like all tee¡­ pre-adults of New Willapaga.¡± The Shaman avoided making fun of the almost-slip. Easterners extended childhood for years until they achieved a ¡°legal age¡±. For the true people, the view from the gods served instead. Instead, he looked over the gangly easterner, his face carefully neutral. ¡°You are not ready. Where is your pack, Hector Valetta?¡± ¡°Just outside, Shaman.¡± This almost made him raise his eyebrows again. It wasn¡¯t hard to know about the passage of adulthood. Every kid knew from early childhood what they would do to mark their adulthood. But the easterner was, indeed, prepared. Let¡¯s see how far he will truly go. ¡°Then seven it will be. Be it fourteen or seventeen, you are children no longer, so let all of you go, to find a relic of the Ancients, and the story that goes with it. What you find is what you¡¯ll keep and treasure, until your last day, when it will be your grave good. It is what will show New Willapaga who you truly are.¡±
They didn¡¯t make it far from the fishing village before Ivan pounced on Hector. ¡°What the fuck are you still here, kid?¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m not one.¡± ¡°The fuck you aren¡¯t. All easterners are kids for years.¡± ¡°The Shaman himself said it three months ago.¡± ¡°Just¡­¡± ¡°Do you deny the sight from the gods?¡± That was the wrong thing to say. Ivan raised his fist, and Hector immediately dropped his bag to stand ready. But before any of the kids could start slinging, Iselin Zaknussen put her hand on Ivan¡¯s shoulder, stopping him. ¡°He¡¯s right you know. The Glasses of Truth tell you when.¡± Ivan shook his shoulder free and glowered at the girl. Then he huffed and turned away. ¡°Thanks, Is¡­¡± The slap across his face interrupted Hector. ¡°Stupid. Do you even know what you¡¯re getting into?¡± she asked. ¡°Easterner,¡± she stressed. She turned and trotted forward. Knut Harval came to him, took his bag, and handed it back. Hector grimaced. ¡°Stop making a fool of yourself,¡± he whispered to himself. ¡°True,¡± Knut commented and Hector realized he¡¯d been heard. ¡°Come on,¡± Knut added. The group was already split into two smaller groups now, with Ivan, Iselin, Jarl, and another girl, Asta, up front, and Knut, a smaller taciturn boy along with Hector now. ¡°So, you¡¯re ¡®ready¡¯? How much did you take?¡± ¡°8 days¡¯ supply,¡± Hector said. ¡°Let¡¯s hope it will be enough, or you¡¯ll go hungry.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯ve talked among ourselves, of course. We were figuring out what we wanted to achieve. We¡¯re not going for the easy stuff, with small stories. We¡¯re all going for the real stuff. You know you can split, right? There will be a few small ruins along the way. You can get in, pick your Memento, and go back to Willapaga.¡± ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°Greater Seattle,¡± Knut answered.
The seven youngsters crossed another invisible border. A sharply defined line between tall pine trees and sudden grassland. A few miles further, another sharp line of trees indicated yet another border where everyone assumed Mana¡¯s density changed. So far, they¡¯d been lucky. Packs of Lepuses, numerous, best to be avoided lest they get riled and become dangerous. Single predators, diminutive Canids and Felids, far too busy in their hunts to bother the intruders. The remnants of the Ancient road were their guide. A single panel over the road, intact and perfectly preserved, had indicated ¡°Seattle¡± in the distance yesterday, and another today. After three days, the angry ones, as Hector had nicknamed them, had slightly warmed to his presence. He didn¡¯t really care about most, but Iselin¡¯s cold shoulder hurt. She had been much livelier back in New Willapaga. Hector had been sure she¡¯d appreciate that an ¡°easterner¡± was willing to be recognized. But she had seemed very angry at his attempt to follow her traditions. Knut, at least, had wanted to help. Mav, the frontman of the group, raised his fist and they all stopped and ducked. Hector looked for a few seconds before spotting. The general shape looked like an elk¡­ but elks didn¡¯t have deep green fur. And the beast looked to have four antlers, not two. ¡°Cervid,¡± Knut whispered next to Hector. ¡°You don¡¯t see them outside the mana zones.¡± ¡°Dangerous, then?¡± Hector asked back. ¡°My grandfather saw one gut a Canid with one flick of the head during his rite. Entrails spilled and all, instantly killed.¡± The Cervid kept looking at the expanse of grasses between the two forests before an unheard signal made him turn his head. He started running at an angle, entering the forest further away. Hector stayed put, letting the front man decide when to call it safe. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.
Just as they came out of yet another strip of forest, Mav and Knut stopped abruptly. As Hector and the rest of the group reached the border, he immediately spotted what had prompted the two to break. The half-broken road continued, but the forest made a large miles-wide circle, in the middle of which were ruins. Or, rather, a building, looking almost intact, surrounded by what looked like all kinds of calf-high ruins. ¡°The last panel said Seattle in 12 miles,¡± Ivan noted. ¡°This is a big ruin,¡± Hector said. ¡°And intact. Highly intact,¡± Mav noted. Inga whispered, ¡°That¡¯s the place then. There must be¡­ stories to find there.¡± Ivan turned and looked, and the last members of the group all nodded in agreement. They angled from the road, crossing the high grasses that grew. Hector looked around before he noted what was bothering him. It looked like the building was at the perfect center of the forest. As if the building anchored the mana around it, delimitating the zone. Half a mile from the building, they found more of the road material ¨C asphalt ¨C spread all over. Grasses had split the black substance in places, and Hector noted rusted iron there. For some reason, there were pieces of ancient things, and grasses had burst through wherever there was one as if to hide the rust. The pieces could have made fine Mementoes on their own, with the oddities and all, but he knew none of the Willapagans would stop there. Not with the Ancient building showing, promising more mysteries. They crossed the half-broken expanse of asphalt, aiming for the real target. Up close, the building was a slight off-white, stained in various parts. Despite the decades, it seemed mostly intact, without the slightest overgrowth of plants to cover it. An expanse of round polished stones followed the building¡¯s walls. Large panes of glasses, still completely intact, showed the existence of two floors. The front of the building had some weird shapes. A lattice of lines with globes at random intersections, and a gigantic ¡°Q¡± letter in green with decayed flat panes of what looked like glass around it. Thankfully, the entrance was all glass panes as well, and those had broken a long time ago. The seven explorers carefully stepped into a hall, lit from up top. Glass had been there as well, and maybe half of the panes were still there. Dirty stains, mostly square-ish, showed where the panes had disappeared and the rains had fallen. There were traces of wood and metal all around, including a small symbolic barrier separating the two sides of the entrance all. There were also what looked like huge pots, full of earth and little else. Whatever had been in those had died long ago. Mav pointed to a corridor leading inside. The seven stepped over the remnant of the barrier and gathered at the beginning of that corridor, looking around. Weirdly, the left side of the corridor was completely trashed, while the right side was almost pristine. Most of the doors were locked, but one was half-opened and they peeked into the room. Light came from the side window, which was not only intact but looked cleaner than most window panes in New Willapaga. The room itself had a desk, with strange items on it. The most recognizable was a tray with papers on it, although touching those made them disappear in a puff of dust. ¡°That must be how they did stuff?¡± Ivan wondered. ¡°An office,¡± Hector said. ¡°My father described how they live back east, as I was too young to remember. He had something like that.¡± Seeing the incredulous looks, he quickly added, ¡°well, not like that. All wood and stuff, not metal and Ancient materials. At least the desk is wood¡­ I think.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Mav asked, pointing to one item. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Hector replied. The flat and thin black surface was slightly reflective, but not enough to qualify as a mirror. It had a large black string attached, but it ended in something that looked like it had melted, hanging over the edge of the desk. Under it, there was a pile of broken, half-decomposed wood that looked like the same painted wood as the desk, save that it had suffered from age. Iselin spotted a gleam in the woodpile, barely visible in the ¡°office¡±. She reached and grabbed it, pulling it out. ¡°Hey!¡± someone complained. ¡°Keys,¡± Hector noted. ¡°You¡¯re sure?¡± she asked. ¡°People don¡¯t use those flat versions, but I recognize them. See, the indents at the end are just like a normal key.¡± ¡°I wonder why they¡¯re there.¡± ¡°I imagine there¡­ must be a story behind this.¡± She laughed as everyone protested. ¡°There must be a place that no one could get back to. Because they left the keys here.¡± ¡°Maybe in Seattle?¡± Hector wondered. ¡°They ran all the way, and never could get back to their life,¡± she continued. ¡°Likely. But all the Ancient¡¯s lives ended with the Fall anyway.¡± She pocketed the keys, prompting another round of protests. ¡°There¡¯s plenty of stories in there,¡± she said dismissively. The corridor kept on, turning to go deeper into the building. As they reached the corner, they all stopped at the sight. There was a skeleton fallen in the corridor. Hector quickly realized what bothered him with the skeleton. It looked mostly intact, but it was far too big. Close to eight feet¡­ yet not wide. It looked like it had been stretched. Then he shuddered as he spotted the hands at the end of too-long arms. Both hands had six fingers. Changed. Some kind of Changed from the Fall. Of a species he knew nothing about. His father had told him stories from that history book. There had been plenty of small bands of Changed that failed to stay alive. All Changed species were not fertile with humans, or even each other. The dead had been one such, then. Something attracted him. There were scraps of long-decayed cloth under the skeleton, but there was a rectangular piece of something, with a string around its neck. Hector knelt, as Ivan hissed. ¡°Pay respect.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not an Ancient. It¡¯s a Changed One.¡± ¡°It was an Ancient. Before,¡± Ivan insisted. Hector ignored the older boy. The rectangle had a picture on it, a face, framed with grey. Under it was the name ¡°Finn Albert¡± and some weird designation: ¡°System administrator¡±. ¡°That was his name. I think,¡± Hector said. ¡°Finn Albert.¡± Ivan reached, but Hector wasn¡¯t about to let the boy claim such a meaningful Memento. He grabbed it instead, and the string broke, leaving him with just the rectangle. ¡°Hey, let¡­¡± Hector ignored the boy as he looked at the flat, slightly reflective rectangle. It had changed. It now had¡­ his face. And his name, ¡°Hector Norbert Valetta¡±. And another peculiar designation, for a different reason. ¡°Level 1 Unspecialized (achiever)¡± Ivan snatched the rectangle, prompting Hector to yell. ¡°Hey, watch¡­¡± He stopped immediately, and Ivan startled. Because the flat rectangle now showed Ivan¡¯s face, along with the name ¡°Ivan Urbiss¡±, and a slightly different ¡°Level 1 Unspecialized (leader)¡±. Even the grid underneath which had all kinds of numbers shifted to different values. ¡°What the?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an Artifact,¡± Hector realized. ¡°A what?¡± Iselin asked next to him. He hadn¡¯t noticed her getting close. ¡°An Artifact. An object of power, from the Ancient world. You know¡­ like the Shaman¡¯s Glasses of Truth.¡± All the six faces looked at him incredulously. ¡°It¡¯s true. My father said those things are rare, and they¡¯re always found in mana zones. Deep, where Changestorms pushed mana into Ancient items.¡± He pointed to the rectangle in Ivan¡¯s hand. ¡°Try it. It will recognize who you are, I bet,¡± he said, looking at Iselin. She reached, and Ivan let the item escape. As soon as his fingers let go, the picture and words shifted under the glassy surface, setting into the familiar face of Iselin. She was also Level 1 Unspecialized, but ¡°explorer¡± instead, and yet different values. They all checked the rectangle, which displayed the same ¡°level 1¡±. Three were labeled ¡°explorers¡±, another ¡°achiever¡±, and Asta was the one labeled ¡°follower¡±, much to her dismay. They all looked at each other. Then Hector grabbed the item and handed it to Ivan. ¡°What?¡± ¡°The Artifact¡­ says you¡¯re the leader.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a powerful Memento, sure, but¡­¡± ¡°But it¡¯s not one. Artifacts are too precious to be Mementoes. They are heirlooms to be passed on to your heirs, not grave goods,¡± Hector said. ¡°Like the Shaman¡¯s glasses.¡± Ivan looked at the rectangle and then reached a decision. He pushed the item into his pocket, sighing. ¡°This is weirder than I imagined.¡± Hector laughed. ¡°Getting toward Seattle was always going to be that weird.¡± Beyond the skeleton, things had warped slightly. The floor was going up in a small ramp, but Hector could have sworn the lines of the corridor were no longer straight. The corridor looked like it had deformed under some pressure. As they reached, he realized the temperature had dropped several degrees¡­ and then noticed the white streak on the walls. He reached for Ivan¡¯s arm to stop him. ¡°Ice. There¡¯s ice.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? It¡¯s late June¡­¡± Hector pointed at the frost. Ivan looked dubious until he reached and realized. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± he asked. ¡°Mana, I bet,¡± Hector answered. He hesitated. ¡°And probably dangerous. It¡¯s one thing to have mana that changes plants or beasts. But mana that changes a place¡­¡± Ivan looked at the door at the end of the corridor. Part of the floor from above still jutted, marking the only point where the upper floor was ¨C partially ¨C there. The door itself had a slightly warped look. ¡°Can¡¯t turn away. We came here to find the greatest stories, after all.¡±
The youngsters were standing in front of Shaman Weigner. The Glasses of Truth couldn¡¯t tell him more, of course. The left side showed what someone was. The right side showed whether they lied. But nothing showed what people thought, felt¡­ just his experience with people. The young adults that stood in front of him had been into the real ruins, and come back changed, as expected. And only six of them had come back. Missing was not the one he¡¯d more or less expected to fail. ¡°What of your travels? What of your stories¡­ What of Urbiss?¡± he finally asked. None volunteered anything, until the easterner, Hector Valetta spoke. ¡°Our leader went and fell, Shaman.¡± ¡°Did he find his story, Valetta? Did you bury him with the mark of his adulthood?¡± The youngster hesitated. ¡°There was¡­ nothing to bury. But¡­ he did have the greatest of grave goods with him when he fell.¡± Since the Glasses showed him no deception, the Shaman had to accept the tale. But the ¡®nothing to bury¡¯ bothered him. Even if the easterner made clear honor was due. ¡°And your own stories?¡± ¡°They are there. And ours to keep,¡± Iselin Zaknussen answered instead. He frowned. Usually, youngsters liked to brag about what they found, and what they thought happened with the Ancients. Not this bunch, though. He hid his curiosity, however, and stood. If Iselin said they had found their Mementoes, then they had, as she spoke the truth. ¡°You left New Willapaga at the end of your childhood, though, and came at the beginning of your adulthood. All of you¡­ even you, Hector Valetta. From now on, you are full adults¡­ and all the responsibilities of that are now yours.¡± The six hesitated, and he waved them away. ¡°Go. Of course, there¡¯ll be a feast tonight. And that¡¯s the only one you¡¯re not allowed to help make, for the rest of your days.¡±
Knut and Iselin crowded Hector. The girl ¨C woman ¨C asked, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we have told the Shaman?¡± ¡°We all agreed. People knowing about that Q-place¡­ that¡¯s too dangerous. You saw it. We all did. Kids would go to seek stories. And be crushed, like you almost did, Iselin. One more step and you¡¯d fallen inward, like Ivan.¡± She squeezed his hand in return. ¡°You pulled me in time.¡± Hector laughed. ¡°I got reflexes. Thank god¡­ all the gods, I do have reflexes.¡± Then he shook his head, before sighing. ¡°Let¡¯s only the Mementoes remind us of the hole at the end of the world.¡± His own hand grasped in his pocket, feeling the door handle he¡¯d picked. The memory of the door that separated the world of men and the abyss of the Ancients. Bonus Story Content - Casus Belli Arturus Windmiller told the wendigo, ¡°Throw your glasses. They¡¯ll know where we are otherwise.¡± Snowbound Glatteis looked back at him with those quasi-unreadable eyes, even without the glasses on his furred face. ¡°I am never leaving the Glasses of the Hunt. It¡¯s a sacred heirloom of my family.¡± ¡°Then excuse me, but I will go my way. I am not staying with what must be a pillar of light pointing your way if what you describe can be seen from miles away. Don¡¯t follow.¡± ¡°Then go, tribesman,¡± Snowbound replied. ¡°May you find your way home in safety.¡± The tribal chieftain did not bother replying and he and the two tribesmen that were along immediately started moving away from him and his other wendigo companion, at a nearly straight angle compared to the path they had been taking. ¡°He¡¯s not wrong,¡± Blackleaf finally said once the three men had moved out of sight between the trees. ¡°Don¡¯t care,¡± the first wendigo replied curtly. The two wendigos kept moving as fast as they could. The pursuit had been relentless over the day and the previous night too, and exhaustion was threatening. And when he looked back, Snowbound could see through his Artifact glasses three plumes of mana moving in the woods. But he was not about to lose an heirloom that has been handed from ancestor to descendant for nearly 150 years, no matter how dire his situation was. Yesterday was the day everything turned horribly wrong. Wendigo forces were starting to arrive again as the November weather favored them finally. Snowbound had joined the tribal main force at Kootenai, hoping that this time would be the turning point of the war. Despite two fronts opened, the tribals had been unable to realize their summer gains, but with an even larger number of wendigos¡­ He¡¯d barely arrived when an impossible spectacle began. Off in the distance, at the edge of his glasses¡¯ perception, mana plumes started showing. Not those of Artifacts, but the slightly more subdued plumes of mana users. One¡­ two¡­ five¡­ dozens slowly became visible. Nobody would believe him until he reluctantly shared his glasses with the command. The fact that scouts reported a small company of soldiers arriving from the south, right where the traces of sorcerers showed, served to confirm the glasses¡¯ mana vision. ¡°How the fuck is that even possible?¡± one tribal commander said after handing back the glasses. ¡°Last winter, they had two new sorceresses. And they were neutralized,¡± Arturus noted, looking at Snowbound inquiringly. None of the wendigos had briefed the rest of the tribal command about Snowbound¡¯s true actions. The meeting quickly devolved into bickering, the majority of the tribal leaders suspecting some trick. It was not a trick. The army of the Kootenai poured out of its garrison barely one hour after the small reinforcements had arrived at the fort holding the Kootenai Gap¡¯s entrance from the Montana. The tribal forces roused themselves to face the enemy, and that was when the real magnitude of the peril became apparent. Soldiers dodging arrows, others walking surrounded by fire like a reincarnation of the Burning Walker, while others moved at an insane speed across the field. Fireballs, like the ones last year, launched in straight lines into tribal formations. That special company had split into three platoons, supported by the rest of the army, but those platoons tore into the tribal units. Snowbound watched the plumes of mana moving, with a dizzying array of offensive abilities demonstrated. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Fifteen minutes after the battle was joined, it was a rout. The tribal leaders scattered, with Snowbound Glatteis and Arturus Windmiller ending up running to the side, risking the mana zone. Snowbound discovered quickly that they had pursuers, quite insistent ones. His guess was that at least one of the new soldiers could see mana¡­ and his glasses. ¡°They¡¯re nothing if not dedicated.¡± ¡°I am going to try something. But we have to split,¡± Snowbound replied. ¡°I¡¯m not a tribesman.¡± ¡°I have a trick. But I am not sure it will work, and it wouldn¡¯t if you¡¯re around.¡± ¡°And what trick can serve the Great Hunter Glatteis?¡± ¡°A trick. Now go. And if I don¡¯t make it¡­ well¡­¡± ¡°What do you mean, you lost it?¡± Lieutenant Cancilla said. Spotting Artifact-bearing enemies had been a boon. They would probably be some high-ranking enemies, and capturing them would go a long way to finish decisively the war. ¡°I had it, but then¡­ wait, it¡¯s back,¡± Corporal Tufo replied. The Earth Shaper had had difficulties tracking. The Artifact¡¯s mana plume had suddenly started to fade in and out. But now, it had suddenly firmed again. He knew that, based on measurements, the Talent was based on his weakest quality, flat base in Perception, but a few of the Shapers had been handed it ¡°in case¡±. If he had had more of that ¡°talent energy¡±, he might have gotten Earth Master and gotten improvements, but as it stood, he dealt with his limitations. ¡°Let¡¯s keep up. It¡¯s been nearly a day, if we can¡¯t catch those leaders, we¡¯ll have to turn back and it will have been a waste. Colonel Markov will be unhappy.¡± The eight-man team of Talented pushed on. ¡°It seems to have stopped.¡± ¡°You¡¯re sure?¡± ¡°The plume isn¡¯t moving.¡± Lieutenant Cancilla frowned but kept the course. Worst case, he surmised, the fugitives had finally discarded their Artifact, and they would recover it. Artifacts were not as impressive as they once had been ¨C now that the 1st Talent Brigade was being built, the quantity of Talents had a quality of its own. But nobody was going to neglect the right Artifact. An Artifact¡¯s Talent did not count as one¡¯s intrinsic Talent, after all. The gap closed slowly. The pursuing team finally broke into a small hollow where Corporal Tufo finally spotted the plume, plunging at the end of the clearing. ¡°No one?¡± Lieutenant Cancilla wondered. ¡°It¡¯s there anyway,¡± Tufo pointed. ¡°Well, let¡¯s recover that at least,¡± Cancilla sighed. The team moved in, but almost immediately, a loud roar broke. The men froze, and the source of the sound came into view. A 6-feet tall Felid. Tufo immediately spotted the manalight playing on claws and eyes and felt the weight of unnatural fear come. ¡°Falter. And another Talent,¡± he immediately announced, stepping back as he locked the beast in place. ¡°By the numbers, people,¡± the lieutenant announced. The frontline spread, weapons drawn, and got ready, just as the beast started to breathe a sickly yellow cloud. ¡°Another,¡± he warned. The attack took him by surprise. He felt cold metal and pain, and briefly wondered how he¡¯d missed that Talent. The Fixer immediately turned in surprise, but Tufo¡¯s vision was fading fast. The last thing he saw was a furred arm drawing back across his face. The Felid was doing its part, Snowbound noted. He moved out of view, and immediately faded his presence, moving carefully out. Without that old prey ¨C or rather enemy, as he¡¯d never dared actually hunt her ¨C of his, it would be hard to do. But with that kind of distraction, even a team was hard-pressed to keep track of him. Apparently, the same soldier who¡¯d been tracking him had also interfered with the beast, and she was now released and even more furious. Snowbound slowly made his way around, watching the southron soldiers tackle the enemy. Poison clouds, claws that struck at a distance, but they were slowly grinding her defenses. One of them moved, helping stem the wounds with a touch. Empowered, all of them, he realized, as he finally reached the spot where he¡¯d left the bait for the ambush, and snatched his glasses back. He just hoped they only had one tracker. Doing it twice would be hard. He did not wait to see the outcome of the fight and slowly moved. After all, he knew he had only under a dozen minutes of continuous discretion, and did not dare turn it on and off at need. Not here, not now. Good luck, old enemy. As for me¡­ well, I might need to take Ulrich¡¯s offer, as bizarre as it is. Because obviously, others have. Non-Story interlude: Blurb time The Runecasters Trilogy - Rune Finder
No one really knows why magic slowly vanished across the centuries. Of course, most people don''t even know magic exists. But once the First Runemaster exhumed his first lexicon at the turn of the 21st century, it''s been a secret rather than a forgotten thing. Today, the Order slips between the cracks of society, practicing and developing the art of Runecasting, slowly recovering ancient and lost knowledge. The secret society doesn''t need strange and ancient enemies. The human failings are enough to make for interesting times, in the Chinese sense of the phrase. Marcus Skyler''s entrance into the Runecasting world is making a splash. By luck or talent, he''s acquired the reputation of Rune Finder, one who finds the right stuff. The Order isn''t old enough to be conservative, but norms establish themselves quickly. Skirting them is okay, though. As long as you bring in results.
It''s an Urban Progression Fantasy, with a slightly visible dash of gamelit mechanics under it.
Nexus of Reality - Helping Hand
When you get blown up in a gas explosion in a fast-food joint, you''d expect a nice, quiet reincarnation somewhere. A God having to apologize for an error or something. What you don''t expect is to end up naked in the middle of a dark void, with nothing except a dozen square feet of gravel under your feet. Even if you apparently don''t need to eat or drink, it''s not... a pleasant proposition. Figuring out the rules isn''t going to be easy when your world is limited to a piece of rock floating in nothingness. Notably, once you figure those rules change all the time. But the hardest thing is learning not to care too much about reality.
A concept story, inspired by ancient Minecraft mods (where you could open up a portal into a completely empty dimension, and try to build whatever), with a dash of Sarah Lin''s Weirkey Chronicles, and a pinch of the MMORPG Crowfall''s lore. It''s a serial Isekai, where a guy cannot fully escape the void, and ends up in many worlds, cultivation, litrpg, classic fantasy, alt-hist, etc., always returning to his emptiness. Very serial, and probably very dark if you really think about it.
Journey to the East - The West Coast
The Starfall rendered most of North America toxic to a normal existence. The seven remaining states of the USA are now a backwater and the main resource of a once proud superpower is now people. Notably, Prospectors, who can survive the deadly influence of the Fall, harvest Beast Cores for the benefit of the rich in emergent countries who survived the destabilization of the world order. But for every Prospector, there are dozens of candidates with no other prospects and the companies who hunt the wild beasts for their mutated Cores have their pick of the best of the best. When a training and selection session turns badly, Tommy Saltus commits a cardinal sin. He implants himself with an advanced Core without approval from the higher-ups of the company he''s training for. And when you remove a Core from someone, they die fast.
A sci-fi tale, with a dash of hard progression stuff, reframed into a, say, less fantasy form.
Classcraft
Pssst? Want a Class Stone for a better class? I can help you with that. I know this guy, he¡¯s leveling the class and works on the cheap because he gets more work that way. Good stuff, even if he has to work slow due to early levels. Good selection because the less he repeats stones, the faster he levels. Got mostly physical, of course, but who can afford mage classes, right? I can get you 20% under normal prices. Even maybe 25%, depending on what you look for. Check these? Ever seen a Black Knight stone? That¡¯s a Black Knight stone, you can find it shown in the reference tomes if you doubt it. So what do you say, kid? Want some? Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Morgan Sentar has a money problem, and she¡¯s found a solution to pay her debts. If you have the right combo of skills, you can take the cheapest Class Stones around and reshape them until they look like higher tier ones. Who cares if they give the wrong class, or even fail ¨C the customer can¡¯t tell until they use them and gets stuck. And if they fail, then they''re even better off as they retains their current class anyway. But Morgan has a bigger problem than money, actually. Her counterfeits work. In fact, they do work better than the original they¡¯re supposed to be. And she¡¯s about to discover there can be worse problems than being in debt to the biggest crime consortium in Red City.
Some pure litrpg fantasy world.
The Fastness - Stranger in a Strange Land
If life gives you a lemon, all you can do is squeeze it at least for some vitamins. Leon Chapman was expecting a nice, if not wildly exciting, article about astrophysics and particle detectors. What he didn¡¯t expect was black fissures opening into reality and dragging people in¡­ until he got grabbed as well. Dumped into a dreadful winter wilderness, with a handful of shanghaied people from all over the world, he needs to survive first, and ask questions later. But at least one question needs to be asked now. What is the meaning of the mysterious box of text he sees appearing in his mind when he thinks about it.
What if the entire Earth gets Isekaied? A base-building litrpg story.
Portal Raiders
The Clock is ticking! Anytime you run a Portal into a Dungeon, you may never make it back. That¡¯s the deal. But it has to be done. Vanguard XIV Kyle Verr knows that very well. His squad goes in, extracts Cores, and runs away. So that his world, his shattered Earth, lives through another day. You don¡¯t make it to Vanguard XIV by taking too many risks, but you don¡¯t make it by taking none. Then that day, you don¡¯t come back, in order for your team to do so. You die, knowing you helped, you made a difference. Or maybe not. Take a base of X-Com sci-fi, add a splash of cultivation, a cube of magic, squirt some progression fantasy, sprinkle a dash of gamelit and drop a few Portal slices. Shaken, not stirred. A cocktail with a unique twist.
A standalone progression fantasy novel. Written just so that the last sentence can mangle the classic "But now, I am the master."
The Magnificent Seven - Copper
What does a human need to become a Dragon? Getting dragged across dimensions by a mysterious divinity? Try again. Being hit by a wayward truck and reincarnated in a different world? Nope. But at least you¡¯re getting close. Being at the wrong time in the wrong place, or maybe the right time in the right place, that¡¯s what it takes. Oh, and a freakish meteorite. Cassius Vange is a nobody. Until he wakes up, remembering only a flash of light, and finds out he¡¯s now a dragon. With every scientist, mad or not, trying to figure out how it¡¯s even possible. Worse. There are seven in total like him.
Just a pure fantasy concept: dragons on modern days Earth. Each of the seven shorter novels would happen more or less in parallel and focuses on one of the points of view from each Dragon as their stories unfold in parallel: USA ¨C Connor Vange ¨C ¡á? Orange/Copper Dragon (Acid). China ¨C Jiang Jie ¨C ¡â? Green/Jade Dragon (Wind). Niger/Yoruba ¨C Ekundayo ¨C ¡á? Black/Ebon Dragon (Steam) Switzerland/French ¨C Gis¨¨le Gaume ¨C ¡â? Yellow/Gold Dragon (Fire). Nepal ¨C Abhishek Basnyat ¨C ¡á? Purple/Amethyst Dragon (Poison). Ireland ¨C Se¨¢n Hely ¨C ¡á? Blue/Sapphire Dragon (Cold). Brazil ¨C Carolina Luz Ferreira ¨C ¡â? White/Crystal Dragon (Light).
Isekai Master
Pissing off the Pantheon of gods ¨C or ancient Cultivators, which is pretty much the same thing ¨C of your world is not a bright career move when you''re just the latest of such. But for Da Senlin, or Stor Skov, or many other names he''s had before, that might be different. Because he knows something the old fogies do not. He knows the power of Isekai. There are significant drawbacks to abandoning a world, and ending up on another to start your life from scratch. But as they say, live and learn. And Ihlathi Elikhulu, or whatever name he¡¯ll pick next intends to do both, in great quantities. Each time he''s been on the path of the Great Forest, he''s been better. So what could possibly go wrong?
You know those stories where a character from Earth gets reincarnated into a medieval fantasy world and starts introducing technology? What if he were to introduce... cultivation instead?
The Old World (temp title)
Quantity has a quality of its own Sacrifice to your city¡¯s deity patron, and be rewarded. That is the rule, for as long as each of the cities of Mesopotamia have stood. One grand sacrifice to receive a divine Skill that will define your station in life. Your other sacrifices may improve it, but that unique moment when you receive your Skill is the most important time of your life. But what most Kings know is that each God and Goddess will grant a different Skill. Thus is borne war, to conquer, to capture and bring back the idol of each divine figure to a "proper temple", to your city to make it stand above all others. Abazu is no king. He has no army, no conquest in sight. He has a better plan. Why steal idols when you can sneak into temples? Seven major gods, seven minor gods. Fourteen Skills. With this, he will stand above all men and no one will ever threaten him. If only each sacrifice did not cost more than the previous one, for all of the divine ones are jealous that another was chosen by you before them. And one is very, very jealous if you worship any of those fourteen...
The Old World is a history-inspired progression fantasy, with light gamelit elements. Skill collection and evolution, in the bronze age. (Also, don''t expect complete historical accuracy. Mesopotamian Bronze Age is a mess) Book 2 re-publication notice As I acknowledged before, book 2 was hit-and-miss, with an extreme amount of arrested development on the part of the characters. They kept forging ahead without stopping to think, and people got increasingly - and justifiably - irritated by their antics. They''re supposed to be naive people from a remote part (the world is dangerous, but people are fair and the law is just. I mean, it has to be, right?), but they should have learned better by then. And if they don''t, the multiple additional characters around them should point out the risks, offering them at least a way to justify their actions (originally, it was the slowly cult-like mentality "Moore cannot be wrong, and we know what he wants" that was supposed to be there to justify it, except I never quite managed to inject that cult part). Thus, I revised book 2 based on criticism. And it took waaay too long. My initial plan was to start pushing book 3 to RR at the beginning of March, but even without rewriting book 2, it would have never worked out. Part of it is a large amount of work in my day job (I blame Microsoft Teams and the ease by which you set up meetings now, including outside of my usual working hours), and part of it was my usual bouts of mild depression which still happen regularly, more so during winter. You fight depression by going outside, exercising (at least a bit), and, well, not sitting in front of the computer. Which does not help when writing or rewriting a book. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Anyway, book 2 has been finally rewritten and the new version will replace the previous one. It''s a rewrite and essentially done, so I will publish the chapters as fast as I can do a last re-read, and a minor editing pass if necessary for a chapter. Expect between 3 to 5 chapters per day for the full re-publication, so about two weeks. I will also take down the previous version. If you want the old version to compare to the one that will be on RR, there is a link below to an epub of the previous version (handily titled "draft 1" to remind you it''s the old one). If you do not want to follow the new book 2 as it comes up, you can wait until you see the Book 2 Epilogue pop up in the list of chapters. There''s one less chapter overall, there is some additional content in chapter 18, and major changes in the way the story progresses truly start after the arrival in New Sandusky, around chapter 25, although there are tweaks to the story all over, even in the Zahl arc. The endpoint should be mostly similar, which is why you don''t absolutely need to re-read book 2, although there will be some cascading changes into book 3 (notably you might end up wondering what happened to Georgy North when he reappears there since he is now a different character). And then, it''s going to be time to write the final book 3. Which has seen no progress since last year. I hope I will have less work by then and more time to devote to it, but I''m not optimistic. And retirement is at least 5 years away (probably 7 with the pension reform being implemented in France), so no help on that front. B2.1 - Rest is for the Wicked When the hand of the Ancients is on you, you can only answer. Wisdom of the Ancients, book 2 Johanna¡¯s eyes slowly opened, gummed by sleep. The darkness that enveloped her was punctuated by a tiny sliver of light, which she realized came from the shutters that had already been closed when they arrived at the main inn of the city of Zahl yesterday. It now felt like an eternity ago for some reason. The Skeleton, she startled, remembering. All of her vision from last evening came back to her in a rush. How she found herself in some abstraction of the ruins that they used to delve into, with the Ancient Skeleton on his five-stooled ruin of a chair dominating the perspective. The strange discussion with the nameless Ancient power, who showed her his four vistas into reality, through which it looked over them. Granting them ¡°choices¡± as it said, Talents in truth. Each step in their journey, since that distant day of summer when they found the ruined buildings where the skeleton was, it had watched them. It had given them complementary Talents, suited for each of them. Fire, Support, Strength, Discretion. It had helped them overcome, whether it was hordes of Changed Lepuses threatening their former home, immensely empowered Erinax or Murids in mana zones or even tribal armies from the North. All that attention had made them into prizes. The Warden of the Montana, Edgard Maistry, had been ready to twist the laws of his state to keep his hold on them after drafting them, and Countess Catherine Rocastle had warned her that he wouldn¡¯t be the last to play loose with the letter or even the spirit of the law. They had fled, first the army, then the Marches of the Montana itself, but they wouldn¡¯t be able to flee forever. The bounty hunters, like the luckless band that tried to ambush them, would be replaced by stronger forces with major political powers backing them. Her thought went back to Catherine. Thanks to the latest manifestation from the Skeleton, the four of them had converted Ancient Books, allowing the Countess to become a Metal Sorceress archmage, and her bodyguard a Guardian Hero. Or rather, the Skeleton did. I can choose powers among the ideas ¨C his word for Ancient Books ¨C but I cannot make new ideas. Those had been its own words. The Skeleton wanted them to provide Talents, the way they had received them. The powers the world needs. She wanted nothing more than curl around Tom¡¯s back, bury her head under the covers, and ignore all of this. But it wasn¡¯t to be. The Skeleton had shown her where to find books for them to change. She now had to figure out where that was, and you didn¡¯t do that hiding in bed. ¡°What do you mean, you saw the Skeleton?¡± was Peter¡¯s first question over breakfast. ¡°I know. It seems like a dream in a way, but it wasn¡¯t. It was¡­ far too clear for that,¡± Johanna replied. Seeing the slightly dubitative look from Laura, she immediately elaborated. ¡°And I could see and hear you.¡± ¡°What do you mean, see us?¡± she asked slightly startled. ¡°You were on a table by yourselves. While Tom was chatting with a pair of guys at the bar counter.¡± She saw Laura frowning, obviously trying to remember the evening before. ¡°And before you start asking, you were talking about your¡­ you know¡­ recovery from the Warden¡¯s contraception drugs.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± ¡°Whether you¡¯re with child or not, because your latest is late.¡± She saw Laura¡¯s eyes bulging in incredulity. ¡°There were four sorts of windows. From which I could see and hear through¡­ each of us. The one that was all black was the inn¡¯s bedroom where I was, but I could see you. Like the Skeleton does.¡± ¡°Wait, so it¡¯s seeing us? Right now?¡± Laura blanched. ¡°All the time, I¡¯m guessing.¡± ¡°Guessed it long time ago,¡± Tom injected. ¡°I know. I knew. Too often when things changed, before we faced bad odds,¡± Johanna replied, squeezing her husband¡¯s hand. ¡°Good idea, inquiring about ruins, by the way,¡± she added. Tom¡¯s eyebrows rose before a small smile came. ¡°And so, got a vision,¡± he said. ¡°And he brought me to a table. A map.¡± ¡°Of what?¡± ¡°Some place¡­ related to books. That¡¯s what it seemed to be.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really know. I mean, when I was moving around the¡­ table that held that map, it followed my gaze. If it¡¯s like a normal map ¨C and they follow Ancient convention about the north upward ¨C then it has to be on the east coast, over the Atlantic.¡± Tom shuddered. But Peter was the one to voice the concern. ¡°The coasts are hellholes. Everyone knows that. They¡¯re full of ruins, and mana zones. Heavy mana zones.¡± ¡°And we are equipped to deal with that. Thanks to the Skeleton,¡± she replied. ¡°Maybe,¡± Peter said dubiously. Coming out of Timothy¡¯s Rest and Ale was stepping into whiteness. True to the warning of the innkeeper, snow was there to stay. While the morning sky was primarily blue with small clouds, more snow had fallen during the night, adding to the previous covering, and several additional inches of it were all over the street, even pooling against the inn¡¯s side. Despite the snow and the slightly wet cold, the street was starting to fill up with animation for this Thursday morning. Stores lined the street toward the nearby marketplace, although nobody was hawking their wares outside in the cold air today. This time, Johanna decided they¡¯d get real repair kits. Their gear was not some magical impervious thing, and while Laura could fix wounds, the leathers they wore did suffer from arrows and blades, and teeth and claws. Or, rather, not all their leathers, she thought, looking at Laura. Artifacts were extremely hard to cut or damage. After the scuffle with the bandits, and how she¡¯d managed to deflect a bit the last bandit¡¯s knife, she handed Thirst ¨C as Peter had nicknamed the pair of gloves they¡¯d found in that Ancient building in the mana zone ¨C to Laura. Laura could fix wounds, small and big, but if someone managed to take her out of action, they¡¯d have problems, as her large trauma heals required her to intervene immediately. So, she insisted Laura wear those gloves as a small measure of protection. That meant her friend walked with a swirl of colorless light coming from her, which promised to be distracting, but that was the price to pay for safety. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. The gloves were even fingerless, which allowed Laura to apply her touch-based healing freely. She had tried with real gloves, and the basic wound healing didn¡¯t work quite well, so there was no way she¡¯d attempt a full internal healing with some. She turned to Tom, walking at her side, and asked, ¡°What did you get about ruins? I didn¡¯t follow everything once the Skeleton took me to his maps.¡± Tom blinked, being reminded that she¡¯d been watching and hearing despite not being there. ¡°Lots of small ruins used to be around, nothing really big close. Most are gone, Mark said.¡± ¡°Mark being the guy you were talking to.¡± ¡°Yea. For some reason, once in a while, a ruin will suddenly decay fast. Steel simply breaks down, and in a year or two, there¡¯s almost nothing left, just some rubble.¡± She winced. ¡°Want to check them?¡± Tom asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know. We do have money, but it¡¯s going to run out, sooner or later. Hiring us out as temporary guards for merchants¡­ would mean we have to prove our worth.¡± ¡°Hard to do without showing Talents,¡± Tom admitted. ¡°And besides, if we¡¯re not staying this close to the Montana, we need to do things that earn money fast.¡± ¡°Like scavenging.¡± Johanna contemplated the snow cover. Traffic had cleared a bit the street, but most of it remained up. ¡°Like scavenging. Let¡¯s hope the locals aren¡¯t Grievar,¡± she said, alluding to the salvage wholesaler back in Valetta who used to be their main ¨C no, their only ¨C customer for salvage. That is, until he recommended them for the Warden¡¯s draft, trading the three of them ¨C Peter being thought as ¡°normal¡± ¨C in exchange for fifty levies. They found a tailor, but his store was closed. Thankfully, a local pointed to a general store next to the marketplace. ¡°Probably a better place. Nathan wouldn¡¯t have kits to sell anyway. He can repair your clothes like he¡¯s a legend, but that¡¯s not the kind of things he¡¯d have available¡­¡± She once had a clothes kit, back in Valetta, but properly repairing leather required more specific equipment. And given how often these things happened lately, spending money in every city to get clothes fixed was adding to their costs. Their next stop would be the marketplace proper, to see what was offered around, but what Johanna wanted most was to figure out if there was a market for ruin salvage, and a bookshop to see if she could find reference books for sorcery. What had Elena Worchester mentioned, back in New Benton? The Panoply of Miracles? About saintly things. And anything about heroes. And, well, maybe the next book of The Song of Ice and Mists was finally out. Although the author seemed to have stopped writing, even if he had promised at the end of the fifth one two more books in the series, now that they had left Valetta, she wouldn¡¯t put it past him to sneak in a new volume. Douglas Moore kept a careful watch over his team of four, but he doubted he¡¯d see the fruits of his semi-failed attempt at communicating with them. At least not anytime soon. He might have tried to convey how they could create literal adventurers. People imbued with ¡°normal¡± System-based specializations and attendant skills, ready to confront the Changed world of 2173. People to push against Changed beasts, go into the mana zones and clear the predators there, and overall make the world a safer place. Of course, the plan was fraught with danger, he had to admit to himself. Even if Johanna had understood everything, it would be some time until they could amass a critical number of empowered people. And part of him lamented the fact that, in the end, his Four might not be extraordinary anymore, if people like that Sergeant back in Valetta had higher levels and skills to match. There would need to be some organization around that though. The normal empowered people, as described in the Mages of America book, were too few and without enough skills and focus to be truly dangerous. One just had to see how his Four ¨C with a modicum of protection ¨C could turn a battle, slaughter civilians with a bare minimum of training, and defeat small military forces all by themselves. The only people able to police that kind of people would¡­ well, empowered people themselves. An Adventurer¡¯s Guild. Like any good Anime RPG. Just because it was a staple of fantasy stories didn¡¯t mean it lacked justification. Medieval guilds had once been guarantors of quality and conduct. He liked that part of the electives in his MBA. After all, the modern world ¨C the Pre-Fall modern world ¨C still had those, in the form of law bars and other professional organizations. Just with a lot less at stake. Once the number of ¡°adventurers¡± would begin to swell¡­ well, hopefully, Moore would have hoarded enough personal XP to attempt contact again. If his ideas could be conveyed across the communication gap, he would try to impart the need for such a structure to his Four. Speaking of personal XP hoard¡­ It was now time to change leveling plans. He remembered that level 10 sergeant back in Valetta, and others with significant levels. There was the distinct possibility that people might get ahead of the four. But his four had an advantage ¨C someone who could micro-manage builds. And since he had realized he was accumulating his own experience and had options open to him ¨C and the last day had confirmed that finally ¨C using what he¡¯d thought as a ¡°global pool¡± to balance levels in his team was gone through the window. Sorry, Tom. Squeezing XP into immediate improvements was going to be more important than just chasing levels, notably with the Fibonacci progression starting to ramp up. Skill points meant new skills, and massive jumps in durability, true, but cheaper stat investments were at hand, and those also improved skills and sustainability. Thankfully, his mental capacities were unaffected, if not outright improved by his bodiless state, and doing math without a calculator was still okay. To be honest, using one was mostly because it was handy and lazy, but¡­ No devices in the afterlife.
Johanna Marcia Milton Female human, 19 years, 8 months
Fire Shaper Level: 6 (13000 XP needed) 197/197 mana (+14 per hour) 0 unallocated skill point XP: 3272 + 1462
STR: 14 AUT: 18 (230 XP needed) Fire Handling (60)
AGI: 16 (1879 XP needed) PER: 14 (852 XP needed) Mana Sight (34)
DEX: 17 (1665 XP needed) Flaming Blade (40) Fireball (40) EMP: 17 (2977 XP needed) Steam Breath (23)
Bodily immunity to fire, up to 900¡ãF Detect mana flows & pools of 29.4 size or greater Require 23% less oxygen
He did some mental divisions. Increasing Authority for a paltry 230XP gave her immediately 3 mana and improved every fire ability by raising the temperature cap by 30¡ãF. Next in importance would be Perception. That one was hard to raise, but it also improved her mana regeneration in addition to the two points of max mana. And then, it would be time to hoard XP for a ¡Á2 skill with the 7th level and Strength. Okay, let¡¯s go then. In this, Moore wasn¡¯t limited as he¡¯d be through the Settings Scrolls. Not that it mattered. With his distorted time perception when the system descriptor opened, raising two stats was almost indistinguishable if he did it in two steps or one. And now, with Johanna¡¯s new 19, it was time to see if there were some useful skills appearing on his horizon. 20 Authority ¨C the new limit ¨C was probably associated with high tiers, but who knew what you¡¯d get?
Mana Lock Requires: Authority 20/Empathy 18/Level 7
Effective: N ¡Á Authority + Level (adds mana) Passive: Increase your regeneration by (Eff/10) mana per hour Active: Shave your opponent¡¯s mana reserve by (Eff vs AUT)%. Removed mana is recovered when the effect expires. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds.
Mana Shaper AUT 19/Lvl 6 N=3
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=2
Tyrant Fixer EMP 17/AUT 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Combat Fixer EMP 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Duelist AGI 17/STR 16/EMP 16/Lvl 4 N=1
Fixer EMP 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Moore¡¯s non-existent brain froze. Mana Shaper? WTF is that spec? The new specialization that unexpectedly showed up was a weird one. All ¡°elemental¡± skills multipliers dropped by 1, while every non-elemental one rose by 1 instead. It also added a few formerly Fixer-only skills at a ¡Á1 multiplier. Moore instantly switched to Peter¡¯s descriptor. With 41 XP remaining in Dexterity, it was trivial to complete. But, unlike Johanna, no new specialization appeared with 19 DEX and level 6. Okay. This System is officially bullshit. How can you plan for the future when everything is given to you piecemeal, and nothing is consistent or balanced? B2.2 - General Winter Winter is a season of recovery and preparation. Pre-Fall writer The somewhat large general store had been a treasure trove. Not only did it have stuff that would make repairs on torn and pierced leathers doable on their own, but the storekeeper had been very helpful and a fount of information. ¡°My grandpa used to deal with ruins salvage. But there was too little to go around at the time, at least not as regular trade. Why? You¡¯re new around?¡± she had said. ¡°True. We¡¯ve moved from the west, but we¡¯re not too afraid of the ruins and mana. If there¡¯s demand, we can do it,¡± Johanna offered. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a huge demand for stuff from the ruins. Small items, maybe, but I don¡¯t know anyone who collects that stuff. At least not in Zahl.¡± ¡°So, if we find salvage, who¡¯s going to be most interested?¡± ¡°I¡¯d say¡­ maybe Birdy¡¯s. They¡¯re the main trading family around, they import quite a few things for the city. They also export stuff, mostly food, and small tradecrafts, but¡­ who knows? Maybe filling their outgoing caravans with more than yams and squashes will interest them?¡± ¡°Where do I find them?¡± ¡°Warehouse and office house are near the northern Gate.¡± While Peter and Laura gathered more gossip from the town, Johanna found a bookstore. Just like Valetta, the bookseller also ran the local printing press for the city¡¯s newspaper, so she picked a pair of recent news sheets and then started checking the available books. ¡°I think I have a copy of Mages, yes.¡± The shopkeeper searched and finally found an edition of the sorcerer¡¯s society reference book. Despite the dust on it, the main page listed an edition date of 2169, which was the same as the one Elena Worchester had lent her, so she doubted there was a more recent version. The price made her gasp, though. $14? For a book? She reluctantly added it to the purchase pile, then asked if there was an equivalent for the heroes. ¡°Can¡¯t say I¡¯ve ever heard of one,¡± the man said, scrunching in confusion. ¡°So, there¡¯s no society of heroes or something?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think so. Heroes are heroes, though. Who knows if you are truly a Hero? It¡¯s hardly as manifest as something supernatural. Why? You¡¯re interested in Talented?¡± ¡°Somewhat, yes. Are there any in Zahl? I¡¯ve met one in the Marches of the Montana.¡± Which, she had to admit, was technically true when it came to ¡°meeting¡± Elena. She was also pretty sure the Wendigo that had discovered the contraceptive drug fed to them by the military also qualified as Talented. Maybe not as talented as Peter, but one unnoticeable being nevertheless. ¡°It¡¯s not as rare as hair on a dwarf, but I don¡¯t think so. Unless you count Petra.¡± ¡°Petra?¡± ¡°Petra Veldhuis. She works at Timothy¡¯s bar most evenings. She can cool down drinks without ice. It¡¯s not that different from using normal ice, but she can do that in summer, and without actual water added to the drink, so there¡¯s Petra¡¯s Special. Can¡¯t do it a lot, though, so that one¡¯s expensive if you want one.¡± An Adept, then, Johanna thought. She¡¯d learned about those people with very limited and diminished versions of normal Talents. Just like that caravan master back in Valetta. What were those numbers Elena had said? An adept in maybe six-to-eight thousand people? It sounded right for Zahl¡¯s size. Nothing immediately important struck her. The one thing she picked was a notebook and a pair of pencils. She definitively needed to take notes. Then, as an afterthought, she added a set of cheap paperbacks. She didn¡¯t know about the series, but the blurb sounded interesting. If they were going to stay, she needed some real reading, not just the boring Mages. At the end of the day, Johanna found the temperatures plummeting, and she, like Tom, was eager to huddle again in the common room of the inn, to take stock of their purchases. The day had gone well, she thought. Peter and Laura weren¡¯t back yet from their rounds, so she went to the bar and ordered a big pot of tea. Once settled on the table with it, and Tom busied himself by reading one of the novels they¡¯d just purchased, she opened her brand-new notebook and started taking notes. She realized that the Parchments of Power, as she called them, held a treasury of hidden information on talents. They were fresh in her mind since it was barely two weeks since they¡¯d left White Meadows in the Rocastle Demesnes, but she had to write out things before she started forgetting the little details. She was no Elena Worchester, but she was going to do her best. And given that the Skeleton had given her a quest to find more books, she¡¯d see more Parchments sooner or later. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Then, of course, she froze, because she did not have the slightest idea of how to organize those notes. Jot down everything? Sort by¡­ what? Metal Sorcery, she finally wrote on the first page. Then the contents of all the parchments used by Catherine, as much as she remembered them. Shaper-Level-Strength-Metal Skin. Then Rust. Perception-Detect Metal. Dexterity-Fusion. Those were the four that had been created out of the Ancient books for her. She picked the second half of the notebook to put Guard Heroics and list the three parchments that Valentin Rosenberg, Catherine¡¯s bodyguard, had received. Guardian-Level-Authority-Disarm, Gauge Endurance, Agility-Armored. Splitting the notes into sorceresses ¨C and maybe saints ¨C and heroes made sense. It was obvious when she or Laura used their Talents, but less so when it came to Tom and Peter. There was one Talent per sheet, obviously. And highly descriptive names. As an after-thought, she re-checked the Mages of America and wrote the equivalence between what ¡°everyone¡± named them, and the real names of the sorcerous spells. Then, you had some Talents paired with¡­ qualities? Strength, Perception, Dexterity, Authority, Agility¡­ all those hinted at people¡¯s aspects. Not all Talents were paired that way since at least two of the weird sheets lacked a quality name. Rust was commonly found ¨C at least commonly for metal sorcerers ¨C but she didn¡¯t think that Valentin¡¯s Gauge Stamina was. It felt like her magical sight, which was supposed to be relatively rare, but for more physical attributes rather than the presence of magic. So, there was no obvious reason for the lack of associated quality. She wrote down her musings. The last part was the two complex parchments. Both sheets had the same listing as Talent parchments, but with an additional Level mention, along with a name. Guardian was obvious and went with heroic themes and the Talents Valentin had obtained. Shaper¡­ how did it apply to sorcery? Or more specifically metal sorcery. What was shaped there? She realized she hadn¡¯t figured out how high Catherine¡¯s ¡°tier¡± was. At four Talents, was she going to be at least tier 6, as she had been? Higher yet? Johanna did not dare send a letter to ask. The Countess had insisted on being able to deny any help, except the most self-interested one. Replying to random inquiries was not going to achieve that. She snapped and closed her notebook. For now, she had too little information. And besides, the Skeleton would certainly provide more parchments, once they found more Ancient Books. Until the rest came back from their errands, she had little to do, so she opened the newspapers. The local newspaper resembled the Valettan Gazette a lot. Zahl Weekly was printed on three columns, four pages folded to the side from double sheets, with the bookseller-printer writing some philosophical musings on the first page, along with local news. She noted that a few stores were holding a year fire sale, although half of those had happened last week. There were the usual obituaries and births and baptisms notices. A few listings of ¡°help wanted¡±, including the printing press itself, but nothing that warranted attention. The important part, for her, was the general news on the last two pages. Some news from some other cities of the Dakota. The University of South Branch ¨C the State capital, her distant and half-forgotten geography lessons told her ¨C was opening a new set of grants for ¡°western pupils¡±. Apparently, promising Zahl youngsters from 16 to 18 should be eligible, and get ready to travel for admission exams in May next year, with a recommendation from their school. Then, she spotted news from the Marches of the Montana.
Attack Rebuffed at Kootenai Gap Newssheets in New Benton report that, despite serious losses, a second offensive by the tribal alliances of the North along their savage Wendigo bands has been repelled. The gap is still held by the Grand Army of the Montana, and a raid has been rebuffed in early November, thanks again to the help of the Sorceress of the Ice and Mists of the Montana. The army office in the capital has praised the valor of the Montanan troops and lamented the losses and craven desertions. Of particular note was the desertion of elite combatants from Valetta. Dispatches from General Alfonso in particular were shared with the news¡­
They were not explicitly named, but it wasn¡¯t hard to guess who the ¡°elite combatants from Valetta¡± were. After completing Peter and Tom¡¯s immediate increases in stamina and skills, and seeing no further unexpected specializations, Moore had hesitated to tinker with Laura¡¯s character sheet. On one hand, mana-based specialization was the biggest candidate to offer a new specialization for pure Empathy. On the other hand, her Fixer specializations had worked differently than Shaper elemental ones, so Mana Shaper was probably some bullshit specific to Authority-based classes. On the gripping hand ¨C he didn¡¯t remember where that expression came from ¨C he potentially needed to expand his repertoire of advanced specializations now that Scroll Making was in the cards. Unlike skills, where he had an expanding bubble based on the highest of stats he saw, specializations only showed for the ones that the Four could actually take. Or if he spotted them ¡°in the wild¡±. He¡¯d been lucky in this new town. Out of the four people he¡¯d seen with specializations, two had one he had not normally access to ¨C yet. On the fourth hand, he really needed to create a stockpile for Laura. Although right now, they did not need access to Regrow ¨C the organ/limb regeneration ability he¡¯d seen ¨C he wanted to be sure it was an available option. If one of them was maimed without First Aid being useable¡­
Laura Anna Donnall (Vogel) Female human, 19 years
Combat Fixer Level: 6 (13000 XP needed) 196/196 mana (+14 per hour) 1 unallocated skill point XP: 6052 + 1462
STR: 16 (2775 XP needed) Succor (38) AUT: 16 (1073 XP needed) Falter (38)
AGI: 16 (496 XP needed) Cleanse Toxins (22) PER: 14 (ENTER TREE: 119)
DEX: 16 (786 XP needed) First Aid (38) EMP: 18 (1385 XP needed) Close Wounds (60)
Reduce the extent of wounds by 60% Wounds clot 76% faster Effective Authority +3.8 for skill checks LD50 increased by 220% Instinctive knowledge of the gravity of a wound. (Water needs per day lowers by 95% - capped)
With 13k for level 7, 6k for +3 in Perception, and finishing Agility and Empathy, it was by far the most expensive upgrade planned so far. He¡¯d just spent 8000XP into his communication attempt, or he would be much closer to having the pool potentially available. Ultimately, he decided, knowing a potential generic Fixer was not going to help unless it somehow ¨C ¡°bullshit system¡± ¨C raised more of the useful multipliers. Spending 5k XP just to switch classes and potentially have to drop skills to pick others¡­ not going to happen at this point. B2.3 - White Town A bartender is just a pharmacist with a limited inventory. Pre-Fall scientist Watching the bartender operate was slightly fascinating. She was officiating at the inn evenings from Fridays to Tuesdays, which is how Johanna had missed her the first day. For almost everyone, preparing a Petra¡¯s Special was simple. Petra, the bartender, poured whatever drinks she thought would go together, and then ran slowly her finger around the glass. There wasn¡¯t anything else, but the drink cooled and she delivered it chilled, despite the base drinks coming out from the shelf at room temperature. Some patrons still thought it was some kind of trick. Johanna, of course, knew better. The little glow of colorless manalight that sprang at the tip of Petra Veldhuis¡¯s finger when she did her ceremonial told her the truth of it. Although she couldn¡¯t sustain it for long, maybe 25 or 30 seconds. House rules were three specials an hour, which highlighted for Johanna how small the adept¡¯s mana reserves were. She exhausted them in less than thirty seconds and they refilled fully in under twenty minutes, where she needed an entire night to recover from exhausting hers. If adepts are truly sorcerers with the lowest version of a spell, then they are stuck at tier 0, she thought. That was her hypothesis after most of her spells had upgraded mid-training in Maistry¡¯s Keep. Adepts had the smallest version, she had begun with a standard one, then the abrupt change ¨C lowercase ¡®c¡¯ ¨C had given her an improved version. And somehow, with bigger effects came bigger reserves. Then an idea struck her, and she pulled her notebook and looked at the equivalence she¡¯d written between known forms of spells and the parchments of power¡¯s names. At the bottom of the page, she wrote a temporary note. Names? How does a parchment specify what level of power a Talent has¡­ Level. The label on the first parchments for both Catherine and Valentin suddenly struck her. Did it symbolize how you raised levels of power? Adepts were normal people, and until you got granted a level, or maybe two in her case¡­ No, that couldn¡¯t be right. The earth-type roots Talent, before it vanished, had dropped in power to adept levels, while everything else had improved. Her original idea, that each Talent had its specific potential, separate from the rest, was still the best explanation she had for what happened to her. She still jotted down the potential idea that level might be associated with power ranks, before snapping the notebook closed again. Peter and Laura finally made it back to Timothy¡¯s and found Johanna and Tom waiting for them with a cleared table. With the semi-heavy fall, Timothy¡¯s was getting packed with drinkers and eaters. The city¡¯s streets were cleared but with bad weather, activities were curtailed, leaving people with more leisure time. ¡°We went to the city hall. That was our primary objective, after scoping the city.¡± ¡°Anything interesting?¡± Johanna asked. ¡°I got a map of the county area, at least. We can get more general maps of the Western Dakota Marches or even larger ones at the bookstore if we want them.¡± ¡°I saw them. Good to know. Anything else?¡± ¡°Stuff about the legal status. Since we looked new around, the receptionist wanted to know if we were immigrating. Told the receptionist that at worst, we¡¯d be gone by spring.¡± ¡°Hopefully before,¡± Johanna added. ¡°I don¡¯t want to stay here any longer than necessary.¡± ¡°So, no citizenship then. In any case, you need to rent something or buy housing for that. Note that there are local taxes that are higher for non-residents.¡± ¡°I think Timothy¡¯s collecting them from the room price. But I¡¯m not going to look out for citizenship. I remember those two scavengers and what happened to them with the draft. I¡¯d like not to be officially a citizen of the Montana any longer, to be maybe a bit safer from a legal standpoint, but that¡¯s certainly not going to happen unless we know what it entails exactly,¡± Johanna stated. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°We may need to if I¡¯m with child,¡± Laura said. Johanna startled. She had not thought of that problem, despite ¡°listening¡± to yesterday¡¯s conversation through the auspices of the Ancient. A child would delay them. Traveling across the continent would be immediately more complicated either before, or just after birth. She was careful, but it might happen to her as well. After all, they were all long children, borne of families with lots of them. ¡°We¡¯ll figure it out if that gets confirmed,¡± she said. She looked at the windows, but they were already shuttered. In any case, the weather had not been that good. ¡°We may have to stay a bit longer in any case.¡± ¡°At least it¡¯s a good place,¡± Peter replied. ¡°Good how?¡± ¡°It¡¯s about Valetta-sized, I¡¯d say. Oh, different, certainly, and not just because it is snowed in. But it felt a little bigger, somehow. More snacks and restaurants, and even a couple of dance halls. Of course, it isn¡¯t on the scale of New Benton, which I had explored discreetly while officially being confined in the barracks, but Zahl¡­ Zahl feels a little looser than Valetta.¡± ¡°Trust you to find dance halls,¡± Johanna laughed. ¡°Hey, just because you like better to curl up and read doesn¡¯t mean we all have to do it. Besides, it will offer a better perspective for your Ancient.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not my Ancient,¡± she protested. ¡°Well, at least it¡¯s going to be less boring for him.¡± Johanna spotted Laura looking pensive. ¡°You¡¯re okay? We¡¯ll make it through, don¡¯t worry. Besides, you could still be very irregular. That shit the Warden¡¯s men used was potent.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just that. It¡¯s¡­ well, the idea that the Skeleton was watching us all had been an abstract possibility, distant and not too much worth speculating. But your dream vision had driven the point home. There is an Ancient still there, somehow, fifteen decades after the Fall, and he is watching us.¡± ¡°You worry too much. It¡¯s just bones, he doesn¡¯t have the, you know, down there,¡± Peter replied. She threw him an exasperated look, and of course, he couldn¡¯t stop himself, ¡°the thing I¡¯m jealous of is that he probably sees this from both me and you at the same time.¡± She batted at him, totally ineffectually as the dodge automatically happened, even seated. There was a public library, one associated with the main city school. It was full of books mainly for children, unsurprisingly, but there was a section for adults, filled with an eclectic selection of books. Johanna quickly learned most were hand-downs by the city¡¯s bookseller, who cleaned his stock that way from time to time, or even put the first book of a novel series so that people would look up the rest when they didn¡¯t find it in the library. Still, she found some stuff outside of novels. There were a couple of books about the east coast, but mostly about the economy and modern history, like the post-Unification period. She wasn¡¯t a resident, so she wasn¡¯t allowed to take out books, but she could read them in their reading salon. Cheap tea and some kind of biscuits for cents, and you could read one book at a time. She just had to refrain from going to relight the stove when it went out, lest she attracted attention ¨C they used logs that were too wet, she swore ¨C and let the staff do it. The coast was indeed a death zone, she learned, much to her dismay. She knew the west coast was full of Changed beasts, with just the port of New Willapaga far west of Valetta a safe port for fishing in the Montana, but the east coast seemed worse. That was the only place where you still had real Changed swarms. Every ten-twelve years, masses of Changed beasts suddenly erupted out of the wilderness across some hundred-mile-wide fronts. That was why there were no living cities closer to two hundred miles of the coast, save in the far north, beyond the borders of the Union, or down south near the Florida peninsula. There was a book about the ancient cities of the coast, but after she spent an entire afternoon reading it, she was no closer to figuring out the ruins she¡¯d seen in the Ancient¡¯s Dream Realm. She could now recite ¨C at least until she forgot the useless garbage ¨C facts about how each city had its distinctive flavor and concentrated some things. And casinos. She knew about poker, but pure gambling? The one thing that had sparked her interest was a description of a rectangular park in one of those great cities that matched a bit the rectangular forest bordered by ruins. Assuming that wasn¡¯t some kind of displaced bit by Changestorms. But New York ¨C that was a surprisingly modern name for an Ancient city ¨C was some kind of island or peninsula, and that didn¡¯t seem to match what she remembered of the zooming-in city on the table. There had been a huge bay to the east, and another further out, but the city itself didn¡¯t seem to be set on an island surrounded by large rivers. ¡°Not much on precise geography,¡± the librarian admitted, after looking through some school books. ¡°Maybe this?¡± Johanna browsed. The kids¡¯ coursebook was mostly about modern state borders and geography stuff, but it had maps. Including some of the east coast. There were many bays all over the Atlantic, but one place, mid-coast, jumped at her. Two bays, no islands. And if they matched the vision in the Skeleton¡¯s dream realm, then the city near the end of the second bay was the right one. The librarian found a book that mentioned it, and she quickly devoured it. The more she looked, the more it seemed her hunch was the correct one. When she spotted it, she knew it was the right place. The Congress, she read, was at the heart of Washington D.C., at the end of the park called The Mall. That was the long rectangular area of greenery she¡¯d seen, now overrun with trees. With a tall ¡°obelisk¡± which she found out was a slim tower-like stone structure at a crossing in that park. It was still up there in the vision. And behind Congress, the Ancient¡¯s version of the Union Senate was the¡­ Library of Congress. Which was said to have held millions of books before the Fall. She spent a lot of time contemplating the description. A million Ancient books, awaiting their arrival. A million books waiting to be converted into¡­ parchments of power. If they were still there. The perspective boggled her mind. She had to swallow, alone in the reading area of the library. B2.4 - A Quest Accepted A willing spirit diligently performs the sacred duty. Wisdom of the Ancients, book 2 ¡°You found it?¡± ¡°Ninety-nine percent sure. It matches the vision¡­ and it used to hold so many books.¡± ¡°Assuming they¡¯re still there,¡± Tom replied. ¡°You said it was ruined,¡± Peter asked. ¡°I did. But the building¡­ the one the vision was focused on, was still mostly standing. Parts crumbled, but overall intact.¡± ¡°That¡¯s where the Skeleton is sending you? Makes sense there should be lots of them still,¡± Tom said. Johanna nodded. ¡°That¡¯s what I think. That¡¯s the good news.¡± ¡°Bad news?¡± Tom asked. ¡°Let me guess. No one¡¯s managed to get there since the Fall?¡± Peter asked. Johanna smiled awkwardly. Moore had watched Johanna¡¯s reading, of course. He could flit his attention between each of the Four at any time, retaining an awareness of what went in each ¡°window¡± since he did not have peripheral vision, just focus of attention. He had zero idea what had prompted her to check that particular option thoroughly. But the focus on the Library of Congress had been fairly obvious once she started reading in earnest. After nearly six months of doing nothing but the voyeur, he was starting to know her mannerisms, notably in reading, very well. That confirmed mostly what he hoped for, that his ideas, his hopes, and recommendations had somehow made their way into her consciousness despite the lack of true communication. If they found a library, a major bookstore, anything, they could start the ball rolling on reconquering their world. That she fixated on the fucking Library of Congress as their objective spoke of¡­ well, ambition. Kudos, but you¡¯re setting yourself up for a massive endeavor. He¡¯d read plenty along her and Peter¡¯s searches which he did on the side, and the depictions of the east coast made the mana zone the Four had crossed look like a walk into Disney Park. No real base of operations close by, major threats, and a high density of Changed beasts. He looked briefly at the store of his personal XP. That was his major problem right now. After the 4500 unexpected XP, he had nothing new. He couldn¡¯t even attempt to pull one of them for another¡­ well, ¡°discussion¡± if such a thing was possible. He had to rely on them to figure out the steps by themselves. Besides, if he was honest with himself, his competencies were mostly about amateur gaming, and managing human resources in a corporate or startup structure. Setting up expeditions into hostile territory in a game was too easy. Click on a map to set a destination, enjoy a cinematic, and let invisible gnomes or daemons do the Sherpa work behind the scenes. Peter was leaning back on his chair, Laura was frowning, and of course, Tom remained placid and unperturbed. ¡°Two hundred miles of mana zones,¡± Peter finally said. ¡°He couldn¡¯t give you an easier objective?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what it thinks. He?¡± ¡°Laura thinks he¡¯s a he. Too small hip bones on that skeleton.¡± ¡°Okay, he. But you have to admit it makes sense. It is supposed to be the largest store of books in the entire pre-Fall continent, if not the entire world.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a lot of potential parchments,¡± he replied. ¡°That¡¯s true. And I think that¡¯s the point,¡± she said. Johanna chewed briefly on her lip, remembering. What had the Skeleton said? What makes your allies begin there, and, the powers the world needs. How did those words fit? After all, it was the Ancient¡¯s power that manifested when they handled Ancient Books. It was the one who decided how to turn them into parchments of power. ¡°The Ancient said we were to use them for our allies¡­ but they also are the power the world needs.¡± ¡°What does it mean?¡± Laura asked. ¡°I have no idea. It spoke oddly, for sure. But there has to be something behind that. We¡¯re supposed to recruit allies, I guess. And then, maybe give the power to others?¡± ¡°Why does the world need power?¡± Peter asked. She realized she had an answer there. ¡°We¡¯ve been to the mana zones. Remember the Narrows? Where we fought that giant hedgehog? Captain Devereaux¡­¡± she hesitated briefly, remembering how they had to kill him, during their escape from the Army, ¡°¡­ said they would have suffered terrible losses.¡± ¡°Killed that thing easily, though,¡± Tom noted. ¡°Exactly. A large part of the continent is uninhabitable by people because it¡¯s too dangerous. Ancients had weapons powerful enough to deal with wild beasts, but we don¡¯t need to. We can contend with Changed beasts with¡­ Talents.¡± Johanna stopped, and the rest stared at her, recognizing one of her moments. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°I¡¯m just wondering if people can have Changed beast¡¯s Talents.¡± ¡°Or the reverse,¡± Tom said, smiling. ¡°It seems unfair. There is someone Talented per hundred thousand people, Elena Worchester said. How come Talented Changed beasts are so numerous?¡± Laura complained. ¡°I guess the world isn¡¯t fair,¡± Johanna acknowledged. ¡°As if the Fall didn¡¯t prove it,¡± Laura said. ¡°But we know how to make it fairer,¡± she replied. ¡°It¡¯s not fair that we¡¯re the ones to do it,¡± she countered. ¡°We don¡¯t. That¡¯s what the Ancient wants. We turn the tables. People with our powers¡­ can safely hunt the dangers hidden there. Whittle the Lepus hordes before they become problems for the fields. Keep the real predators in check.¡± ¡°And win wars,¡± Peter said softly. Johanna deflated slightly. ¡°That too,¡± she admitted. ¡°But before we get to that, we need to get there. We need planning.¡± All nodded back, and she started enumerating goals. ¡°First, get as much distance between us and the Montana, as fast as possible.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t hurry weather,¡± Tom noted. ¡°I know. Even if winter isn¡¯t officially started yet, we¡¯ve got early snowfall. If it¡¯s like that for the rest of the season, we may end up being stuck here for months. ¡®Leave with the first snow, be found after the last snow¡¯ is a local saying, apparently. That doesn¡¯t mean we can¡¯t make an itinerary. So, we need a destination.¡± ¡°Which is?¡± Laura asked. ¡°Independence State. It¡¯s the second largest, and the most populous of the Union, but it has two additional important bits going for it. It¡¯s one that Catherine said doesn¡¯t have draft laws, and two, it abuts the mana zones of the East Coast.¡± ¡°Would have thought that Fremont or the True Missouri would be our destination since they¡¯re a bit closer, but no,¡± she noted. ¡°That was before¡­¡± ¡°Before you got a holy mission from a dead Ancient, you mean,¡± Peter injected. ¡°Before we all got that. Remember, it looks like we all need to be there to convert Ancient books into those parchments.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one who likes all those fantasy novels, remember.¡± She frowned, and he raised his hands defensively, without further comments. ¡°So, Independence State,¡± Laura said. ¡°And the closer to Washington DC, the better, but I don¡¯t know anything about the state, beyond the rough geography lesson back in Anasta from Mrs. Vanu.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get more maps from the store,¡± Peter replied. ¡°Tomorrow, that is.¡± ¡°Second objective. A plan for that Library,¡± Johanna said. ¡°Worse than the Northern Barrier?¡± Tom asked. ¡°We¡¯ve improved a bit, true, but it¡¯s not comparable. We have power, but we have our limits. Those mana zones still give Changed waves occasionally. There are probably a lot more Changed than we encountered back when we fled Kootenai Gap. We need¡­ allies. Like he said.¡± ¡°You mean additional people with Talents,¡± Laura noted. ¡°How did they call it? Catch-22?¡± Johanna grimaced. ¡°Yes, we need parchments to get more parchments later.¡± ¡°And people,¡± Tom added. ¡°Not everyone¡¯s going to be interested in accompanying us there, even if they get Talents in exchange,¡± Peter noted. Johanna blinked slowly. ¡°Salvagers.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Salvagers. People like us. People who routinely go into all kinds of ruins.¡± ¡°For profit,¡± Laura noted. ¡°Can¡¯t beat Talents,¡± Tom said, and Johanna laughed. ¡°You said it yourself earlier, Laura. Getting Talents ought to be worth a lot. And you can use Talents to scavenge ruins with higher safety.¡± ¡°I guess it¡¯s not just armies who¡¯d like to have Talents available,¡± Laura admitted. ¡°Just my Talent for seeing mana in action would be invaluable for a team.¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather avoid competition. Given the prices, I¡¯d rather we find these Artifacts first.¡± ¡°That too. We can equip you, make you safer.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s make that side objective one.¡± Johanna nodded. ¡°Okay, back to objective two. Finding salvagers to recruit.¡± ¡°Sounds good, but I doubt we¡¯ll find them on a map,¡± Peter said. ¡°We¡¯ll see when we get to Independence, I guess.¡± ¡°So, that¡¯s step two. What next?¡± Peter asked. ¡°I think that¡¯s enough. I know. It¡¯s not easy.¡± ¡°It¡¯s never in your novels,¡± Peter said with a smirk. ¡°You don¡¯t have to leave all the planning to me, you know?¡± He raised his hands defensively. ¡°It¡¯s easier. So, we need maps, itinerary, recruits¡­?¡± ¡°Money,¡± Laura immediately added. ¡°That too,¡± Johanna admitted. ¡°That first,¡± Laura countered. ¡°Makes travel easier, makes recruiting easier. Makes people take you seriously.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll have ¡®take seriously¡¯ money easily.¡± Laura shrugged. ¡°But we already know how to make some money. Salvage. Tom was already asking about ruins, after all.¡± ¡°Do we have to scavenge right now?¡± Laura asked. ¡°Not right now. We have enough money to stay here until April if necessary, but even if we camp on the road later, we still need money to resupply, and when we arrive in Independence State. One advantage we have here is that we¡¯re staying for a while, given the weather, so we may as well prepare. Who knows if we will find opportunities for salvaging, and more importantly selling that salvage while moving.¡± ¡°I asked a bit about the area when the town hall yesterday,¡± Peter added. ¡°Let me get back that map.¡± The small man darted up to the rooms, before coming back with the Zahl County map. ¡°Okay, so your Mark guy was right. The plains east of Zahl are, or rather, were peppered with small houses and farm groups from before the Fall, but almost all of those have vanished by now. And most were scavenged in the early years, over a century ago,¡± Peter explained. Johanna winced and Peter shrugged. ¡°I mean, even if Zahl apparently got established over a set of pre-Fall structures, there¡¯s nothing left of the original, unlike Valetta. Now, there are a few sizeable ruins still around, but nothing appears to be on the order of the one that was near home,¡± he continued. ¡°How sizeable?¡± Johanna asked. ¡°A mile across. That¡¯s south of here. Fifty miles, at about one-and-a-half-day travel in non-winter conditions. Two, maybe more depending on snowfall.¡± ¡°Anything else?¡± Peter pointed east-northeast on the map unrolled on their table. ¡°This is ¡®Fallen Hill¡¯. Apparently, the county was comprised entirely of plains when the Fall occurred, but there were a number of powerful Changestorms, and they left bits of forests around¡­ and one big hill. Or maybe a plateau ¨C it looks relatively flat and dozens of miles wide. Somewhat heavy Mana zone, unsurprisingly. The vegetation around is a unique weed that regrows in weeks if you try to burn it down, but thankfully it does not spread outside of three-four miles around the hill thing. There are reports of some ruins on that flat, but almost nobody made it up there in recent times. The last attempt at an expedition was almost thirty years ago.¡± Johanna¡¯s eyebrows rose. ¡°Yea, the plains of Dakota are not that simple,¡± Peter said. ¡°And then you get the Magical Forest.¡± Johanna¡¯s even more surprised look prompted Peter to point to another area. ¡°It¡¯s another mana zone, a perfect circle of thirty miles across, thirty miles north of here. Another Changestorm popped it in place after the Fall, like Fallen Hill. It looks like southern trees, apparently, something like ¡®palm trees¡¯ that thrive there despite the climate. Got lots of Changed beasts inside, but they rarely come out. Nobody really explored it, so it might have some well-preserved buildings like the ones we found back west. Or maybe nothing.¡± ¡°Lots of Changed?¡± Tom asked. ¡°Most of the wild Changed that you find in the plains nearby come from there. No Lepuses, though,¡± Peter said, snorting. ¡°Let¡¯s focus on those ruins known to exist and that aren¡¯t cleared already,¡± Johanna said. Peter nodded, ¡°Think you can find us another Artifact?¡± ¡°Who knows? Maybe we can even get some Ancient books as well. We might get lucky. I know¡­¡± ¡°Never found any book before, right?¡± Tom asked rhetorically. ¡°And the closest was that map in the Mana zone, but I don¡¯t think it would work. Well, we didn¡¯t know before that these could be more than collector items,¡± Johanna admitted. Laura took on a pensive stare. ¡°How much do you think we could sell those parchments for?¡± Johanna looked at her horrified. ¡°Hey, just a random thought. Artifacts are valuable, but you can lose them. Or resell them. Parchments¡­ you use them, and then their power is yours forever. That¡¯s bound to be somewhat valuable, sure. All kinds of people may have Ancient books, like the ones the Countess had collected. How much would they pay for us to turn them into Talented?¡± Laura said. ¡°No need to salvage,¡± Tom laughed. ¡°It¡¯s all moot until we find more books,¡± Laura admitted. B2.5 - One Year to the Next Christmas is the day that holds all time together. Pre-Fall quote Zahl Weekly had very little in terms of foreign news. Still, news items percolated across the white wastes of the Dakota, telling Johanna that, yes, mail circulated, even if slowly. But either the printer stretched their publication as much as he could, or they took a very long time to arrive.
Fears of Recession hit the Montana Marches Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. As the Wardenship digs deeper and deeper into its coffers to fuel the ongoing war and sustain an increased army, people are starting to anticipate increased taxes. While most of the tax harvest is spent within the State in various ways, an increasing amount is spent on the foreign purchases of gear, although little of that benefits the Dakota¡­
Petra¡¯s Special, but she worked for customers ordering more classic drinks, which she seemed to know well. Mages of America, and went back to the bar where Petra was mixing another drink already. She opened it on the appropriate reference page and showed it to her as soon as she came back from serving the drinks at the table. Petra¡¯s specials once I figured out I could do that kind of thing. For over two years now. The fact that I can¡¯t do lots of those adds to the prestige¡­ and the price Timothy charges for those. Not going to be bartending forever, but it pays the bills.¡± Johanna¡¯s Specials too. Hot drinks with lots of flames. And, of course, more of these drinks. Mages of America volume. ¡°Weird to know that this little thing is actually a thing. Are you?¡­ ¡± B2.6 - Vanished Poets The color of wintertime is in our imagination. Pre-Fall quote ¡°So, the plan is to strike once, for maximum potential earnings,¡± Peter noted. ¡°And then we leave. The weather¡¯s looking warmer than usual, and the roads aren¡¯t as bad as they were in February. If, as everyone says, most ruins got salvaged early, then either we try the large ruins south, or we strike for the unknown,¡± Johanna replied. ¡°The Fallen Hill.¡± ¡°Sounds like the best prospect to me. Assuming the ruins spotted up top are big enough, no one¡¯s ever scavenged there, plus there¡¯s enough Mana around that you can expect to find lots of well-preserved stuff. We need money for once we arrive in Independence.¡± ¡°So, we get there, fill the bags, sell, and then move,¡± Peter said. ¡°Your itinerary along the Missouri sounds safe. There are enough small towns that, in the event of a late winter blizzard, we can get to safety before things get too bad. With magical fire, it¡¯s easier to manage. The risk is worth it.¡± It was Laura who finished. ¡°And now, you want to recruit Petra.¡± ¡°We¡¯re headed east to get parchments of power, but we need more people with Talents. That¡¯s the other point. She¡¯s already empowered to a degree,¡± Johanna said. ¡°An adept with low power and a single talent.¡± Laura caught Johanna¡¯s frown. ¡°Simply enumerating what can go wrong.¡± ¡°According to Elena ¨C and the Mage compendium confirms the story ¨C there was at least one occurrence of an adept becoming a full sorcerer somehow. So, it should be doable.¡± ¡°If parchments can be used to further empower someone.¡± ¡°If they can¡¯t¡­ shouldn¡¯t we figure out this as soon as possible?¡± Johanna asked, before adding, ¡°Besides, once Catherine got her first Talent, and whatever Shaper means, she had no difficulty picking the additional ones for her. So¡­ do we, or do we not?¡± ¡°You¡¯re the boss, Jo. And maybe we can get her to pay for some of the expedition.¡± Johanna blinked, before shaking her head. ¡°I¡¯m more worried about how to convince her without saying too much until we have parchments. She might not be swayed easily.¡± ¡°Heading out soon?¡± Petra Veldhuis asked as Johanna took her customary seat at the bar. ¡°How can you tell?¡± ¡°The weather. Those southerners are getting ready. I¡¯ll give them one, maybe two weeks and if the weather holds, they¡¯ll be gone. It looks like one of those years where March is good.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve plotted our way. There is a big stretch, but once you get to the Missouri, we should be good into the central states.¡± ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°Ultimately¡­ we¡¯re heading to the east coast.¡± Petra whistled. ¡°I know you talked about that scavenging, and how it gives good money if you have big ruins. But¡­ isn¡¯t that a bit dangerous?¡± ¡°Probably. We¡¯re not heading straight there anyway. We need preparations. And more people.¡± Petra¡¯s eyebrow rose slightly. ¡°Is that where you offer me a job?¡± Johanna startled. ¡°Am I so obvious?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been probing about my job satisfaction and similar stuff for almost three months now. Never bet a bartender won¡¯t pick what you¡¯re interested in.¡± She laughed. ¡°Salvaging ruins sounds fun, although I have no idea what I¡¯d be good for with you. Want someone to cool your drinks? I don¡¯t think that¡¯s useful in scavenging Ancient goods. I mean, I¡¯m not a hulking mass of muscle to haul loot like your husband.¡± ¡°No. But we¡¯re betting we can turn that ¡®trick¡¯ of yours into something way more useful later.¡± It was Petra¡¯s turn to frown. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine how.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t expect you to. That¡¯s part of what preparations we¡¯ll need before the east coast. But if you¡¯re interested, then¡­ as soon as we find some Ancient books, I can show you why. But yes, until then, it¡¯s a bet. Do you want to stay bartending in Zahl¡­ or try something new? Use your cold ability for more than drinks, one day?¡± ¡°Just like that?¡± ¡°If you want to test yourself¡­ we¡¯re going to head for some scavenging soon. I¡¯d like to have more money just in case, so we¡¯re going to do a full expedition before we leave. You can come with us, and see how it works. It¡¯s not complicated work, just sorting through Ancient goods to find what seems good to sell. You also need a strong back. Or build one if you don¡¯t have one yet.¡± ¡°Trial run, then? And you¡¯re looking for Ancient books? I mean, okay, ancient stuff sells for more than modern¡­ but paper¡¯s heavy. Do they sell for that much?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not for selling. If we find some¡­ then I can show you why we think you can be useful, more than you think. So, maybe we¡¯ll get lucky with this trial run.¡± ¡°What¡¯s important about being Ancient books? I mean, besides being old, they do look pretty normal. Edvin¡¯s old childhood book didn¡¯t look bizarre, except maybe a bit yellow for its paper.¡± ¡°You have one?¡± Johanna startled. ¡°One of the handfuls of things I kept from him. It¡¯s some silly poems collection, supposedly the greatest Ancient poets and authors. Edvin didn¡¯t like the book, but it was given to him by his mother to read to be better at his letters, so he treasured it anyway.¡± Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Johanna hesitated briefly. ¡°Look. If you want to join us, then I can show you.¡± ¡°You make it seems like it¡¯s a big and major secret. Like, well, some grand book epic.¡± ¡°It is a secret, yes. It¡¯s up to you. Just¡­ well, we¡¯ve learned since. If I show it to you, your life will change. Forever.¡± ¡°Sounds totally ominous.¡± Johanna stood up. ¡°I don¡¯t need an answer right now.¡± They all sat at the table. Johanna looked the young woman in the eye, hoping she was right¡­ and it would work. Besides, the Skeleton wanted that to happen. ¡°You have your Ancient original book?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Petra said, sliding it in front of her. It looked genuinely ancient, not a modern re-backed original like the ones from Catherine. But when Johanna moved, she raised her other hand in warning. ¡°But I¡¯m not letting it go. Not unless you tell me what it¡¯s really about.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. Just¡­ beware.¡± ¡°Beware of what?¡± She put her hand over the woman¡¯s, reaching for the book cover. Lines of uncanny blue rose through their hands over the Ancient tome, swirling in strange ways. Petra¡¯s eyes grew wider. Johanna stared at the unnatural paper that dropped over her hand. It was different. Still four corners, like what she¡¯d expected as the first parchment made for someone. But with one, or maybe two striking differences. The Level mention she¡¯d expected, the one she thought might raise Petra from adept to true Talented, was missing. Instead, one of the corners was labeled Frostbite, with a heavy dark ink bar across the curved word. She raised her gaze, looking at the woman, who was staring at the paper with an expression of absolute disbelief. ¡°It was cold. I¡¯m good with some cold, but that¡­ what happened?¡± ¡°It is about magical Talents. We know¡­ we think they come from the Ancients. And by using their works, their Ancient Books, we can create those sheets of paper¡­ we call them parchments of power. They can be used to bestow Talents on people. To you,¡± Johanna said. She winced at how corny it sounded. But that didn¡¯t mean it wasn¡¯t true. ¡°This one should fit you. But I think¡­ it will remove your ability first.¡± ¡°My ability? You mean the ice touch you showed me?¡± ¡°Frostbite, it looks like it¡¯s called. It is barely useable, you said so.¡± ¡°But, it¡¯s mine. It¡¯s a Talent, as you said¡­ Can someone even lose a Talent?¡± ¡°Usually, people don¡¯t lose them, but it¡¯s happened. The parchment here will grant you another, more powerful. Earthbind. Based on the name, I think¡­ I had it. Before it went away, to be replaced by a fire-based power.¡± Petra looked at Johanna, surprised. ¡°You had that? Wait, you¡¯re a sorceress?¡± ¡°Well, yes.¡± ¡°You said you weren¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°I just said I was interested in Talents, not that I didn¡¯t have any. So, Earthbind? It will freeze anyone in its tracks. That spell is thought to be an earth-element type, and that matches Earth Shaper as something you should have.¡± ¡°Okay, so if I want to get that, I just¡­ I just do what?¡± ¡°Take it. And accept it.¡± Johanna watched as the blue lines started to swirl slowly, tracing the scroll¡¯s inked lines. Petra was hesitating, she saw. She was going to encourage her when the scroll started to flash-burn, and vanished, leaving no trace. ¡°How does it work?¡± Before Johanna could answer, Petra raised her finger. ¡°Oh, my god. You were right. I can¡¯t feel it. I can¡¯t feel the cool anymore.¡± ¡°Looks like you just lost your job,¡± Peter said. ¡°Welcome to the team.¡± ¡°As for the Earthbind, you just look at someone¡­ and wish them not to move,¡± Johanna said, remembering her own experience. ¡°It somehow works.¡± ¡°Even on you? But how would I know?¡± ¡°Just¡­ turn it on and off. We call it, and you¡¯ll know it¡¯s real.¡± Petra immediately set her eyes on Tom, frowning. He laughed and started walking back and forth until he stopped abruptly. ¡°Locked. Unlocked,¡± he immediately said as he resumed moving. After a few tries, Petra said ¡°Feels empty. Like when I¡¯m done with cooling.¡± ¡°Your reserves were not big. They will be much larger¡­ but you need to wait. I need to wait an entire night to recover mine when I fully expend myself.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re a powerful sorceress? Of course, you are, if you can grant that. All of you?¡± ¡°Laura and I, we have magics. Tom and Peter are Heroes instead, with physical prowess-based Talents¡­ although sometimes, it borders on magic. Speaking of which, Tom?¡± Petra looked at him, as he took the book from Johanna, and more lines started to twist above the tome. Moore had little difficulty deciphering the context. He did not need every detail, but the four had decided to induct that specialization-less sorceress-slash-bartender. He was not sure why, he did not know the details of Johanna¡¯s thinking, but he would trust her to pick the right person since she now knew what he could do. The question was: what to do for Veldhuis now that he could look at her descriptor? After all, he still lacked any way to ask. The first thing that struck him was that the Frostbite skill was all wrong. With only 13, the young woman didn¡¯t have nearly enough starting Empathy to fuel any serious water/ice/mist-based specialization. She could get away with that spell since it required only Authority, but the rest of the choices would require a large investment in the stat. Which brought him to the real question. His guess what that had to have a starting 16 Authority, even if she was a mere hundred XP from leveling it, thanks to the meager but relentless grinding of her unspecialized skill. But a base Agility at 17 meant she was much better placed for an Explorer-based spec. Just because she¡¯d picked a magical skill at random did not mean she had to be a ¡°sorceress¡±. Despite the name, Explorer was pretty much physical combat. In particular, he was convinced the name and Perception¡¯s baseline Sentinel designation were swapped somehow. All three of the level 5 variants of the baseline he could see revolved around blades, pikes, and similar implements of battle, with different emphasis on additional aspects. And besides, he did not have access to the Agility/Authority variant, as neither Tom nor Peter had any significant Authority. Using Johanna would be the cheapest way to unlock it and check what it did specifically, but he had no interesting Agility fire skill for her at the next level. He wasn¡¯t looking to spend anyone¡¯s XP here but trying to earn some for himself. What to do, what to do¡­ Ultimately, familiar ways called out for him. She started as a minor sorceress, after all. So¡­ Earth Shaper it was going to be. Outdoor survival, sword in hand, was out. Support and defensive sorcery were in. Thankfully, the ice spell was low-tiered and thus cheap to remove since it couldn¡¯t be improved, ever. Authority (for cheap, to 17). Earth Shaper specialization. Drop useless Frostbite skill (thankfully again, for cheap XP). Add¡­ Add Earthbind. Sorry, Johanna. It¡¯s back but not for you. I know better now. The real problem was that the volume ¨C Poets & Inspirations, what a pompous title ¨C was not a huge one, and he didn¡¯t see Ms. Veldhuis having brought another. Which meant squeezing the most of it. Strength and Dexterity-based skills would have to wait. The book was ravaged, just like the two previous books Johanna and the team had converted. There were about five pages left, and Johanna didn¡¯t need to hand it to Laura to check. Without more materials, they would have to settle for that. The two sheets that had popped were basic ones, simply labeled ManaSight and Tremor. Tremor, Johanna had no idea what it was in the mage compendium. She would have to figure out if something evoked tremors. Mana Sight, she could hazard a guess, which was immediately confirmed after Petra picked the scroll. The bartender ¨C former bartender ¨C could see the plumes of mana twisting over Laura¡¯s artifact gloves, meaning she now had the same ability as her.
Petra Janneke Veldhuis Female human, 25 years, 10 months
Earth Shaper Level: 5 (8000 XP needed) 1/115 mana (+16 per hour) 2 unallocated skill points XP: 3313
STR: 15 AUT: 17 (2000 XP needed) Tremor (39)
AGI: 17 (980 XP needed) Earthbind (39) PER: 16 (2000 XP needed) Mana Sight (37)
DEX: 14 EMP: 13
+3.9 Strength for skill checks 39% more stability Detect mana flows & pools of 27.0 size or greater
¡°Congratulations. You¡¯re an archmage now.¡± ¡°Archmage?¡± ¡°Someone with three sorcerous abilities. Earthbind, Tremor, Mana Sight.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s say that last year¡­ last year, there was one single archmage in the entire continent.¡± ¡°You¡¯re one, right?¡± ¡°In a way, me and Laura, we¡¯re an entirely different kind of thing, I think. But Catherine¡­ Countess Rocastle is the fourth archmage of the Union of States. And you¡¯re now the fifth.¡± Then Johanna laughed. ¡°I think this title will need some revision soon, though.¡± B2.7 - Guard Duty Step up or stand down. Your nature will tell you which to do. Wisdom of the Ancients, book 2 ¡°This is the Kunst place. I¡¯m not sure Valen is still alive, but he¡¯s one of the three that attempted to find a path to the top of Fallen Hill, like thirty years ago,¡± Petra said. Johanna looked at the other three ¨C no, four ¨C of them, and then knocked. She didn¡¯t have to wait for very long before the door opened, and the figure that answered was definitively not an old man. ¡°Hey, remember you¡±, Tom said, ¡°Mark.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the guy from the Montana Marches, I remember too from last year,¡± the man said in reply. ¡°If you¡¯re looking for my brother or father, they¡¯re at the factory.¡± ¡°Well, no, we¡¯re mostly interested in that changed plateau, Fallen Hill. We were told it was¡­ well, your grandfather who was among those who went there last,¡± Johanna explained. ¡°That¡¯s true. But he¡¯s been dead for over two years.¡± Johanna made an unhappy face. ¡°But I do remember the old stories. When I was a little kid, having such an adventurer for a grandpa¡­ that was something. Fun stories to be had. Want to come in?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Once they got into the dining room, and Mark Kunst offered them some drinks, they settled in to grill him about their target. ¡°Yes, there were ruins up there. He never got to explore them. The three of them met packs of Canids every time. They usually had to run away. But it did look like Ancient ruins. That was during his third expedition.¡± ¡°How many did he do?¡± ¡°Four runs in total. Two up to the top, after Georg found some trails going up. But they always found Canids roaming around. Grandpa didn¡¯t know how many packs there were, but one large pack is enough to cause trouble. There was at least one empowered Canid each time. They found at least two different ones ¨C a fire-breathing one, and one that seemed to run incredibly fast.¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to scout there. Try to scavenge some stuff. If the ruins haven¡¯t been disturbed since the Fall, there might be useful stuff up there. So, we want all the details you have on those ruins. Anything you remember.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s going to be mighty dangerous. Grandpa Valen stopped trying after Georg got mauled their last time there. They barely saved him, making it back to Zahl. He lost his left arm to infection, though, and never walked quite right again. Are you sure¡­¡± ¡°We can handle ourselves,¡± Johanna reassured him. ¡°You believe them, Petra?¡± he asked instead. ¡°Ohhh, yes, I do. I wouldn¡¯t go with them otherwise.¡± ¡°Wait, you¡¯re going with them?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m there all along. Trial run. See how much I can help. And yes, I¡¯ve given notice to Timothy. No more Petra¡¯s specials.¡± She shrugged at the mention, but Mark obviously couldn¡¯t guess the real meaning of that part. After losing her original Talent, there was no way she could explain being now unable to make those. ¡°Did your grandfather make maps?¡± Johanna asked. ¡°He sure did. I can check, all his stuff¡¯s still upstairs.¡± ¡°If you could¡­¡± After Mark went up, they discussed their options. ¡°If we get maps of that trail, it¡¯ll save us lots of time,¡± Johanna said. Mark came back very quickly with a bundle of rolled papers with him. He put one on the table, unrolling an old yellowed map. Pencil marks outlined an area northeast of Zahl, one that Johanna recognized as where the Fallen Hill was supposed to be. ¡°Mana zone borders. Nobody¡¯s sure how zones change if they even do, but grandpa made sure he knew where it was, not just relying on the mana-infused weeds. Outside of the border, you never know what¡¯s prowling around, but inside, you¡¯re certain to get Changed beasts around, so you need to be extra ready.¡± ¡°If you could lend these, it would help. We¡¯ll return them after the expedition, of course,¡± Johanna said. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Mark looked at her, then Petra. He hesitated briefly, then asked, ¡°You are serious about going on top?¡± ¡°Totally. We¡¯re scavengers. That¡¯s what we do. And yes, we¡¯re not that worried about Canids. It would not be the first time.¡± ¡°Even fire Canids?¡± ¡°Even them,¡± Johanna said, remembering her first fight, back when they still didn¡¯t know about Talents. ¡°Then I¡¯ll escort you.¡± Johanna blinked. ¡°I¡¯m a city guard after all. I do part-time accounting for my father¡¯s business, but I¡¯ve been trained with bow and pike. I can stand my ground if needed. And¡­ well, finishing grandpa¡¯s story would be nice. He always wondered what the ruins were like. I would like to know.¡± She looked at the rest of them before focusing again on Mark Kunst. ¡°That¡¯s a bit unexpected.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it for free, too. No need to give me a share of your loot. Got a job, after all.¡± That wasn¡¯t what worried Johanna, though. ¡°Can we talk about it among ourselves?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going upstairs. I promise not to listen.¡± She watched him go up, then nodded to Peter, who nodded back. She felt the distraction come in, and let her friend go check. ¡°Do we allow him to come?¡± she asked. She looked at Petra. ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°Well, he is a city guard. What can we discuss openly¡­?¡± ¡°Peter¡¯s making sure.¡± ¡°Wait, where is he?¡± ¡°You won¡¯t see him,¡± Johanna smiled. Petra was not used to their Talents, after all. The former bartender shook her head, realizing it was probably something the rest took for granted. ¡°Don¡¯t know. I mean, it¡¯s up to you. Me, I¡¯m the new one.¡± ¡°The thing is, if we face Canid packs, it¡¯s going to be obvious something¡¯s going on,¡± Laura noted. ¡°Once we start using Talents. Exactly my worry,¡± Johanna said. ¡°Aren¡¯t you¡­ we leaving after that scavenge run?¡± Petra asked. ¡°We are. Worst case, he blabs after we leave,¡± she realized. ¡°Can¡¯t hurt us then,¡± Tom said. Johanna noted Peter at the doorway, giving her a thumbs up. The guy was truly not listening then. She nodded back. ¡°Okay. It will be awkward if ¨C once ¨C we start fighting, but we¡¯ll see.¡± ¡°So, tent, heavy clothes, lots of dried food. Sounds familiar. It¡¯s like going on a patrol, after all.¡± ¡°Yeah. The weather is okay, so we¡¯d rather start tomorrow as early as possible,¡± Johanna told Mark. ¡°I¡¯ll warn dad I will be away. I think¡­ he will be tickled pink that I¡¯m the one going after grandpa¡¯s old stories. But he¡¯s got the business to take care of.¡± ¡°Lucky him. Or lucky you,¡± Peter said. Mark shrugged. They all gathered at the north gate of Zahl, much to the guards¡¯ surprise there. ¡°Mark? Heading out?¡± one said, eyeing the unstrung bow and the halves of the pike. Apparently, Mark¡¯s guard outfit included a removable top for his pike. All of his weapons were laced on his back, over a well-worn backpack. ¡°I¡¯m escorting those people,¡± he answered, waving at the four. ¡°Speaking of which, where¡¯s¡­ Ah, here she is.¡± Petra jogged to the gate, almost breathless. ¡°Sorry. The home¡¯s at the opposite part of the city.¡± ¡°All packed?¡± Johanna asked. ¡°Ready.¡± She turned back to Mark, who was still talking with his fellow guards. ¡°No, they¡¯re headed to Fallen Hill. They want to scavenge the ruins on top,¡± he was explaining. ¡°No way you¡¯d let anyone beat your grandpa there, right?¡± ¡°Right,¡± he said laughing. ¡°Remember, we¡¯re starting a few patrols starting soon if the weather truly holds. Can I count on you?¡± one of them, looking significantly older, asked. Mark turned back to them. ¡°You said two and a half days travel, so five days. Count six to be safe. Depending on the ruins, that could be up to two weeks up there,¡± Johanna said. Mark did the math in his head and winced. ¡°That¡¯s tight then. Worst case, we get back on just before April.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it,¡± the one looking like a senior guard. ¡°I can cover you for the first patrol. But you¡¯d better be back before the next.¡± ¡°Aye aye, sir.¡± ¡°Good luck. And tell us what¡¯s really up there.¡± ¡°As soon as I¡¯m back!¡± Mark replied happily. Mark caught up with Johanna barely an hour later. ¡°Problem?¡± she asked. ¡°Maybe.¡± ¡°What kind?¡± ¡°I apologize in advance, but¡­ I noticed you seem a bit under-equipped.¡± Johanna¡¯s surprise registered briefly. ¡°Petra has brought a small crossbow, which probably will not be of much help against Canids, but is something. But you four¡­¡± He looked at her significantly. ¡°All you have is a big knife, and that¡¯s it. The big guy has this big hammer thing, but I don¡¯t see anything else. Same for all of you, no ranged weapons. I think the small guy¡­¡± ¡°Peter.¡± ¡°¡­ Peter has a sword, I saw what looks like a scabbard, but it¡¯s in his backpack. If we get attacked, it¡¯s not going to be enough time to get it out.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. He can get it out before you¡¯ve drawn your bow,¡± Johanna said. The instant transfer of weapons between Peter¡¯s hands was one of those heroic abilities that bordered on actual magic. He just had to touch Swordcutter in his backpack with at least a thumb and a finger, and it would instantly jump in his other hand, unsheathed. Back after the attack from the bandits by Cattlemen Glory, they¡¯d tried to use it offensively, but if someone else was holding the weapon, he couldn¡¯t move it to his hand. Or he would have had an even better version of Disarm than the one Valentin, the Guardian, had obtained. But, of course, she wasn¡¯t about to explain to Mark Kunst the weirdness of heroic abilities. At least not yet, despite his dubious looks. ¡°Look, I thought you were serious when you said it wouldn¡¯t be a problem. But you don¡¯t seem to take Canids seriously¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯ve fought Canids before. Once, a pack of three with a fire one. We know about Canids. Or worse creatures. There were only Canids up there, you said?¡± ¡°That¡¯s all grandpa mentioned. There are other beasts around on the plains, but he never mentioned any of these being up.¡± Mark got lost in his thoughts for a minute or two. ¡°Listen. If I think it¡¯s dangerous, then we turn back.¡± ¡°We¡­¡± ¡°No question. In theory, as a Zahl guard, and we would still be in Zahl county, I have enough authority to order you. And yes, I don¡¯t want you to die stupidly.¡± She sighed. ¡°Mark. It is going to be fine. We are ready to tackle most of the things you meet in heavy mana zones. We¡¯ve been there before.¡± His looks told her he did not believe her. The only thing she could have done was to give him a demonstration of her abilities, but she would delay that for as long as possible. Besides, throwing a fireball that close to Zahl was dangerous. B2.8 - Combo Power Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much. Pre-Fall quote The trip felt a bit strange to Johanna. The addition of two people to what was normally an expedition between four people who knew each other for years, if not since childhood, changed the dynamics of things a bit. The one thing that Petra had not anticipated among scavenger tasks was the watch duty. Mark had been completely unsurprised ¨C his job as a guard had prepared him for patrols out from Zahl, and whenever one of those had to stay in the outdoors at night, rather than sleep in a farm hub, you kept watch. The advantage of having two more people was that they didn¡¯t need to all stand watch every night. The duty could be spread a bit. Even if Petra was not used to that particular version of staying up late without having customers around. ¡°Never left Zahl before, actually,¡± she had confessed as they left the first camp. ¡°Really?¡± Johanna said. ¡°Born there, and I never needed to leave.¡± ¡°That sounds weird. Grew up on a farm. So, between working in the fields, and going to Valetta ¨C our local city ¨C with dad to sell produce¡­ It¡¯s a bit hard to imagine never leaving home for twenty years.¡± Then Johanna laughed, prompting a surprised look from Petra. ¡°No, just thinking that I¡¯ve not just left home, but my home State altogether.¡± ¡°And we¡¯re heading even further, you mean,¡± Petra replied. ¡°Some stories of the Ancients say they didn¡¯t think much of crossing the continent in hours. Flying over it, even.¡± ¡°Now that would help.¡± ¡°It would. By the way, I¡¯ve looked at the Mage¡¯s list and I think I found what looks like Tremor.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve not tried to do it. If I even know how to do it.¡± ¡°Believe me, it becomes easier with practice. Even for new spells.¡± ¡°New spells?¡± ¡°Well, we¡­ you only had enough of a book to give you three. I have five, we could give four to Catherine, so there is no reason why you can¡¯t have more.¡± ¡°When I stop and start thinking about it, it feels like insanity,¡± Petra confessed. ¡°Wait until you try Tremor. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s what¡¯s named Quaking Earth in the reference. It fits the earth theme.¡± ¡°And what am I supposed to be able to do?¡± ¡°Like it says. You¡¯re going to¡­ shake the earth. Enough that people and things should get knocked down. Like the earthquakes my grandpa spoke about. Although I¡¯m hoping yours to be much bigger than what¡¯s described in the book.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°There have been two people with it in recorded history, and they both had a roughly 25 yards radius of effect. But if there exists a better rank of it, then I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be given the low version.¡± Petra shook her head, muttering ¡°insanity.¡± Then she focused ahead and asked a different question. ¡°What¡¯s inside¡­ Peter¡¯s? backpack?¡± ¡°Ah, yes, you can see it as well. Another Artifact, as you can guess.¡± ¡°You have two???¡± ¡°Your Mana Sight makes it easier to find them. You can spot them from afar. We found Peter¡¯s sword in our old ruins west, and Laura¡¯s gloves in a mana zone.¡± Petra laughed. ¡°Two days ago, I was a bartender, in a mostly dead-end job. And today, I¡¯m an Archmage, walking along with multiple Heroes and seeking powerful Artifacts.¡± ¡°Welcome to our world. I warned you that your life would change.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t warn people about that thing. It won¡¯t work,¡± Petra said. ¡°It all started when we found this Skeleton¡­¡± Johanna started. ¡°Wait, so that¡¯s how you can do all this?¡± Petra asked. ¡°That¡¯s what it looks like. There is an Ancient Power awake, and it ¨C sorry, he ¨C is helping us. With his plans for making many more powerful people, for something.¡± ¡°Like me.¡± ¡°Like you.¡± ¡°And he is watching me, right now?¡± ¡°Almost certainly. After all, he did remake your sorcery into something different.¡± Petra Veldhuis, Earth Shaper archmage, shook her head. ¡°Insanity. Utter insanity. Can I resign and leave?¡± She looked at Johanna¡¯s startled face and laughed. ¡°Just joking. Mister supernatural Mana-empowered Ancient Power, I¡¯m certainly not going to bail out on you. But I¡¯m absolutely unable to imagine where this will lead us.¡± This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°I haven¡¯t either. We¡¯ve been¡­ mostly reacting. Following the events.¡± Johanna pointed out in the distance ahead. ¡°This? This we know. Going out, finding ruins, and getting salvage to sell.¡± She smiled. ¡°It¡¯s what we do.¡± There was a little shape over the horizon. A slightly darker line pushing up. ¡°We¡¯re getting close,¡± Mark warned before pointing out further. ¡°Separation line is there.¡± When she squinted a bit, Johanna could spot a small color change ahead in the sparse vegetation that sprung between melting snow patches. She pressed ahead, reaching Mark¡¯s point position in the group. ¡°Expecting trouble?¡± ¡°Always,¡± he answered. He then added, ¡°Never actually been there. It does feel weird, somehow. Seeing something that grandpa talked about so often for the first time.¡± ¡°The trails your grandfather¡¯s team found are on the west side, right?¡± ¡°Yes. So, I¡¯m suggesting we move around, and only get in the mana zone once we¡¯re near there.¡± ¡°Sounds good to me,¡± she replied. They skirted the mana zone¡¯s border by at least a mile, as they curved northwest. The plateau of Fallen Hill was six, maybe seven miles out, she guessed. Geography on wide plains still tripped her. As they made their way, they got closer and closer to the mana zone. Just like the mana zone back in Kootenai Gap, the weirdly Changed vegetation sometimes poked out of the zone, but it did not look like it managed to grab a hold of the land. The weed that Fallen Hill was famous for looked like a purplish dandelion, already in bloom despite the still-low temperatures and snow patches all over. At least it didn¡¯t float in the air ¨C yet ¨C Johanna thought. Mark raised his hand and they all stopped instinctively. He pointed further north, and Johanna squinted, trying to see what he¡¯d spotted. Then it became evident. A mile away or so, there was a silhouette that vaguely resembled an ox back from home. Except this ox had something like a weird fleshy crest across its back, raising until mid-section, and dropping. ¡°Bosid. It¡¯s rare to see one,¡± Mark said in a low voice. ¡°Dangerous, I assume?¡± Johanna asked in the same low tone. ¡°Yes. Not a predator, thankfully. But if you rile it up, it will wreck you. Extremely thick hide, shrugs arrows. You need to get close, and then it batters you until you¡¯re pulp. Thankfully, I don¡¯t think anyone¡¯s seen an elemental version.¡± ¡°We¡¯re avoiding it then.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± he answered before looking at her oddly. Johanna remembered he thought them woefully unprepared or stupid. He might have expected them to ask to hunt that Changed wild bovine. He pointed toward the raised earth in the distance. ¡°We¡¯re getting in. We should be close to the pathways anyway.¡± The actual border of the mana zone was almost obvious. Far more than the northern barrier they¡¯d crossed last year. Over a dozen yards, the purple weeds changed from rare to all over the place. At least there didn¡¯t look to be enough concentrations of mana to register. She¡¯d realized soon enough that she only could see anything over a certain level of mana. Perversely, for active magics, she¡¯d realized it worked the reverse way, and she could only see up to a certain level. After Laura¡¯s improvement back in Kootenai, she could no longer see her combat Talent in action. The only one she could still see being used was when she cleansed them in the mornings from too many drinks. That was completely counter-intuitive, but the Mage¡¯s compendium was weirdly imprecise on that aspect. Only powerful mages ever had the sight, which made Johanna wonder why it had not been included with Catherine¡¯s spells. Unless it wasn¡¯t necessary? Or because Detect Metal replaced it and you could have one and not the other? She had no idea. The purple dandelions weren¡¯t dangerous from contact, just bizarre, and, of course, entirely inedible, unlike their non-infused counterparts. The group did not have to avoid them, but despite stomping all over the place, none of the purplish blowballs floated away, adding to the overall weirdness. They headed toward the rise and kept watching the Bosid in the distance. This is why they almost missed the Canid pair that was approaching from the other side, up until Peter emitted a low whistle. Mark¡¯s head turned and immediately spotted the two silhouettes. The predators did not seem in a hurry, but their path would soon intersect with the group¡¯s own. The Zahl guard immediately detached the bow frame from his backpack, and pulled it taut, stringing the bow in a fast and effortless manner. ¡°Going to try to take them at distance. Petra, you have a crossbow, shoot when they get close. The rest of you¡­ ready whatever,¡± he added with a resigned tone. Petra immediately pulled out her weapon, before inching close to Johanna. ¡°What do I do?¡± she asked in a low voice. ¡°We¡¯ll try to take them without too much spectacle. But worst case¡­¡± Johanna trailed and she decided on a strategy. ¡°Try to bind one to earth. That way, Mark can shoot it, and he might not notice. Laura will weaken them anyway. Warn if you need to use Tremor, though,¡± she added. ¡°Good. Good,¡± the former bartender replied. ¡°Good,¡± she whispered again, mostly to herself. The two Canids started to race suddenly, and Johanna spotted a double flash of light. Petra was startled, and Johanna realized she would have seen it too. ¡°Double elementals,¡± she warned the rest, drawing a quick surprised glance from Mark. Laura had moved aside, making sure she didn¡¯t include Mark in her primary field of vision, although if the fight got close, she might have to. Peter had Swordcutter at the ready, not trying to hide. Tom was ready to hammer. And the two enemies rushed with all the speed their large frames could muster. Let the untalented guard strike first, Johanna repeated to herself. As if he¡¯d been listening, he launched the first arrow, almost catching the leftmost Canid. The two split, smart enough not to offer too much of a target. They were nearly 35 yards away when one of the Canids stopped and glowered at the team. Johanna looked briefly at Petra, who was squinting furiously. She¡¯ll have to learn it doesn¡¯t need to work that way, she thought. Meanwhile, Mark launched a second arrow, aiming at the running Canid. He had two more already in his hand, ready to use. The beast dodged it¡­ and the guardsman immediately swung one of his two arrows in hand to nock it. Mark was already aiming again and stopped himself when he spotted the large man moving to intercept the Canid that was at less than 15 yards. Goddam civilian, he groused. ¡°Be careful!¡± he yelled but the scavenger ignored him, swinging his hammer. The hammer impacted the beast like a full-blown chariot hitting a barrel on the street. The Canid flew half a dozen yards to the side. Mark immediately ignored that fight and swung his aim toward the other Canid, who was watching the fight from afar. He did not know what had prompted the other beast to wait and not join its mate in the fight, but he wasn¡¯t about to complain about his luck. The arrow flew, and the beast flattened itself to try to dodge it, rather than move aside. It hit but bounced over the furry hide. He brought up his last arrow immediately. Once he shot that one, he¡¯d have to pull more from the quiver at his feet. The big man ¨C Tom? ¨C reached the Canid, who was trying to stand up, unsuccessfully. The beast raised his head, some kind of twinkling white smog pouring out of its maw, but the scavenger simply swung his hammer down into the outpouring of fog. Mark didn¡¯t wait, focusing instead on the distant Canid, trying to take it down before it decided to attack. His last arrow struck true, eliciting a yelp. Meanwhile, the seemingly freezing smog was dissipating, and Mark ignored the smashed skull of the Changed beast, as he bent and drew a pair of arrows. He aimed again at the immobile beast, and hit, again, almost into the maw of the Canid. The beast shuddered and fell, and Mark finally allowed himself to relax. We got very lucky they were not together, he thought. Moore noted with interest the XP distribution. It was definitively not a straight seven-way split. Of course, the XP gained by the four, and his extra share were an equal 473 XP, but it was definitively not 1/7th of the expected value for the Elites level 3 Mist & 4 Earth Canids. He was reminded of the fights in Anasta, where the XP wasn¡¯t consistent from Lepus to Lepus. There was a group-shared experience effect in place between the four, possibly mediated by his presence, even if he was not enough for them to share XP from afar. But the two additions to the team didn¡¯t fit in that sharing. Tom and Laura had been the only ones involved in the actual fight, so maybe that fact accounted for the low value. He would check as soon as possible what Veldhuis¡¯s and Kunst¡¯s respective descriptors showed, but he would not be surprised if they each had different rewards from that small fight. B2.9 - Light Up the Sky The Crow wished everything was black, the Owl, that everything was white. Pre-Fall Poet ¡°That was relatively easy. We won¡¯t be lucky next time,¡± Mark announced. He walked toward the furthest fallen Canid and started picking back the arrows. Peter moved along with him, helping, while Johanna turned to Petra. ¡°Congratulations,¡± she half-whispered. ¡°Fuck, it looks too easy.¡± ¡°Remember, you can only stop one at a time. But you¡¯ve got a much bigger range than I ever had, as I guessed.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°It¡¯s as I told you when you got the parchment. Adept, sorcerer¡­ advanced something. I had the basic sorcerer-level power, you have the advanced version. You stopped that Canid at a long range.¡± She looked at the distant corpse. ¡°It even seems close to my range with the balls of fire. I wonder¡­¡± She fell silent as the two men came back. ¡°No bounties?¡± she asked the guardsman, just in case. ¡°Nope. Not unless they¡¯re a direct threat to Zahl or one of the farmplexes. Otherwise, you¡¯d get all kinds of stupid people trying to go hunt them and getting killed,¡± Mark replied. ¡°Congratulations, by the way¡­ Tom? You do know how to use that hammer. It¡¯s probably too risky to engage them in melee rather than pick them with a bow or something, but¡­ well, that works. If they get to us.¡± Tom merely shrugged. ¡°You¡¯re not getting the skins?¡± Petra asked. ¡°It would take too much time to skin them properly. And if you¡¯re coming for salvaging, you can probably get better value by volume than Canid skins,¡± Johanna answered her. ¡°Unless you know you have customers,¡± Laura added. ¡°Which we never had in Valetta. Not that we hunted Canids. Not for profit, anyway.¡± ¡°Besides, they stink, notably after,¡± Peter noted. Mark laughed at that. ¡°Okay folk, give me one minute and it¡¯s time to continue.¡± Once the guardsman had preventively reassembled his pike and tied it to his pack, Johanna noted he kept the bow ready, although he instructed Petra to release the crossbow string, to keep it supple. ¡°Now let¡¯s find Georg¡¯s old pathways.¡± They were much closer to Fallen Hill when Peter, once again, spotted first what looked like a small trail. The borders of the butte were a chaos of fallen screes and similar almost vertical features, making Johanna wonder how that particular piece of the landscape had begun. It reminded her a bit of the half-hill they¡¯d found in the northern mana barrier zone. Like that piece, it probably had been moved somehow by that Changestorm from some other place, and the side of what was now a plateau had slowly subsided, being gutted by rains and snows. Or maybe it had been the same place, just pulled up by mana. Who could know? Maybe we¡¯ll find some hints on top, Johanna mused. Once they got closer, Mark compared it to his grandfather¡¯s old map. ¡°Looks like it¡¯s the one Grandpa, Georg and Mickey found, all right. See, two switchbacks, and it gets to the lip.¡± ¡°Do we get close to the ruins they saw?¡± Johanna asked. ¡°They¡¯re close to the middle of the plateau, but on the other side, I remember grandpa saying. Maybe four miles,¡± he replied, checking the hand-drawn map. They stopped when they got close, Mark pointing at an enormous smelly mass on the ground not too far from the path¡¯s start. ¡°Bosid traces. We need to be careful if that beast decides to get on top behind us and cuts our retreat.¡± They started the path. It was easily large enough for two people and covered in all kinds of muddled traces. ¡°It¡¯s obvious it¡¯s well used,¡± she pointed to Petra, noticing Mark¡¯s nod. ¡°Not too many ways to move to the top?¡± the ex-bartender mused. ¡°Which makes it dangerous. If we need to run away, that¡¯s probably the only way,¡± Mark¡¯s answer came. Then the guardsman swore. ¡°Where¡¯s Peter? Has anyone seen him?¡± ¡°He¡¯s probably checking ahead. Don¡¯t worry,¡± Johanna replied. Mark looked up, trying to find the diminutive member of the group. And failing, as Johanna expected. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he¡¯s good at that.¡± The man grumbled something inaudible, probably some form of ¡°bloody stupid amateurs¡± or equally worse, Johanna thought. At least the amateur part might be technically correct. It was those minor times of introspection that sometimes hit her. Insanity, as Petra said. Going from scavengers dodging Changed beasts in ruins to trained fighters with overpowered Talents. She wondered how Catherine felt, after more than three months of her own insanity. The hilltop was about three hundred yards above the plains, she guessed. They made slow progress along the highly irregular path, which alternatively sloped up, plateaued, shrank, and enlarged. Despite all, it was far better than trying to climb the ravines and deal with screes. Almost without warning, they reached the top. The abrupt sides got replaced by a flat terrain that looked like someone had taken the plains and simply pushed them up. And Peter was seated on a large root from a bent tree that had been all but invisible from the path. He waved lazily. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Nothing?¡± Johanna asked. ¡°Rabbits. Normal-sized ones, not Lepuses,¡± he answered. She laughed, attracting an irritated gaze from Mark. The man turned back to Peter. ¡°I hope you know what you¡¯re doing, but I¡¯d rather you didn¡¯t do that. Separating is risky.¡± While they were taking a break after the climb, Johanna surveyed the plateau on which they were standing now. Flat, but unlike the plains, full of all sorts of trees, not enough to make a full-fledged forest, but definitively more than random growth on plains. Bushes abounded, with grass that was starting to poke out between lingering snow banks. And, of course, the ubiquitous purple dandelions were all over the place. ¡°Not easy to spot hostile beasts, unless they¡¯re big,¡± she noted. ¡°True,¡± Mark answered from behind. ¡°Is that our objective,¡± she asked, pointing in the distance. Mark squinted, before shaking his head. ¡°Maybe. Looks like some tower? If the ruins are tall enough, we might see from that far.¡± ¡°Meaning they¡¯re more or less intact, then.¡± He looked at her, before nodding. ¡°Might be.¡± The terrain put Johanna to the edge, in a way that the mana zone of last fall had not. In a way, it had a bit more visibility than the forested area they¡¯d trekked across, but the mix of heavy bush clumps, bare trees, and the overall vegetation did not help. She could see much further, but not truly spot things much closer. ¡°The trees look strange,¡± she finally admitted to Mark. ¡°Noticed too. I think they would look even weirder if they had their leaves already. No pines. No evergreens whatsoever.¡± ¡°Even in the northern barrier¡­¡± she started. ¡°You¡¯ve really been there?¡± Mark asked. ¡°Last fall. We needed to cross some terrain quickly, and didn¡¯t have time to go around through normal roads.¡± ¡°And you thought it was better to risk that?¡± ¡°There are periods where it¡¯s more dangerous. We found a few Changed beasts, but not that many.¡± She could see Mark still thought of her as overblowing her feats. If only he knew¡­ ¡°CAW!¡± The gigantic Corvid flew slowly downward toward them, almost gliding. But as it crossed an invisible range, its gaze snapped immediately toward an important target. Laura, Johanna realized. She must have immediately applied her gaze, and equally obviously, the corvid had noticed the source of the unnatural discomfort. Johanna didn¡¯t hesitate and raised her hand, trying to distract the monstrous bird. Mark saw the fireball shooting into the sky and his head reflexively tracked the source, causing him to frown when he spotted her hand aimed up. Masks off, Johanna thought. A second fireball launched as the first dissipated, the Corvid having just barely dodged it. In response, manalight played off the entire flyer¡¯s span, with more mana focusing on its claws and head. ¡°It¡¯s got magic active,¡± she called out. Mark¡¯s training took over and he shot an arrow at the incoming target. But unlike Johanna¡¯s unerring fireballs, this one veered off, as if a gust of wind from its wings had pushed it out. The giant crow-like bird paused, flapping its oversized wings to remain stationary for a moment before it opened its beak. The next thing Johanna realized was that she was holding her hands to her head¡¯s side. The Corvid¡¯s shout still resonated in her head, making it almost impossible to¡­ think. Then she ducked, by reflex, as she realized the bird was already almost upon her. She escaped the raking claws, barely, and felt the almost physical cold coming from them. She shivered, wishing once again for the immunity to cold that water, mists, or ice sorcerers had. Instead, she lit up her hand, keeping it as close as she could without burning her clothing. The Corvid was already banking, flapping, and turning for another pass. She spotted arrow and crossbow bolts, but the projectiles turned aside, the arrow almost hitting before it veered off somehow. Johanna realized that the fireballs refused to come from her flaming hand. She dropped her newer knife ¨C more of a dagger at this size ¨C and aimed instead, launching another ball of fire. Unlike the mundane projectiles, the ball flew true, but barely scored on its wingtip, filling her with confusion. Don¡¯t tell me, it is also a fire crow and immune? The oversized bird looked furious about her and was coming back. Then she spotted Mark running, spear aimed up. He¡¯d abandoned attempts at shooting with his bow, given that the arrows kept missing. He raised the spear and managed to graze the underside of a wing. The Corvid twitched and his claw raked the face of the guardsman as the beast turned back up. Johanna expected Laura to blink to him, but she didn¡¯t. Her friend probably knew the wound was not dangerous. The Corvid turned sharply and aimed straight for Johanna again, and she readied a new fireball. As if it knew, the giant black bird veered off and she realized suddenly he was aiming at Laura again. He almost hit her. At the last second, Laura vanished, reappearing next to Mark, who was holding a hand to his cheek, looking deathly pale. The Corvid braked and flapped in place, taken by surprise by the disappearance of his target. That was its first and last mistake. Before it reoriented, a flashing figure came, hammer raised, and Tom hit. The hammer almost missed, but only almost. The wing broke under the shock, and the beast fell to the ground. Tom raised the hammer again, but the Corvid screamed again. Johanna blinked, realizing that Tom had stopped his attack. The beast tried to move and launch himself, but he failed, his taloned feet remaining glued on the ground. Johanna realized that Petra had managed to lock the bird. Before the beast recovered from the surprise, Tom¡¯s hammer fell finally, and the Corvid¡¯s head hit the ground with a finality that announced the end of the fight. Moore had learned not to over-stress during those fights. Although he had expected trouble, as soon as he¡¯d spotted the regeneration percentage starting to increase as they climbed the pathway until it stabilized at 30% once on the plateau. The Level 13 Supreme Storm Corvid was a decent opponent, he guessed. Too bad ¨C for the Corvid, that is ¨C that it did not have a real ranged attack. Once close to the ground, it was done. And worth a big chunk of XP, of course. If any further attack happened and maimed someone permanently, he would have enough with that attack¡¯s XP to make an emergency allocation to Laura for Regrow. The skills used by the boss beast brought a few non-whistles and metaphorical head scratching. The name suggested four skills, of which at least three used had now popped into his knowledge base due to their base high tier.
Investiture of Ice (tier 26) Requires: Empathy 23/Authority 21/Level 13
Effective: N ¡Á Empathy + Level (adds mana) Passive: Grant bodily immunity to cold, down to (100-5¡ÁEff) ¡ãF Active: Project your cold (Eff) inches from your feet while reducing all fire effects by (Eff¡Á12) ¡ãF. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds
Water Shaper AGI 17/ STR 16/EMP 16/Lvl 4 N=3
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=2
Domain of the Skies (tier 18) Requires: Authority 21/Strength 19/Level 9
Effective: N ¡Á Strength + Level (adds mana) Passive: You weigh (Eff)% less for your own actions Active: Ranged projectiles have (Eff vs PER)¡Á3% chance of missing. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds
Duelist AGI 17/ STR 16/EMP 16/Lvl 4 N=1
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Fascination (tier 17) Requires: Authority 20/Empathy 20/Level 8
Effective: N ¡Á Authority + Level (adds mana) Passive: Enhance your effective Perception by (Eff/8) for skill checks Active: Target pays attention only to you (Eff vs PER)% of the time. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds
Tyrant Fixer EMP 17/AUT 16/Lvl 5 N=3
Fixer EMP 16/Lvl 1 N=2
Duelist AGI 17/ STR 16/EMP 16/Lvl 4 N=1
Mana Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Fascination looked like a crock of shit, given that it seemed a primary Fixer skill. As if healers needed a taunting skill. But Investiture of Ice? A cold skill giving immunity to fire ¨C although as an active rather than passive? Higher levels are starting to look¡­ interesting. B2.10 - Surprises There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact. Pre-Fall quote Mark was looking incredulous as he felt at his cheek. The talon rip and associated frostburn had now vanished, erased by Laura¡¯s usual touch. ¡°So that¡¯s why you were so¡­ unconcerned with your weapons,¡± he finally said. He turned to look at Johanna. ¡°What was that fire? You¡¯re some kind of sorceress¡­ are all of you Talented? Is she some kind of Saint?¡± he asked, pointing toward Laura who¡¯d stepped away. ¡°Yes. All of it.¡± ¡°Gee, I feel stupid now. Worrying about lack of good weapons, when you are walking monsters, weapons in human shape.¡± ¡°I object to being a monster,¡± Peter noted. Mark simply shook his head in return. ¡°Why are you here? Surely, people of your caliber should¡­¡± his voice trailed. ¡°Should what? We¡¯re keeping a low profile, as you can guess. And getting some money this way is not that difficult,¡± Johanna replied. ¡°Not difficult, she says,¡± he laughed nervously. ¡°If we didn¡¯t have those Talents, we wouldn¡¯t be there.¡± We¡¯d still be maybe wintering in Anasta, looking to resume scavenging our usual ruins soon. Maybe laughing at the story of the draft in Valetta that we dodged. She briefly wondered about the fate of their neighbors. Franz Nader, the others, the distant relatives of Pastor Vanu she¡¯d never met. What had happened to them? Had they survived the winter campaign? She had no way to know, and she probably never would. ¡°Let¡¯s see your grandfather¡¯s ruins, shall we?¡± she offered. Mark grabbed his bag, looking forlornly at his weapons as he strapped them back on his side. Johanna stayed with the Zahl guardsman as they made their way across the bushes and thick vegetation toward their destination. ¡°That was weird,¡± he finally admitted. ¡°We couldn¡¯t warn you. As I said, we try to keep the rumors from spreading.¡± ¡°You told Petra, though.¡± ¡°What do you think made me actually agree to come along?¡± the former bartender said from just behind. ¡°It¡¯s a bit different,¡± Johanna added. ¡°We¡¯re recruiting Petra for a grand expedition later.¡± ¡°Not just for here?¡± ¡°No,¡± Johanna replied but didn¡¯t elaborate. Mark stayed silent for a while, focusing on the march. ¡°It¡¯s one thing to hear rumors on Talented. But you¡­ well, you¡­¡± he hesitated. ¡°We?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t look the part.¡± ¡°Believe me, that¡¯s not how it goes. It¡¯s not like the books, and we¡¯re 8-foot tall and walking with fire, like the Burning Walker.¡± ¡°Well, he¡¯s one of them three-eyed Erlangs. At least he has to look exotic. Looked, I mean. I suppose.¡± ¡°Probably,¡± she admitted. ¡°But people like the Sorceress of the Mists of the Montana, for example, look pretty much like a middle-aged mom, if you catch her at home.¡± ¡°You know her? Wait, you come from the Montana. Of course, you do.¡± ¡°She taught me a few basics on magic and Talents.¡± ¡°Is she as powerful as you? The news all say she¡¯s a pillar of the war in the west.¡± Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Johanna hesitated. But the truth won out. ¡°Not really. I mean, she¡¯s got a very good Talent. But she¡¯s limited. Her mists are defensive, not offensive. Not like me.¡± ¡°And your husband? Those moves¡­¡± ¡°Heroic Talents, yes. Peter too.¡± ¡°And I was worried at him going off alone.¡± Mark kept plodding across the underbrush, digesting slowly what he had learned. Johanna kept pace with him, letting him digest the truth. ¡°Somehow, it makes it worth less,¡± he finally said. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think my grandpa and his friends would have survived that Corvid. But you make it¡­ seem easy.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that easy. Believe me. Laura needs to fix us often, as she did for you.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s the point. She¡¯s there.¡± Johanna found nothing to object to. Mark was right there. They were not just powerful¡­ they had the backup of someone who could fix almost anything. The skeleton did that. Specifically. Tom, me¡­ Peter¡­ Laura. We all fulfill completely separate roles, ones we were put into. And that makes us stronger. Together. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± ¡°And what¡¯s Petra in this?¡± ¡°An Earth Shaper.¡± Seeing his uncomprehending look, she quickly elaborated, ¡°A sorceress with earth powers.¡± ¡°Wait, I thought all she could do is cooled drinks at Timothy.¡± ¡°No longer,¡± her answer came from behind. ¡°These days, I freeze Changed beasts in place.¡± Mark briefly turned his head to look at Petra. ¡°So that guardsmen can plink them with arrows. Works wonders.¡± ¡°Wait, that was¡­¡± ¡°Me, yes. No need for thanks, all included in the service.¡± Petra stopped abruptly. Johanna looked at her as she squinted. ¡°I¡¯m seeing something.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°A kind of that same light I see with Laura and Peter¡¯s items.¡± Johanna looked further into the distance. She squinted too and was going to ask where when she saw a faint glint in the skies, barely visible. ¡°Good eyes,¡± she said. ¡°I might have missed it until we got closer.¡± Johanna realized that Petra might be slightly better than her. She knew there were very slight individual factors when it came to magical Talents, and Mana Sight might be no exception. Elena had warned her that older sorcerers were usually slightly better, improving with age, and Petra was five years older than she was. Even if both women were far younger than any sorcerers ever were and broke rules, this one might still be partially true. Mark looked at them, confused again. ¡°This salvage run may be much more interesting than we anticipated,¡± Johanna half-explained. Further on, they¡¯d found a road, Ancient-style, leading to the ruins, and followed it. Johanna was used to the edge of ruins being a hodgepodge of nearly vanished lines showing where some buildings had been, and near-intact structures. But here, even the border was almost intact. The ruins almost looked like the old farm that someone had tried to build between Valetta and Anasta, minus the burned-out part. They looked to be a decade or two old, not fifteen. The road turned into some street and judging by the size and disposition of the ruins around it, it might even be the main one. Now that they were in, Johanna thought those ruins were odd. The buildings were mostly brick, and a few were a mix of stone, bricks, and concrete, and felt old, even beyond their ruined aspects. The building fronts abutted tiny sideways delimiting the main street. The street turned quickly, but not at a straight angle, more of a smooth change of direction. It did look so unlike anything Johanna had ever seen, more reminiscent of cramped Anasta or some parts of Zahl or Valetta than Ancient constructions. She noticed a plaque still adorning one of the buildings. The text on it was incomprehensible and sported far too many accents. Including, she realized, over consonants, which looked completely wrong. That¡¯s a transposed place, not uplifted terrain. It came from¡­ somewhere else. Buildings beckoned with the promise of salvage, but the group ignored them, lured in with the promise of the mana plume. But they had not yet reached it when Petra raised her hand, stopping everyone. She turned to Johanna and announced, ¡°I see another.¡± ¡°Another? Another plume?¡± ¡°Looks like. It¡¯s faint, but there. Maybe the other side of that ruin?¡± ¡°Plume?¡± Mark asked. ¡°We¡­ both see traces of mana. A mana trace in the sky indicates something important.¡± She squinted in the direction Petra pointed at, and realized that there was a faint trace. Close, but hard to see. A minor item, maybe? ¡°Important like what?¡± Mark asked. ¡°Like¡­ well, like an Artifact.¡± ¡°Artifact. What, you can find Artifacts? Like that?¡± ¡°Yes, we see them from afar.¡± ¡°Salvagers indeed¡­¡± Mark went on grumbling a half-audible ¡°more like cheaters.¡± The ruined building was mostly intact, consisting of two different parts, glued together by Ancient cement rather than Changestorm. The part that interested them had a large, wide opening. Pieces of wood still held their original shape, but half of the original door was gone, and it was not hard to move over the broken bits. Johanna¡¯s eyesight adjusted quickly to the dim light inside the ruin. The room was elongated, with an intact door leading further in, but she didn¡¯t have to go anywhere. The swirl of manalight reached a wall where something hung. Petra climbed over the broken door, looking at the wall. ¡°What¡¯s that???¡± From closer, the shape was strange. A sleek black elongated globe, hanging from a hook on the wall. Johanna passed her hands over the Artifact, feeling it. It reminded her somehow of some of the weirder Ancient materials, yet felt different. She lifted it and turned it, wondering exactly what it was for. That is the most badass motorcycle helmet I¡¯ve ever seen, Moore noted. Of course, just like the katana sword, what Johanna had just found had probably started as an ordinary mundane one. But right now, it was pure streamlined blackness, bordering on a sci-fi prop rather than anything he¡¯d expect to see in a racing store. The bike parts still there in a pile in the garage confirmed the origin of the item. And, of course, the descriptor reflected the usual insanity of Artifacts. He knew the original skill already, but just that tier¡­
Telepathy Tier 11
Effective: 214/214 mana (+165/hour) Passive: Increase your regeneration by 21.4 mana per hour Active: Share your silent inner voice to anyone you¡¯ve met and remember accurately during the last 214 hours if they are within 214 miles. Active cost: 1 mana per 214 words
B2.11 - No Stone Left Unturned Talents are planned. Artifacts are not. Wisdom of the Ancients, Book 2. Mark peeked into the building, as Johanna looked inside the upturned bowl shape. ¡°Found something?¡± ¡°This. It looks like some kind of padded thing. The space inside is softer.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what you were looking for?¡± he asked. ¡°Yes. There¡¯s enough mana surrounding it to make it¡­ unmissable. For mages like us, that is.¡± The rest of the group poured into the ruined room as she looked and felt the Artifact. ¡°I have no idea what it is, exactly, though,¡± she admitted. ¡°It¡¯s one solid piece, but does not feel too heavy.¡± Mark pointed to the wall. ¡°You found it there?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± He scratched his chin in thought. ¡°Tools and stuff hanging there. But it doesn¡¯t look like a tool.¡± ¡°Sometimes weirder things turn out. We found Peter¡¯s sword in what looked like an old store of sorts, but it didn¡¯t look like it was selling swords.¡± Most of the things on the wall were hanging from hooks as the Artifact had been. Mark lifted and pushed some until he found a large square of paper that had entirely faded into a uniform yellow, with a dim slightly darker set of shapes that suggested numbers. He pulled it up and dropped it immediately. ¡°I didn¡¯t see that,¡± Johanna joked. ¡°I did,¡± Laura countered. ¡°Might even have customers in Zahl,¡± she added. ¡°I¡¯m trying to figure out what fits your item,¡± he said, sounding slightly pained. ¡°Hey, look at this,¡± Petra said. Johanna turned to see what she was talking about. The Earth Shaper was pointing at the rear wall, where ripped-off holders were. But what struck her was a picture. It was framed by wood, and broken glass covered it. But it depicted someone¡­ an Ancient, certainly. Wearing a thick black leather suit, standing next to some Ancient device, hand raised with two fingers extended in a V-shape. Under it were written incomprehensive words. And wearing over his head something that looked very much like what she had in her hands. A black shiny bowl, except with a raised cover, through which a face showed up, a barely visible smile with what she guessed was deep blue eyes. She looked down at the Artifact. With the visible example on the wall, she immediately recognized the location of the slightly thicker shape, although it felt exactly like the rest of the bowl. She tugged at it, but it didn¡¯t move. It didn¡¯t even have somewhere where she could put her fingers. Then, she put her hand into the Artifact, feeling the padding, and realized it had a large hole exactly where the¡­ visor, she assumed, was. ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± she told Petra. ¡°That¡¯s some kind of helmet.¡± ¡°His?¡± she asked. Johanna looked at the framed picture, then the hook from which she had grabbed the Artifact. ¡°Maybe,¡± she said. Then she raised the bowl over her head, and slowly, carefully, pulled it down. It was far easier than she¡¯d thought. Maybe the Ancient had a larger head than she did. It was also entirely dark. Once the helmet had slid over her head, she saw nothing at all. She reached, feeling again where the visor should be, but despite all of her efforts, it didn¡¯t move. Fuck, you can¡¯t see out, she thought. ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like you can,¡± Tom said. ¡°Can what?¡± she asked. ¡°See. You said it. Looks completely dark.¡± She blinked, but of course, nobody could see her do it. ¡°I didn¡¯t. Say it.¡± ¡°Yea, she didn¡¯t,¡± Peter confirmed. ¡°Did,¡± Tom insisted. I did not. How could you hear me? Johanna thought, clamping her mouth shut. ¡°Dunno? With my ears?¡± ¡°What¡¯s about your ears?¡± Peter asked. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°Hearing Jo?¡± Tom¡¯s voice was starting to be confused. ¡°She¡¯s not speaking.¡± I am not speaking now, she thought, focusing on Peter¡¯s voice. ¡°Well now you are speaking, but¡­¡± he stopped. Johanna couldn¡¯t see, but she could bet everyone was looking at Peter, right now. ¡°I know what this is,¡± she announced, audibly. ¡°Uh?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Telepathy. Elena probably mentioned it to you as well, Laura, as it¡¯s normally a form of mind sorcery, like the gaze.¡± She pulled out the helmet, light hitting her eyes again, causing her to squint briefly. Laura was frowning, trying to remember her sessions with the Sorceress of the Mists. ¡°She said you couldn¡¯t hear people¡¯s thoughts like in the books¡­ but you could speak to them.¡± ¡°Across dozens of miles, as long as you had met the person not too long ago,¡± Johanna completed. ¡°So, how does it work?¡± Mark asked. ¡°You put it on. And then you speak without speaking if you know what I mean. While focusing on the person you speak to. Want to try? Feel like a Talented?¡± The guard took the Artifact, looking it over before he put it slowly over his head. Johanna thought it looked uncanny. The bowl shape over the head did resemble what was on the wall picture, but it was also very different. The opaque front ¨C where the visor was supposed to be, she guessed ¨C added to the overall effect. Of course, for her, it was also highlighted by the swirling strings of manalight dancing around the head, but she could guess that even without them, it would look strange. So I don¡¯t speak, and you hear? Knowing the effect, she could tell the difference. She wasn¡¯t hearing it the way she heard her inner voice, but neither was it a real sound. ¡°I do.¡± Feels ¡°weird¡±. ¡°You half-said it,¡± she informed him. ¡°I did. I did, yes.¡± Mark stayed silent for a few seconds. ¡°You said it was across dozen of miles?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I¡­ I almost spoke to Mills, I think.¡± ¡°Mills?¡± ¡°Romeo Mills. That¡¯s the captain of the guard, back in Zahl. It felt like I could speak to him. I tried to speak to Zach just before, but it didn¡¯t feel right the same way.¡± Johanna whistled. The blind figure of Mark turned slightly, reflexively trying to orient himself on her. ¡°The normal range for the one sorcerer with Telepathy was around thirty-five miles. And he needed to have met the person the day before at least.¡± ¡°Artifacts are way more powerful than Talents,¡± Peter noted. Mark removed the bowl from his head, looking at it askance. ¡°Who is Zach?¡± ¡°Guy I often play poker with. I missed the last night, though, being there alongside you.¡± ¡°When was the last time you spoke to him then?¡± ¡°Ten¡­ no, eleven days ago.¡± ¡°So, this¡­ Helm of Telepathy works across, what, a hundred miles, and is good for at least five days. But not ten.¡± ¡°I knew a few officers back in New Benton who¡¯d sell their entire company for that kind of communication advantage,¡± Peter noted. ¡°Yea. It¡¯s not directly useful for us scavengers, but it could sell for a fortune. Even more than Swordcutter,¡± Laura added. ¡°You must be rich if that¡¯s the kind of stuff you sell,¡± Mark noted. ¡°It¡¯s not that often. And it could be very useful by itself,¡± Johanna said, ignoring Laura¡¯s remark. ¡°But you can¡¯t even see through it, so it¡¯s a bit limited. You are blind wearing it. Otherwise, it¡¯s perfect protection.¡± ¡°Too bad,¡± Petra said. ¡°Because it does look awesome.¡± ¡°We can figure out how to best use it later. We have yet another Artifact to find, after all.¡± Johanna and Tom grabbed some tools and a few other items for salvage. Including the faded 2023 calendar with ancient women. Then they left through the ruined doorway, and the group re-oriented themselves in the street. The distant plume of mana was more visible from there, but the swirls attached to the helmet were almost distracting. Too bad I can¡¯t cut that off. If someone else had Mana Sight, they¡¯d be visible from a few miles away with the number of artifacts they were carrying. They found themselves on what looked like a main street in the ruins. Johanna was struck again by how the streets twisted and turned, almost like the alleys in Anasta. Yet, the Ancient ruins didn¡¯t have a palisade delimiting them, not even a trace of one. The construction, the almost intact nature, and the weird, indecipherable signs with too many accents, all contributed to making her feel in a truly different place. But of course, ruins in deep mana zones should be different. Or maybe we got too used to our usual ruins. The street led to a plaza, probably the central one for the ancient village. Taller buildings surrounded it, including the tower-like structure that they¡¯d spotted from afar. It looked intact, more so than anything else, and Johanna contemplated it briefly. ¡°You know what it looks like?¡± ¡°A church?¡± Laura asked. ¡°Exactly.¡± She spotted it and pointed at the tall cross on the tower. Now that it was mentioned, the square openings on top, the cover, and the tall entrance that seemed entirely intact, all screamed church. A genuine Ancient church. She¡¯d never seen one in the Valettan ruins. If there had been some, they had to have broken apart so much that they were unrecognizable. They might have not explored the entire Ancient ruins back there, but they should have found some. Reluctantly, she turned away, and they pushed toward the now closer plume of mana. The ruined house where the plume of mana attached itself looked like the rest on that street to Johanna. Without the manalight, she might have ignored it. The door had been a metallic one, and it was still intact, and ajar. As if someone had come out, and left their door open behind them¡­ and never came back. Johanna briefly wondered if there could be another Ancient skeleton, waiting in some ruins like this one, while most Ancients had fled ¨C and if you believed the accounts of the Fall by her great-grandparents, who¡¯d heard it from theirs and so on, died by beast, starvation or banditry. They didn¡¯t have to go far to find the swirling manalight bands ending on the ground. The open dresser had a dozen pairs of boots in it. But only one pair looked different, even before the splitting mana link wrapped around it. It was almost knee-high, more like practical water boots for wading in a streambed than their usual short boots. A shining dark brown leather with a thick top, whereas the rest of the boots were shorter, with a faded and worn look. ¡°Looks wonderful,¡± Petra commented. ¡°Are all Artifacts that good-looking?¡± ¡°All the ones we¡¯ve seen, yes. Weird, but¡­ uncannily made, even by Ancient standards.¡± She grabbed one of the boots and pulled it out of the dresser. As she expected, the ribbon shifted to unite the one she was holding with the one left, stretched, then vanished. Petra gasped. ¡°I didn¡¯t break it. It¡¯s a pair of boots, not single boots. If you separate them, they stop working until you get them close enough, or wear them.¡± Johanna grabbed the other, restoring the mana connection, before looking at the rest. ¡°Ancient boots¡­ might be a good price,¡± she admitted. ¡°And the Artifact? What does it do?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll have to guess. After all, they do not come with a helpful tag.¡±
Water Walking Tier 4
Effective: 76/76 mana (+60/hour) Passive: Your water needs per day lowers by 76% Active: Walk on water as if it was a solid surface. Active cost: 1 mana per 76 seconds.
The tier is just okay. With the enormous regen, they work continuously, Moore noted. B2.12 - Silent Hero True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. Pre-Fall Athlete. With the Artifacts collected, and the shadows already lengthening, the six decided to make camp in the ruin where the boots had been found. The building was in reasonable condition overall, and with walls and roof, they could enjoy an almost cozy retreat. The stairs were still there, and sturdy. The first floor of the Ancient house was almost entirely intact, save for the fact that it had naked unpainted plaster over the walls, and long grooves that looked like something had been ripped out of the walls, leaving Johanna to wonder what had been there. Why it had been removed? By whom? Was that before or after the Changestorm moved it here? That floor had four bedrooms. One was slightly larger, probably the owners, with three for children, maybe. The mattresses were long rotted, and the frames had fallen, but you had individual bedrooms, and small windows, with shutters that were still looking sturdy. Johanna tugged at the wood, gauging its state. The house itself looked overall much better preserved than its content, and that made tents unnecessary. They made dinner in what had been the kitchen. Without the need to hide her Talents, she simply used her flame to cook the whole stuff, bypassing the need to gather wood from the ruin. ¡°That looks handy,¡± Mark commented. ¡°The first time I used it, it was to burn a Canid¡¯s maw from inside. But yeah, these days, it¡¯s mostly about lighting stuff without a lighter, or cooking things. I even have to be careful, because it is very, very hot.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t control the heat?¡± Johanna considered the question. ¡°I¡¯ve never been able to. Not really, it¡¯s always as hot as it can be, I think. And after my fire¡­ attunement?¡­ increased last year, it¡¯s been even hotter. I just play with the edge of the flame to diffuse the heat.¡± Mark frowned, but Johanna didn¡¯t explain further. She¡¯d mentioned to Petra that her powers had increased abruptly from the Skeleton¡¯s actions ¨C surely, she did, didn¡¯t she? ¨C but she didn¡¯t have to explain everything to their escort. ¡°And once we¡¯re back in the wild, you¡¯ll see her in action cutting and searing meat at the same time. Best cook since the Ancients,¡± Peter added. ¡°Peter!¡± she said. Laura was trying to smother a laugh, while both Mark and Petra looked confused. People hearing about Sorcerers expected one or maybe two Talents, not five. ¡°Tom? Can you hit the small guy for me?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t work anymore. Dodges too easily,¡± her husband replied. She threw him an aggravated look. ¡°So, what¡¯s the program now?¡± Mark asked. ¡°We¡¯ve got all the Artifacts that were around. With the sight, that¡¯s a guarantee. There might be very minor ones that can¡¯t be seen from afar, but I doubt it. Now, we just go into all the houses, and see what can be interesting and sold, stuff our bags, and done.¡± ¡°Oh, and look for any Ancient books we can find,¡± she added for his benefit. ¡°Ancient Books?¡± ¡°Yes. That¡¯s probably one of the most valuable items we¡¯re looking for at the moment.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a big market for that?¡± ¡°Well, they¡¯re collector items, but that¡¯s different. Anything sells if you have the right buyer. For this, all things that are prestigious should be a priority. Things like intact ancient clothes, even booze.¡± ¡°Ancient spirits? I imagine that would probably be expensive.¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t even imagine how much Timothy would charge you,¡± Petra laughed. That night, in the upper room with a shared sleeping bag with Tom, she dreamed of Artifacts. There was a table, and piles of random items strewn all over, with the Skeleton throwing blue lightning and shuffling the things whenever she reached for one. Despite that, the dream lacked the clarity and focus that the vision had. Not really a Dream, just a dream, she realized when she woke up, lines of dawn¡¯s light projected across the wall from the slats. She still had to call out to Laura to come down for breakfast, since Peter seemed to have already gone out, scouting the ruins stealthily to make sure no Canid or other beast prowled the Ancient village. ¡°They fit?¡± she asked, pointing to the Artifact boots. They¡¯d already agreed that, given the nigh-indestructible nature of Artifacts, the team¡¯s healer would use them as added protection. ¡°A bit loose, but I have thick socks. It might be a bit too much in summer, though.¡± A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°You¡¯re looking awesome.¡± ¡°That much?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the mana swirl. You look like a ghostly apparition, trailing mana from hands and feet.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± Laura smiled. ¡°I just need trousers and a jacket. And some hat instead of that blind helmet.¡± ¡°That Wendigo had Artifact glasses. Although they¡¯re probably too small to provide protection.¡± ¡°Are there Artifact handkerchiefs? Using one with a bandana¡­¡± Johanna had to laugh. ¡°Even with Artifact solidity, it might not be enough. They¡¯re extremely durable, not indestructible.¡± The breakfast went fast, as Peter had popped out of nowhere in front of a bowl of gruel. ¡°So, bag filling,¡± Mark said. ¡°Yes. Anything that looks unusual, better made than modern stuff, or simply collectible. Petra, Mark, if you¡¯re unsure, just ask. I don¡¯t know what will sell best, but we can guess what¡¯s likely.¡± The house where they¡¯d found the Artifact boots was a treasure trove. They did find a cupboard with obvious liquor. For a wonder, it had labels, and those labels included recognizable English words and names alongside the weird accented ones. The glass bottles had a bovine silhouette painted on them. ¡°Vodka. I think I remember that spirit¡¯s name,¡± she said, eyeing the greenish fluid with what looked like a stalk of plant in it. There were three bottles, all pristine as if they¡¯d been stored a few months ago, although one was half empty. Just under the bottles, decayed ancient containers betrayed the age of the ruin. The stopper was metallic, and the opened one turned easily. She sniffed and noted that the spirit barely smelt of anything, save very strong alcohol. 40%, she read on the label. No wonder. They packed the Ancient boots sets and some other articles of clothing. The cellar was disappointing, full of water, and impossible to access. Still, a couple of hours had them filling half of their backpacks with the most intact pieces, although some cupboards were empty as if the owners had taken everything out. ¡°If that keeps up, we¡¯ll be able to head back to Zahl in time for your patrol, Mark.¡± ¡°Is it always that good?¡± ¡°No. But that¡¯s what I hoped to find. Untouched ruins, preserved by mana.¡± The church was empty. It looked small, yet bigger than the small building they had in Anasta. She had no idea how many Ancients had lived around, the proportions and disposition of the village ruin too different from anything she was used to. Then Johanna spotted the shelf to the side of the church. And the dozens of small booklets in it. Up close, she noticed that many seemed heavily damaged, paper curled and broken. But there were lots of what could only be hymnals. Would these work? There was no reason not to. They were Ancient books, after all. She hesitated briefly, as these were in a church. But the words of the pastor, back in Valetta, came back. Respect the Ancients themselves, but they were gone, and their possessions belonged to the living. She fished one of the booklets, opening it, before closing it in disgust. The ink had smeared all over the pages, which had holes in them. ¡°Found something?¡± Tom called, before spotting the hymnals. ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°Not too good, but maybe there¡¯s something,¡± she answered, picking another, better-looking, hymnal. ¡°Something?¡± Mark¡¯s voice asked. She turned toward him, hymnal in hand¡­ and blue lights started playing from inside the hand, spreading out before swirling over the book. Finally, Moore thought, as the interface played out. Then he winced mentally because the booklets were thin. He should have expected that, given the size and where they came from. The hundred-plus pages of hymnal were barely enough for him to work through. Fifty pages were needed just for the Settings Scroll base, after all. But at least, Polish, or whatever the language of the transposed village was, worked, and the interface for scrolls popped up on intact books. He remembered the last time he¡¯d peeked at Mark Kunst¡¯s descriptor. And between what he¡¯d seen of him in action, and the stats he remembered, there was no question of what their newest recruit was going to be. ¡°What are you using?¡± Mark asked. Johanna realized he must have assumed she was doing some kind of ¡°normal¡± sorcery, for some unfathomable reason. As soon as her fingers came unglued from the transformed book, she let it drop and grabbed the parchment of power that had formed as it fluttered down. She frowned because it looked different from what she¡¯d expected. This time, it was delimiting three equal sections. Level, once again, Ranger, and SteadyShot. Nothing that suggested a personal quality. Mark bent and took the book she¡¯d dropped, turning it. ¡°What did you do to that book? It looks like something ripped out everything. There¡¯s just a blank page left.¡± ¡°It was used to make this. This¡­ parchment of power.¡± Then Johanna realized what it was for and held the parchment to Mark. He looked at the weird paper and deep blue ink, frowning at the odd lettering. ¡°Take it.¡± ¡°Okay¡­ WHAT?¡± The guardsman looked at the lights that now followed the drawings on the square paper. ¡°It¡¯s for you,¡± she said, unnecessarily as the parchment flash-burned already. Mark had opened his fingers, but nothing was left. He looked at them, wondering. ¡°Congratulations¡­ Hero.¡± ¡°I¡¯m no hero, just a guard¡­ but the way you say it¡­¡± ¡°Hero, capital-H, yes. You¡¯re one now.¡± She looked pointedly at his hand, where the transformed paper had been an instant before. ¡°We call these¡­ parchments of power. They do that. They grant you Talents and some¡­ I¡¯m going to say, boost in Talent. You now have something called a Steady Shot. And I¡¯m guessing, but Ranger should be the definition of your Hero type. At least, the two fit together.¡± ¡°But you made this? You mean you don¡¯t know?¡± ¡°It¡¯s complicated.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s how they gave me those new powers, Mark. It does work,¡± Petra said from where she¡¯d contemplated the scene. He turned to her, and she shrugged before laughing, ¡°Welcome to the weird. Wait until they give you the next.¡± ¡°The next?¡± He turned to see Johanna picking another booklet, and more lights springing around the Ancient hymnal. Johanna caught the parchment, which looked odd. Level and Piercing. She squinted at the square, while Mark looked at her, slightly confused. ¡°Problem?¡± he asked. ¡°No. I¡¯m just trying to figure out what¡­¡± Okay, is the level like strength or the rest of the qualities? Now, I am confused. She handed Mark the parchment hesitantly, but still lit again under his touch. He looked at her, and she nodded before the parchment vanished in disappearing ashes. ¡°Next,¡± Johanna announced, as the next book poured lines of blue light. Fast Aim. Another archery-sounding Talent, and nothing odd. Mark was waiting for her to hand him the square, while she squinted at the newest parchment. Despite the odd formula, the parchment did light up as Mark grabbed it, and he accepted it. The next one was familiar. Gauge Endurance. ¡°We¡¯ve seen that one, right?¡± she asked the rest. ¡°Yes. The Guardian back in Rocastle¡¯s demesnes received it. It means that¡­ Rangers can have that Talent too?¡± Laura pondered. ¡°Looks like,¡± she said. Mark unsurprisingly, could accept the power. He then shuddered, eyes bulging. ¡°Yes, you can now perceive some form of power levels,¡± Johanna informed him. ¡°Next, then.¡± The following piece was not what she expected. Strength. Nothing else. And even stranger. It lit up under her touch as she grabbed it after it formed. Everyone looked at her in surprise. B2.13 - Holy Mess Trust in your gifts, always. Wisdom of the Ancients, Book 2 Should have added it to the previous one.
Mark Jochum Kunst Male human, 27 years, 7 months
Ranger Level: 6 (13000 XP needed) 1/199 stamina (+14/hour) 1 unallocated skill point XP: 3607
STR: 14 AUT: 13
AGI: 16 Steady Shot (54) PER: 17 Gauge Endurance (40) Fast Aim (57)
DEX: 16 Piercing (38) EMP: 14
54% less fatigue 38% thicker skin 57% faster acceleration to running speed Perceive levels up to 13
The last skill he¡¯d picked for the build, Kinetics, was a 16 Strength, Level 6 skill, but he could not allocate two points of Strength to the Ranger with a single Settings Scroll. He needed to do it in two steps. And, of course, Johanna could use a scroll. Up to now, he¡¯d never had a situation where one of the four channeled a scroll that fit them since all included skills for which they did not have spare points or proper stats. But a mere Strength scroll required only 1000 XP on Johanna¡¯s part, and she did have them. He was intending to raise it when at the next level, but not now. It would be a waste of books. That was the first time she¡¯d felt the ¡°waiting¡± sensation everyone else had reported when holding a parchment for them. It was a bit different from the ¡°unintended¡± one she always had, but she could recognize the same wordless impression, waiting for her decision this time. ¡°For you?¡± Tom asked. ¡°I¡¯m confused. We don¡¯t need those¡­¡± she said. She showed them the scroll¡¯s writing. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Mark asked. ¡°We don¡¯t need parchments of power. We gain powers¡­ in a different way. Up until now, all parchments were made for a specific person.¡± Mark reached, and she gave him the scroll. The light briefly blinked off when they both held the paper square, then resumed its lazy circuit as soon as she relinquished it. ¡°We both can use it?¡± ¡°Maybe?¡± ¡°Can I?¡± Peter asked. The Strength parchment remained inert. It only lit up again when Laura picked it up. Petra could also use it, but when Tom got it, it turned off and stayed unlit. ¡°Why can we all use it, but not Tom or Peter?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t be Heroes,¡± Tom noted. ¡°No. If Mark can use it¡­ unless Ranger falls under a different classification?¡± ¡°Does classification matter? Is it even correct?¡± Peter asked. Johanna crossed her arms, furiously thinking. That wasn¡¯t the first time she¡¯d thought that maybe Heroic Talents fell under the same umbrella as magical ones. Laura was already proof that the frontier between Saints and Sorcerers was not a perfect one. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°It¡¯s all labels we invented, true. And sometimes they¡¯re wrong, as I know from those spell names. The label on the parchments isn¡¯t what the Society guessed¡­ But no. I¡¯ve never been able to see any of your skills in action, while I usually can see beasts, and could at least for some of Laura¡¯s.¡± ¡°Which leaves the question of what this specific piece is for. It doesn¡¯t seem to have a Talent on it,¡± Peter noted. ¡°We¡¯ve seen Talents without qualities, but never qualities without Talents.¡± ¡°Well, so far, we¡¯ve seen all kinds of combinations. Talents, with or without level, with or without qualities, with or without¡­ designations? Why not the reverse.¡± ¡°All combos are possible, you mean?¡± Johanna asked Peter. ¡°Looks that way to me. It¡¯s not as if we¡¯ve seen that many.¡± Mark and Petra watched the exchange, letting the ¡°experts¡± discuss. They were trying to figure out the arcane discussion between the four. ¡°You were making parchments for Mark,¡± the Earth Shaper finally injected. ¡°So¡­ you take it?¡± ¡°Okay,¡± he replied. The parchment burned away, and Johanna picked the next hymnal, watching carefully the light dance above. Strength. Again. But with Kinetics as a Talent name this time. She relaxed when the scroll lit up in Mark¡¯s hand. ¡°And five. Whew.¡± ¡°Five?¡± Mark asked. ¡°Five Talents seem pretty big. I¡¯m pretty sure we all have five, although it¡¯s hard to say with Heroics.¡± ¡°How many Talents can a Hero have?¡± Mark asked. ¡°We don¡¯t know. For instance, up until last year, the biggest, most talented sorceress had three Talents in total. I had three as well, then four¡­ then five. There is no reason you can¡¯t have more.¡± Although she wondered why only four for Catherine. Was there an individual limitation, one that was raised by¡­ what? Level? Mark got two Levels granted. Is that it? A maximum of three Talents for normal people, even archmages, and the Skeleton then adds to the ¡°level? We started with two or three, right? ¡°Let¡¯s see.¡± They were burning through hymnals fast, but the church had quite a few, and half of them seemed intact. Lines swirled, and the next sheet dropped. Strength ¨C again? ¨C and Jagged Stone. Mark picked it up and frowned, as it stayed inert in his hand. ¡°Is something wrong? It feels wrong, somehow,¡± he said. ¡°Maybe your limit is five indeed? Stone seems more ¡­ earth-related? Petra?¡± The former bartender held her hand, and the sheet instantly lit when she held it. ¡°Looks like it¡¯s your turn. You got only three Talents, it¡¯s time to finish gaining spells.¡± The parchment flash-burned, and Johanna clapped her hands slowly. ¡°And congratulations for surpassing the archmage rank.¡± ¡°We need a name,¡± Petra said, laughing lightly. ¡°Be my guest.¡± ¡°Archmage?¡± Mark asked. ¡°That¡¯s the traditional designation for sorcerers with three Talents. Which is the highest ever recorded, at least in the Union. Petra now has four and I think that might be it for her. You only got one Level granted, and Mark got two. So, I don¡¯t know, your limit might be four while he can have five?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know,¡± she said. ¡°Well, we haven¡¯t done it often enough. We¡¯re still guessing.¡± ¡°So what are you waiting for? There are still some books there.¡± Johanna threw her hands in the air in defeat, and picked another book, discarding it immediately as it was torn. The next lit up again and dropped a new, more complex parchment. Level. Authority. Fire Shaper. She slowly blinked, confused by the sheet. ¡°So?¡± Petra asked. ¡°See for yourself.¡± The parchment refused to light up in her hand, making her eyebrows rise. ¡°Who¡¯s that for, then?¡± Petra wondered. The parchment was handed to everyone in turn, yet failed to activate. Johanna collected it again. ¡°It looks like your designation, Petra, rather than some bizarre Talent name. But why? We all have¡­¡± she trailed. She put aside the square paper and picked a new hymnal. Nothing happened. She checked the incomprehensibly written booklet for damage, but it was intact, save for discoloration on the cover. ¡°Tom?¡± she asked, hesitating. Her husband took the book, and lines sprang around, twirling until the new parchment appeared. It was a triple again, Level, Strength¡­ Specialist Battler. ¡°Peter? Laura? Can you pick a book each?¡± The two shrugged and sorted through the diminishing pile until they found intact hymnals. Blue lights played out, yielding two triple sheets. Level, Empathy, and Combat Fixer for Laura¡¯s book. Level, Dexterity, Improviser in Peter¡¯s hand. ¡°What are these for?¡± Petra asked again. ¡°I think¡­ they¡¯re not for someone. They¡¯re us.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Shaper looks like sorcery to me. Earth for you. Fire for me. Combat Fixer, that describes you, Laura. You fix us in combat. Tom¡¯s a Battler, a Specialist Battler. And Peter is an Improviser.¡± ¡°Simple, elegant, clean. Love it,¡± the small man joked. ¡°But why would we get parchments for us?¡± Laura asked. ¡°Because until now, we didn¡¯t know what we were. We know Petra is an Earth Shaper. Mark is a Ranger. We had a simple Shaper and a Guardian. But us?¡± Petra was contemplating Johanna¡¯s parchment ¡°Does this mean¡­ you can turn someone into you?¡± she asked. She blinked in surprise, looking again at the sheet that listed things that might be the base of her Talents. ¡°I don¡¯t know. But you¡¯re right. It could be. Elena said we were breaking all the rules, but maybe we aren¡¯t. Maybe we¡¯re following whatever rules do exist.¡± ¡°And normal people without direct access to their full capacities just fall short of what they could be,¡± Petra said. ¡°Which makes us look better in comparison,¡± Peter said. ¡°Well, Mark¡¯s probably your equal now, if he has five Talents,¡± she replied sweetly. Peter rolled his eyes and Tom grunted. ¡°So¡­ if we got the right parchments, with the same Talents, someone could do everything I do,¡± Laura mused. ¡°Well, that answers a question I had,¡± Petra said. Johanna looked at her, and she pursued. ¡°I was wondering if you could make parchments for others, or if you need them to be there, like me and Mark.¡± They tested that idea immediately. Most of the remaining hymnals were moldy or heavily damaged, but there were a few still intact enough to be convertible into parchments. After the four listing of their specialization, Johanna made a stand-alone Level parchment, then one listing just Authority, and another single quality one. The surprise came when Tom started picking the discarded hymnals to put back on a shelf. For a few, blue lines unexpectedly sprang, and additional stand-alone parchments were created. ¡°It looks like the stand-alone sheets don¡¯t need as many pages as the ones with Talents,¡± Johanna realized. In the end, they found themselves in possession of the four parchments listing their respective bases, and eight stand-alone without Talents. Johanna found out that you could roll them tightly despite the stiffness, provided you didn¡¯t try to roll more than four at a time. They immediately returned to their flat, semi-rigid square form when left alone. They left the church after cleaning up. After turning the hymnals to what Johanna hoped was a good cause, she did not feel like it would be good to loot it further. B2.14 - No Plan Survives Contact Yea, I shall return with the tide. Pre-Fall author Finding the pathway down marked the formal end of the salvage expedition. And what an expedition it had been, Johanna thought. Artifacts. Parchments of Power. Packs so full, they even ended up throwing some of the food that they would not need, given the short stay at the ruins. ¡°You¡¯re sure you don¡¯t want¡­?¡± she asked. ¡°Told you. No way he¡¯d leave Zahl. And Adria,¡± Petra said from behind. Mark had rejected Johanna¡¯s offer to join them on their expedition to the east coast, and far faster than she anticipated. The man had attempted to explain about duty, but Petra had teased him about his on-off girlfriend as the real reason. ¡°You can set your calendar by them. Every three months, they start dating again, and every three months, they fall apart, and I see him back at Timothy¡¯s. For two years, I¡¯ve followed it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like that¡­¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure your father would appreciate your settling down at some point. Even with her.¡± As they started getting down, she looked at the figure of the Zahl guardsman walking in front of her, bow still at the ready. By now, they knew what he was now capable of. A pack of Canids had been prowling not too far from the ruins when they came out. They¡¯d unloaded on them as soon as they spotted them, the nine beasts having tried to ambush them, almost successfully. Petra hadn¡¯t used Tremor, not yet, but the reflexive use of Jagged Stone when one of the beasts almost caught her from the side had been a massive surprise. A pair of huge rock spikes had sprung from her arms and reached a foot over her hands, making sword-like armguards that had a wicked edge over a black, almost matte finish. The beast almost impaled itself and trying to dodge had let her freeze it for Johanna to finish. Of course, the spikes had also sliced open her sleeves, barely sparing her gloves, and she had grumbled much. They¡¯d tied her damaged jacket, and they would fix it later at camp, probably once they were out of the mana zone. After the last beast had fallen, Mark had contemplated the carnage and his bow. ¡°It was as if I couldn¡¯t miss. As if the arrows aligned themselves, and I could just pick the arrow, aim, shoot, and move to the next, and it flew true.¡± ¡°An arrow flies slightly faster than my fireballs,¡± Johanna admitted. ¡°And you almost can¡¯t take them out of the corpses,¡± Peter added. ¡°Is that what it feels to be a¡­ capital-H Hero?¡± ¡°You tell me. You¡¯re one, after all,¡± the diminutive Improviser replied. ¡°When I hit them, my hand shifts in the right place,¡± Peter whispered a moment later. A shake of the head had been the only answer. One last surprise had come out of the fight. While Johanna hadn¡¯t spotted anything, Mark had seen something play out on the largest Canid, and while they were dispatching the horde, brief flashes of the same non-light on Tom and Peter. Johanna was now certain that the distinction between Heroes and Sorcerers ¨C a category in which she put Saints as well now ¨C was real. Mana Sight let her spot magic being used, and she was certain that Gauge Stamina was letting Mark see non-magical Talents play out. Like her, he had a limit on what he could see. He couldn¡¯t follow Tom¡¯s run or Peter starting his distraction. But lesser actions were noticeable, even if he could not know what was being done, just like with her or Petra. No trace of the Bosid was visible, and rather than skirt the mana zone as they did initially, this time they cut diagonally, heading straight toward the city. They made camp three miles out, next to a pair of scraggly trees. After they¡¯d put up the tents in the cleared space, Petra had an idea. ¡°We never had time to test what Tremor does, exactly,¡± she told Johanna. ¡°You said an earthquake, but what does that mean? Beyond the earth moving.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t do it close. If that¡¯s truly Quaking Earth, it has a range, and I¡¯m betting you won¡¯t have the 25 yards reported.¡± Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡°How far, then?¡± Johanna thought. ¡°Our range seems to be around 40 yards or so for distant abilities. I¡¯d say use that distance to be safe. If your Tremor goes for hundreds of yards, it might not be a combat ability, maybe a war one. But I doubt it will be something like three times the 25 yards reported. A Fire Shaper like me is better than normal fire-oriented sorcerers, but not that much, so you shouldn¡¯t be if Earth Shaper follows the same rule.¡± Petra moved away, marking carefully the pace, estimating the distance. Once she stood around about 40 yards away from the rest of the group, she turned, looked around, and yelled, ¡°Here goes nothing.¡± The initial sound made Johanna think of kernels popping in a hearth. Then they realized they were probably a bit too close when the ground started swinging. Peter swayed and stepped back, and Tom almost fell as well. But inside Tremor, rocks jumped up, and bushes swayed. Snow puffs came in the air. A second later, a pair of hares almost flew out of a hole, landing haphazardly on the vibrating ground, trying and failing to stand up. In the middle, Petra swayed, yelling ¡°fuck, fuck, fuck.¡± ¡°Let it go,¡± Johanna yelled. ¡°I did. I can¡¯t! It keeps going!¡± she yelled back, as she stumbled. ¡°Fuck, how do we get her out?¡± Johanna said. Tom looked at her, turned toward the Earth Shaper, and started sprinting at his incredible speed. He made it to the middle of the distance before shocks on his feet threw him off and he crashed hard to the ground. ¡°TOM!¡± ¡°Nothing broken. Yet,¡± Laura announced. ¡°No, feels like a bruise coming.¡± Petra still swayed, barely staying up, as the ground vibrated, rising and falling. A dozen of animals, thrown out of burrows, tried to escape the insanity that had befallen them. Then abruptly, the ground stilled, and the critters ran as fast as they could. It had lasted less than twenty seconds. Tom rolled on his back and started to rise, as Johanna ran. ¡°Stupid,¡± she said as she hugged and kissed him. ¡°Thought I could shake her out of it.¡± ¡°Not the best idea.¡± ¡°No,¡± he laughed lightly. Petra was reaching them, looking. ¡°Dunno what you wanted to do, but thanks.¡± She looked at Johanna. ¡°I¡¯m not doing that again, like ever again. Unless there are maybe thirty of those Canids running at me.¡± They looked at the field. Even if the earth was quiet now, the devastation was clearly visible. An almost perfect circle, where the ground had been churned, rocks popped out of the ground, and some bushes bent, some half-broken, most with bits of twigs and leaves dumped everywhere. ¡°The reference says it shakes the ground ¡®significantly¡¯ and causes things to fall,¡± Johanna commented. ¡°No kidding. I almost lost my footing, many times. I don¡¯t know how I stayed up.¡± ¡°Sorcerers are supposed to be more or less immune, or at least resistant to their own magics.¡± ¡°It did not feel like I was resisting that.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s safe to say this is a kind of last resort stuff. And don¡¯t use it in ruins.¡± ¡°That sounds like a potential disaster.¡± ¡°Disaster walking. Good name,¡± Peter said behind them. Petra turned and threw a dark look at the small man. Well, that¡¯s not what I expected, Moore noted. On the surface, it did look like an earthquake, or rather, like the idea of an earthquake. The only one he¡¯d ever experienced was a tiny, distant rumbling, back from when he was still in high school. Without the big news about it later that evening, he wouldn¡¯t even have guessed it had been one. The drum-like shaking that Veldhuis had unleashed was another thing. It had lasted for about 17 seconds, which seemed to match the cost ¨C not that this bullshit system documented it ¨C in Agility. And he wondered how the border and range applied to the shaking. Earth should have been ripped at the edges or something. A quick peek at Veldhuis¡¯s descriptor as she thanked Tom for trying to rescue her from self-inflicted catastrophe had let him verify that, with 6335 XP, she was still some distance from leveling. Not that he could help her. The Dexterity-based skill he wanted for her build ¨C Popping Rock, which was one of those weird, almost humorous names ¨C required both Authority 18, Dexterity 16, and Level 6, and just the skill tier had made it outside of the reach of the eastern European church books anyway. And after the near miss of the Strength scroll, he needed to figure out a better way to communicate build plans. Johanna huddled around the small, dim embers, as she stood watch. Petra had decided to stay up too, despite not having a watch that night. As keeping watch was always boring, Johanna welcomed the company, although she doubted her fellow sorceress would stay up during the entire length of it. ¡°Do you think it is¡­ was like that for the Burning Walker. A walking disaster. Just from the description that you read¡­¡± ¡°Remember, it¡¯s mostly novels. They tend to exaggerate things. But yea, I suppose he was, well, a Fire Shaper.¡± ¡°Like you.¡± ¡°I obviously don¡¯t have the burning aura he had.¡± ¡°No. You shuck balls of fire, light swords on fire, and breathe deadly smoke.¡± ¡°Steam. I think.¡± She looked at the former bartender. ¡°Besides, the Burning Walker had a single ability. Same for Elena.¡± ¡°And we¡¯re Grand Sorceresses.¡± Johanna didn¡¯t think her eyebrows raising would be visible in the almost darkness of the camp, but Petra laughed. ¡°You said we needed a name.¡± ¡°I¡­ didn¡¯t expect one.¡± ¡°It will do then. Unless your plans ¨C or rather your patron¡¯s plans ¨C bear fruit and there are dozens, nay, hundreds of great sorceresses and sorcerers.¡± ¡°Shapers.¡± ¡°Weird name.¡± ¡°But the parchments use it,¡± Johanna said, waving to her tent where the store of unused parchments lay. ¡°You said that Countess had just Shaper on hers.¡± ¡°Yea. She was obviously specialized in metal sorcery, yet.¡± ¡°Ever read of the four elements?¡± Johanna startled. ¡°Like the stories,¡± she realized. ¡°Air, Water, Earth¡­ Fire.¡± She realized what Petra was implying. ¡°Earth and Fire Shaper¡­ but no Metal Shaper.¡± ¡°Or Mind Shaper. Maybe that¡¯s why Laura is labeled a form of Fixer. Shaper sorcery is about elemental magic,¡± Petra speculated. B2.15 - Capital Gains A great merchant delivers both joy and profit. Then profit gets reinvested in more joy. Pre-Fall businessman The few days coming back to Zahl had let them discuss plans further. Even though Mark was not interested in joining them in the East, they could open up a little more now that he knew about what they could do. Johanna¡¯s discussions had comforted her with her ideas. Mark, as a Hero Ranger, was going to be far better at guarding and securing the Zahl County than any of his non-Talented guard colleagues. He¡¯d even remarked that Zahl could use more of those powers. ¡°If we had more Talents, like you five¡­¡± ¡°That is going to take more time. As I¡¯ve explained, a year ago, we couldn¡¯t do that. We¡¯re still making it as we go. But that¡¯s the idea.¡± ¡°Too bad. If you¡¯d made a set for someone rather than those random parchments¡­¡± ¡°There was enough for maybe two more people.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure we could find more Ancient books in Zahl¡­¡± ¡°That will take too much time. As I said¡­¡± Johanna had not elaborated too much about why they were running from the Montana. Mark was a city guard, after all. ¡°¡­ we have an objective. More than a few Ancient Books. But do not worry, we¡¯re not going to forget you and Zahl.¡± ¡°That expedition still sounds insane, even with that kind of payoff.¡± ¡°And that is why we¡¯ve recruited Petra here.¡± ¡°Tremor?¡± she asked. Johanna had to laugh. ¡°Maybe not that. But I¡¯ve spent weeks, no, months, thinking about what it¡¯s known about the coast. And our limitations.¡± ¡°Seriously? Limitations? You¡¯re all¡­ we¡¯re all so powerful,¡± Mark half-exclaimed. ¡°But we do have limits. We haven¡¯t tested yours, but we run dry after a while. I can sustain flame for several hours, and then it¡¯s gone, and I need a full night to get it all back. I can chuck sixty¡­ maybe a little more now, of those fireballs, and then I run dry as well.¡± ¡°The east coast is full of Changed monsters, you mean. So you need more fireballs.¡± ¡°Yes. Once we run dry in whatever fuels Talents, be it Sorcerer¡¯s Mana or Hero¡¯s Stamina, since the Talents make a difference between the two, we¡¯re not much better than an ordinary person. If you run empty and there are dozens of Changed still coming at you¡­ Well, if you can¡¯t Tremor or something because you¡¯re out, you¡¯re fucked. Even Heroes run dry, I know that from Tom¡¯s training days.¡± ¡°So¡­ you want a backup,¡± he realized. ¡°Yeah. Just combining Petra¡¯s Earthbind and someone with a serious range like my Fireballs or something like your Ranger skills is good, but we need more teams than the one we have now. I¡¯d hoped to get you to accompany us, but you can still do the world a lot of good even if you stay in Zahl.¡± Petra laughed. ¡°I wish I could listen to you explaining to your half-fianc¨¦e how you got so much better with a bow.¡± ¡°I could do that,¡± Peter said. Mark looked at both of them. ¡°You are ridiculous. The way nobody can even try to pay attention to you¡­ you could rob people¡¯s houses blind. Even banks.¡± ¡°I just sneak into pubs and listen to people telling me tidbits of stuff. That¡¯s plenty enough.¡± ¡°Sure. You believe him?¡± Petra asked Laura. The Combat Fixer shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t ask him what he¡¯s doing without me and he doesn¡¯t ask what I¡¯m planning for him.¡± ¡°So. What¡¯s the plan back in Zahl?¡± ¡°We have to sell all of our salvaged stuff. And the next day, we move out. Unless there¡¯s a major problem with the weather or something at the last moment.¡± ¡°Down to Independence State. That is going to be weird,¡± Petra said. The morning was almost over, but the Zahl¡¯s gates were finally at hand. ¡°See, in time for your patrol,¡± Petra said. ¡°The captain would have adjusted. Not that there are many Changed roaming around in winter, even with this mild weather. Late April, maybe we¡¯d see something.¡± ¡°You¡¯re sure you don¡¯t want to come? Last chance,¡± Johanna said. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°No, thanks. And besides, I¡¯ll be much better at my job from now on.¡± ¡°The Power the World needs,¡± she said, almost intoning it. The guard at the gate itself waved, then waved even more energetically once he noticed Mark. ¡°There we are.¡± ¡°Thanks for the opportunity to see the upside,¡± he answered Johanna. ¡°That weird village will still be there,¡± she said. ¡°And maybe one day, I¡¯ll get back. Somehow,¡± he insisted. ¡°Can¡¯t tell the future,¡± Tom injected. ¡°So, we agreed,¡± Johanna replied. ¡°I¡¯ll keep quiet about what really happened, no worries. At least until you¡¯re well away.¡± Both Petra and Mark seemed to agree that Birdy¡¯s Shipping was the best bet to sell the stuff, matching the rumors Johanna had gotten last year. That business was the most diversified in the city, doing import and export all over the State and even with adjacent places. Even though the business had slowed over the winter, Birdy¡¯s was open this Tuesday, so Johanna went in immediately after knocking and found two men playing a card game with two young kids. ¡°Hello there. Do I know you?¡± one said. ¡°What brings you to our sunny offices?¡± the other smiled. ¡°I was pointed to those very sunny offices, as someone told me you¡¯d be my best prospects for selling.¡± ¡°Selling?¡± ¡°Do we sell?¡± the other asked, looking at the first. ¡°You mean, do we buy?¡± By now, she¡¯d noted the two looked much like each other, although not strictly identical. Brothers, assuredly. Well, it was a merchant family, after all. And unlike farms, it was easier to split branches of business between family members. Even if one had to work for the other. ¡°Excuse me, didn¡¯t introduce myself. Carl Birdy,¡± the first man said. ¡°And Johan Birdy,¡± the other added, confirming her ideas. ¡°The little scamps here are our nephews. Hey, is that you Mark?¡± ¡°Yep. I¡¯m not representing Dad¡¯s shop today, though. I¡¯m just accompanying her.¡± ¡°Johanna Milton,¡± she introduced herself. ¡°Ohhh, almost the same as you,¡± Carl said. Those two are jokers, worse than Peter, she decided. ¡°So, what brings Johanna Milton to our winter office?¡± ¡°Which is the same as the summer office.¡± ¡°As I said, looking to see if you¡¯re interested in buying things. Specifically, Ancient salvaged goods.¡± The two men were startled. Whatever offer they¡¯d been expecting, that wasn¡¯t it. ¡°We¡¯re professional salvagers. We¡­ we used to work in the Montana Marches, but life got complicated, and we decided to leave.¡± ¡°And you want to start salvaging in Zahl?¡± one ¨C Johan ¨C asked. ¡°Not long term. We¡¯ve got plans, and we¡¯re heading further southeast. But we took the occasion to scout locally, with the help of Mark here.¡± ¡°Mark? Wait, did you go to Fallen Hill?¡± ¡°We did. And I finally saw what grandpa never managed,¡± the guardsman replied. Carl Birdy frowned. ¡°The top? It¡¯s real?¡± ¡°Not huge ruins, but mana preserved it.¡± Then he laughed, adding, ¡°And I did my best keeping those safe.¡± ¡°The real question is, did mana preserve the money,¡± Laura added. Johan Birdy snorted. ¡°A woman of my mind. Sorry kiddos, got to work.¡± ¡°Aww. I was winning!¡± ¡°In your dreams. But I think we¡¯ll have to draw again after. In case you looked.¡± ¡°That¡¯s cheating.¡± ¡°No. That¡¯s against cheating. Wait for us. We¡¯ll try to be quick.¡± Johanna had an idea. ¡°Hey, want to see something?¡± she addressed the two kids that were already looking bored. ¡°Uh?¡± She rummaged into her bag until she found the small glass jar she¡¯d picked in the village ruins. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Looks bizarre.¡± She carefully spilled the content at the center of the table next to the cards. Glass marbles. She¡¯d found those in the second house. That wasn¡¯t the first time she¡¯d seen those, and she knew by now it was a game for Ancient kids. The insanely perfect colored glass spheres were universal and used in distant parts of the Ancient world. ¡°That¡¯s a game from the Ancients.¡± ¡°Ohhhh?¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°How did they play?¡± ¡°No idea. You can invent your rules.¡± ¡°Hey, that¡¯s for us?¡± one realized. ¡°Yes. Don¡¯t let your uncles steal your marbles and sell them.¡± ¡°No way!¡± ¡°That¡¯s ours!¡± She laughed as the two kids started to inventory their goods. ¡°Bribes?¡± Carl Birdy asked. ¡°I have nephews back home. I was always bringing them some little stuff from salvage.¡± She turned, and added, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we have plenty still.¡± They started pulling out everything they¡¯d gotten on the hilltop weird village. Lots of clothes, the entire collection of boots ¨C minus the artifact ones, ¨C tools, entire sets of cutlery, and of course the bottles of ¡°vodka¡± spirits. The three houses they¡¯d ransacked before their bags were full had multiples as if it was some kind of commonplace drink there. ¡°Potato Spirits?¡± ¡°You tell me. Is that what¡¯s it made from?¡± Johanna asked. ¡°As far as I know.¡± ¡°It was made in Europe, mostly,¡± the other Birdy added. ¡°How did you find any?¡± ¡°Fallen Hill looks like it was a big Changestorm thing,¡± she said. ¡°Completely displaced village. Nothing written in English, save a few things.¡± The two traders looked at each other briefly. ¡°Is it easily accessible?¡± Mark was the one to answer that question. ¡°Not that easy. If it had been, it wouldn¡¯t have lasted until now. The right people, yes. Otherwise, forget it.¡± ¡°Even you?¡± Johan Birdy asked. ¡°I¡¯m less hesitant now, but I wouldn¡¯t. Not without the right people, as I said.¡± The two brothers turned back to the wildly varied inventory. Johanna stopped briefly when they pulled to the old calendar. ¡°Kids,¡± she warned, but a brief look showed them engrossed with the marbles. Carl looked inside, snorted in laughter, and put it very carefully aside. Johanna spent ten more minutes trying to argue about some parts, but she was happy about the over three thousand dollars they¡¯d ended up getting. It was a more than reasonable haul by their old standards. Cheap given the treasure trove of the Fallen Hill, but then the Birdys didn¡¯t deal regularly with salvage. ¡°Are you staying long?¡± Carl asked. ¡°No. The weather looks good enough, we¡¯ll hit the road again soon.¡± ¡°Too bad. If that was a regular thing, we¡¯d probably get better at gauging how much that¡¯s worth.¡± ¡°Hey, if you got the scavenging fiber going with Mark and Petra, maybe it will become a regular thing. What do you say? You¡¯re going to do it on the regular?¡± Johan Birdy asked. Mark immediately shook his head. ¡°Not going to abandon my regular job, at least not yet. Now, if there are well-prepared scavengers, and they want protection¡­¡± ¡°Aw.¡± Johanna had to warn them. ¡°It¡¯s still a small village. It¡¯s well preserved, not what you¡¯d get from fifteen decades, but it¡¯s not the size of major ruins. My professional opinion is, if you sponsor regular salvagers, you¡¯ll need to branch out, or it will be empty within two to three years. And of course, they need to be good and ready to take on Changed beasts. Even if Mark gets guard duty, it¡¯s not going to suffice, I think.¡± They settled in for the final negotiations. The two brothers were shrewd negotiators, not bothering to use tired ¡°bad for business¡± arguments or anything. But Johanna had little choice. Just like in Valetta, selling it whole saved time, and she was antsy. Nearly four months locked in Zahl grated on her nerves. ¡°So. $3400?¡± ¡°In fifties silver.¡± ¡°Not gold?¡± ¡°Easier to change in town. Gold might be good enough for you merchants, but folks like us¡­¡± Johanna said. ¡°Good thinking. I think I may have enough. Let me check.¡± As they were leaving, Johanna spotted one of the kids jumping excitedly, trying to explain the magical rules of marbles to one of his uncles. It looked like a satisfying evening, for everybody young and older, if for different reasons. B2.16 - Southbound You¡¯re still here and you¡¯ve got to keep on moving. Who knows, maybe you¡¯ll meet again down that road. Pre-Fall movie The first thing Johanna did when coming back to Timothy¡¯s was to grab her notebook and head to the better-lighted common room. She stupidly hadn¡¯t brought it, not having expected so many parchments and an entirely new set. She decided to use the end of the book to record the parchment¡¯s variability. So, far, they¡¯d seen, what¡­ four parts? No, five, she thought, remembering the crossed-out Frostbite. It had been along a different Talent, so that was separate. Levels. Something about raising people¡¯s ability limits? ¡°Unconfirmed¡±, she added. The quality names, six so far. Writing them, she realized she had three that were physical, and three¡­ not. ¡°More?¡± she added. The Ancient had only made six individual versions, so maybe that was all. Talents. ¡°Lots,¡± she wrote, half-laughing. And Talent removal. ¡°Only one example.¡± And¡­ description? Specialization? Category? She had not brought down the parchments, but she remembered them from a few minutes ago when she¡¯d stashed them. She drew the general look for the single, dual, and triple. She was not a good artist. She still penciled what she remembered of the four-way from Petra. Maybe there was going to be a five-way. If someone needed more ¡°fixing¡± of their set of Talents. She sharpened her pencil, and quickly added Petra¡¯s Jagged Stone spell on the Earth Shaper page, along with the Strength associated quality. She then started a page for the Ranger list from Mark, noting down that Gauge Stamina was somehow shared with Guardian. Then, she pulled out a new blank page, hesitating, and then added Fire Shaper. With her name just below. She did not have names, not the true names for the spells that came with it, save that Mana Sight was available to her. To all Shapers? She quickly wrote all the names of their four specializations on a page each. Then she flipped between all of them. ¡°Thanks for letting us know who we are,¡± she whispered. Then she realized the Skeleton might not hear that whisper over the din of the inn that was slightly more crowded than usual. So, she wrote ¡°thank you for the gift of knowledge¡± at the bottom of the page. She looked at it, then slowly, carefully, erased the mention with the eraser. She flipped the notebook closed. Five o¡¯clock was coming, and it was time to head to her rendezvous after she fetched Tom from their room. That little line could have brought tears to Moore¡¯s eyes if he had either eyes or tear ducts. Even without mushy brain matter, there was something profound about this little piece of communication, this second-hand dialogue. You deserve to know who you are now. Who I made you into. Sorry for not asking permission, but I had no way to do otherwise. The next day turned into a whirlwind. Petra¡¯s clothing got properly fixed after the tailor wondered how she sliced her sleeves that way. ¡°It almost looks like it was done from the inside out.¡± Dry food was not hard to stock, they¡¯d already looked for a source of supplies for their previous salvage run. ¡°Fifteen days, as much as a serious salvage expedition, even if we don¡¯t stop on the way. We¡¯ll resupply later.¡± Petra was renting a small apartment, and she had little difficulty packing what she did not need and leaving it to some friends. ¡°They¡¯re all nosy. Why you¡¯re leaving? Edvin is dead, you don¡¯t have to. Et cetera.¡± Johanna settled all the accounts with Timothy¡¯s that evening. The three months of wintering did dig a bit into their money, but overall, the early march departure meant she¡¯d kept quite a lot more of their money than anticipated, in addition to the loot sold. Petra was absent, of course. ¡°I¡¯d rather avoid meeting at Timothy¡¯s. He might still hope I¡¯ll pick up my old job back once spring is there and traders and other travelers start coming. He doesn¡¯t know I¡¯m leaving Zahl. But if he spots me with you plotting stuff, or even hears about this expedition, he¡¯s also going to be pissed at you for stealing one good bartender.¡± A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°So where?¡± ¡°Ronald¡¯s Supper?¡± Mark had offered. The ¡°supper¡± was a basic restaurant, with some good food, but it also had large family tables where you could discuss things. The only problem was that it had a dedicated play area for the kids, so it was awfully noisy. Which, Johanna had to admit, made it better for plotting stuff unnoticed. She pulled out the maps. Petra had an old, detailed map of western Dakotas, and Johanna had found a fairly recent continental map, printed in 2165. It showed the major cities and main travel roads. She¡¯d smiled when she spotted Valetta. At least it was big enough to warrant being named. Places like the Rocastle Demesnes were simple dots on a small road linking northeast Montana and northwest Dakota, a minor road compared to the larger ones she could see in the center of North America. ¡°We aim for the Missouri and follow it. About two-thirds of its course is mana zones and ruins, but there are small towns all over later, which means easier travel. We can go all the way down through Cheyenne, True Missouri, and then to Independence State, which is the target.¡± ¡°Looks long.¡± ¡°Two months, a bit less. There is one of those small ¡®train¡¯ freight transport we may use. Not much faster than walking, but easier.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll need better maps.¡± ¡°Once we¡¯re halfway there, yes. The Missouri means we don¡¯t need many, we just let it be our guide.¡± They filled their bellies with what promised to be the last good supper for quite a long time. Finding themselves back at Timothy¡¯s for what she knew was their last night felt a bit strange. She realized she knew the inn better than she¡¯d known their house in Valetta. And now, the four ¨C five, now ¨C of them were leaving, probably never to come back again. There had been a cold snap overnight, but no surprise snowfall. And this time, Petra wasn¡¯t late. Mark was there too, both in his official status as a city guard, and to see them out. ¡°So, going to seek The Power the World needs?¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯ll have to explain to me one day what it means.¡± ¡°One day, probably. But you should know part of it. We gave it to you, making you a Hero bowman¡­ a Ranger.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try to put it to good use. Patrols start on Friday, and if we find some roaming Changed, it will be much easier. There¡¯s something about not being worried you¡¯ll miss while switching targets almost automatically. Although I¡¯ll have to be careful because I¡¯m sure Captain Mills will start asking questions before long.¡± ¡°You can tell him some of the truth. Like, you got it while on Fallen Hill,¡± she replied. ¡°Adapted to Gauge Stamina, by the way?¡± Tom asked. ¡°It takes some time.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what Valentin back west said,¡± Peter noted. ¡°All the kids, like the ones at Birdy, feel the same, and then it¡¯s all kind of different¡­ power. Seems age plays a lot. And that¡¯s only for people, or back at the Fallen Hill for the Canids.¡± ¡°Makes sense, you know,¡± Tom said. ¡°How so?¡± ¡°Talents. People and Changed beasts can have Talents.¡± ¡°You think he¡¯s sensing how much Talents people can have?¡± Petra said. ¡°Maybe?¡± Tom shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m trying to have a sense of scale. But yes, you¡¯re all just a bit over Petra, for instance.¡± ¡°And she has four Talents, while we have five. Or probably five,¡± Johanna noted. ¡°That alpha Canid was just under Petra though. And he had only one Talent if that¡¯s what I could see.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s the potential, not the actual,¡± Petra said. ¡°If that¡¯s so, then Grand-aunt Charlene is much, much better than all of you.¡± ¡°What?¡± Johanna exclaimed. ¡°She¡¯s ancient as hell, like 85. And she¡¯s much, well, stronger than any of you. That¡¯s what it comes across to me.¡± ¡°She¡¯s not a sorceress or hero, is she?¡± Laura asked. ¡°Not that anyone knows.¡± ¡°Weird.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know why I got this,¡± Mark admitted. ¡°It¡¯s probably got some uses. Just like Mana Sight is good at finding magical stuff, you¡¯re probably good at spotting who is the most dangerous Changed. It¡¯s called Gauge Stamina, after all.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about the Stamina part, though.¡± ¡°Someday you will. Or we will.¡± They set out into the mostly clear plains, with only patches of snow here and there, but the road itself, with packed earth and gravel, was firm and not slippery from the icy weather. ¡°Next stop, the southern frontier. Dim Hope,¡± Johanna announced. ¡°Worst town name ever,¡± Peter noted. Ernesto Gomez dropped the satchel on his desk, sighing. When he was younger, he enjoyed teaching. The bright-eyed students, eager to learn Modern Mechanics, the convoluted ways ¨C and pretty horrible equations ¨C that governed engineering and the ways of the world, listening, asking questions, watching him, and hoping to spot the error he¡¯d warned them in advance he would make at one point. Not so much these days. The quality, motivation, and appetite for learning had declined. These days, the students at the Academy of Post-Fall Physics of Nashville yearned for degrees, not learning. Or maybe he was getting crotchety already. In any case, he was tired after an afternoon of fluid mechanics for undergrads. He pulled up his chair ¨C his personal chair, not the university one ¨C and dumped his bulk into it, making the leather sigh. Then, he started opening letters, or at least the ones addressed to the ¡°Talent Studies Department¡±. Such a department did not exist at the Academy, it was its own joke, and the secretarial staff humored him. Not enough subject matter ¨C who would be interested in rare anomalies that could not be reliably experimented upon? Besides eccentrics ¨C a title he proudly wore ¨C like himself. Nothing from Worchester, he noted. After getting his appetite whetted by her early letters and the Society¡¯s Secretary sending him copies of her reports, she had stonewalled him since late fall. ¡°Later¡± ¡°I can¡¯t discuss¡±. Which made the letter he was reading all the more interesting. The Warden of the Montana himself, Victor Maistry, wanted to retain his services as the ¡°foremost expert in principles of magic¡±. A generous indemnity ¨C several times his University stipend ¨C in exchange for insights on topics linked to Talents. At least someone noted and appreciated his regular papers. Unfortunately¡­
This will entail traveling to the western Marches of the Montana, where the matter will be better explained¡­
END OF ACT 1 B2.17 - Bright Hopes True change takes place in the imagination. Pre-Fall Poet Equipped with Petra¡¯s maps, the road to the south was not hard to follow in the plains of the Dakota Marches. A recent cold had frozen the partially thawed patches of snow, but the weather remained mostly clear, promising easy conditions. The western plains of Dakota were a much different landscape than the one they were used to, Johanna thought again. There were large plains in the Marches of the Montana, she knew from school lessons, but they were few and mostly to the south. The wilderness that blanketed much of the northwest was something different. Fields clustered around farming hubs, surrounded by white forest. Here, much like the trek to Fallen Hill, she could see unimpeded for dozens of miles. As the boots crunched over the still-frozen ground, she contemplated the almost alien landscape, so different from her childhood¡¯s. Landmarks dotted the road, pylons of Ancient steel that were kept more or less intact as road markers showing the way. Out in the distance, she spotted quickly a small palisade, with smoke coming over. A distant farming compound, probably not too dissimilar to Anasta, briefly evocating ancient nostalgia. The farm complex ¨C Mignon ¨C was another useful travel marker for their map, and they slowly progressed, never coming closer than three miles from it. As morning made the way to afternoon, then getting closer to evening, she noticed one of the small wood copses that dotted the plains and quickly decided it would work as a place to make camp for the night. They had made good progress she guessed, a third to halfway to the Missouri. As they dropped their packs, she contemplated the area that still had a lot of frozen snow. She wanted to try something. She hadn¡¯t during their trek north, but thinking about her recent ability, she felt it was¡­ well suited for the wintertime. It didn¡¯t look as burning hot as her flaming hand or her fireballs. She went on all four, because the range was quite short, inhaled, reached inward for the instinctive mental trigger she knew was there, and breathed slowly. Rather than the small white plume of breath, an outpouring of darker stuff came, as she spewed forth the hot steam. As she¡¯d expected, under the onslaught of the steam, the frozen snow patches evaporated extremely quickly. She moved slowly her head, keeping her breath flowing out steadily, clearing the floor, until she started feeling faint and had to stop and inhale. Four pairs of hands clapped behind her. She turned and threw a look at the others. ¡°Don¡¯t you have wood to get? It feels like I have to do everything.¡± Tom took a contrite air immediately and moved into the miniature wood. She took a few short breaths and spewed super-heated steam again. Overall, it took her nearly six times of blowing steam, but she had the last remnants of snow cleared out, making enough room for the three tents and a nice camp area. She stood up, cleaned up her knees and hands, and moved to her backpack, to get the cooking materials out, Petra helping. ¡°You should have done that on the way to Fallen Hill.¡± Tom was quickly back with some wood, and she immediately started a fire with her hand, letting the pot¡¯s snow melt normally, without using her abilities. Sometimes, it¡¯s worth doing it the old way. ¡°It¡¯s a bit weird going out, knowing I¡¯m unlikely to come back for maybe years. If ever,¡± Petra noted, slurping the trail food mix. ¡°Believe me, it¡¯s the same way for me. For us,¡± Johanna replied. ¡°You didn¡¯t explain too much, back when we were with Mark,¡± the former bartender said. ¡°Well, you know the basics. We found that weird skeleton in a ruin near Valetta. We were all long children, unlikely to get good opportunities unless something really bad happened, and so we went there to get money. It¡¯s good money if you¡¯re not too afraid of Changed beasts or mana stuff.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve seen that. Two weeks and even splitting in five, it¡¯s more than I made in two months at Timothy¡¯s. I should have done that years ago.¡± ¡°It all depends on how much unsalvaged stuff there is around. We¡¯re lucky at Valetta. Changestorms created that ruin nearby, mostly the same way Fallen Hill worked out, and it wasn¡¯t heavily scavenged during the decades after the Fall. You haven¡¯t the same amount salvage here, and it wasn¡¯t left undisturbed.¡± ¡°Ruins south,¡± Tom noted. ¡°I¡¯ve seen it on the map. Closer than Fallen Hill, but it was less promising. We might as well see if there¡¯s something when passing close by. Not too much salvage, since we¡¯re on the move, but any additional money is good. Will be good rather, once we settle down in Independence and start planning the expedition to Washington DC.¡± ¡°I hadn¡¯t heard of it until you spoke of it,¡± Petra admitted. ¡°Neither did I. The main city, the capital of the Ancient¡¯s Union. That¡¯s where everything was decided back then.¡± ¡°Kind of like Nashville then?¡± Petra asked. ¡°Probably. But one of the buildings there was called the Library of Congress.¡± ¡°Millions of books. Like those we found in that church,¡± Petra half-whispered. ¡°What guarantee do you have that it still stands?¡± ¡°I¡­ saw it.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been there?¡± ¡°No. I was shown it. Up until then, well¡­ it was a bit of a weird thing. That skeleton sprayed Mana all over us, a big blow. And then we started to have those things happening, but that¡¯s mana for you. It was useful, but you could still think it was mana fitting us somehow.¡± Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Johanna looked at Petra. ¡°He did change us. Not Change, capital-C ¨C god, I hope we¡¯re not made into a Changed species ¨C but that¡¯s enough. The Ancient gives us Talents when we need them. Then, once we found books, those parchments. For those like you, who were not there. And then, he brought me into some kind of dreamland.¡± ¡°But it wasn¡¯t a dream. Not just a dream,¡± Petra said. ¡°More than a dream. He showed me that Ancient library. And once I¡¯d read enough, I could recognize what he showed me then. It¡¯s in ruins, but¡­ no one but he has ever been there. Or maybe he¡¯s never been there. Maybe he can just see that far, the way he looks upon us.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m going to help you get there.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what we hope. ¡°It¡¯s like a story.¡± ¡°It¡¯s different when it happens to you, believe me.¡± The ruins became visible in the mid-afternoon. Out in the distance, it was hard to see, but it was clearly traces of the old-style buildings that Johanna associated with the Ancients. Not large, though. As they came closer, she took a measure of their find. It was maybe 500 yards wide, she estimated. A couple of blocks of the Ancient ruins near Valetta, no more than that. There were a few buildings that were almost intact, but most were caved in, roofs dropped, or entirely gone. ¡°You said there are Ursids there.¡± ¡°What Mark said, yes,¡± Tom replied. ¡°Won¡¯t bears sleep in winter?¡± Peter asked. ¡°Normal ones, like what Mistress Vanu used to tell about, maybe. Ursids? Who knows? Besides, with the weather, they might be up and around already.¡± One of the things she immediately noted was the lack of any telltale manalight plume that would have indicated the presence of an artifact. They could have gotten lucky, but artifacts were rare. Having four right now was kind of ridiculous, and a testament to her ¨C and Petra¡¯s ¨C ability to spot them from some distance. Despite the lack of a plume, she spotted a slightly glowing wall. ¡°Mana pool not too far.¡± ¡°I see it,¡± Petra replied. ¡°See or avoid?¡± Peter asked. ¡°I¡¯m tempted to see. We¡¯ve been in mana zones¡­¡± ¡°Although those didn¡¯t really register, except for that clearing.¡± ¡°¡­ and I¡¯m not sure mana accumulation is that dangerous.¡± ¡°You¡¯re thinking your Skeleton protects you?¡± Petra asked. ¡°No idea. That¡¯s¡­ possible.¡± The former bartender winced. The manalight splashes came from what looked like a large rectangular building, now almost level to the ground. There were, oddly preserved, tables of massive wood, still wrapped with some ribbons of whiteish Ancient material, but little directly salvageable. Petra stayed well away from the mana pool, while the four investigated. Tom pointed to a series of chests, slightly distorted. They were not of the usual type Johanna had seen at various points, made of the weird materials Ancients were so fans of. These looked like wooden chests, with heavy metallic reinforcements, although they had distorted shapes somehow without the wood breaking. Mana does weird things to ruins, she thought almost absently. Tom¡¯s enhanced strength didn¡¯t do much against non-living beings, so Peter ended up using Swordcutter very carefully to cut open the first chest, which appeared to be empty. The second, however, had a weird crumbling of carved masses of frozen bubbles. Johanna and Tom pulled out the materials and found what looked like cans of something. The names were illegible, and the tops of the cans had suffered some damage, although she could tell from the weight the cans still held some of their contents in solid form. She debated taking those but ultimately decided to focus on what she was certain would sell. No sense in encumbering themselves while traveling. The third chest was full of metal tools. Pliers, hammers, screwdrivers, and similar, were dumped there haphazardly, over a sea of unidentifiable sludge. The fourth chest had cleaning chiffons. Folded cleaning chiffons ¨C one of the carton wrappers said so in perfectly legible terms. She passed on those too. They moved into a different building, one that looked more like a house, based on what remained of the plans. This time, they found a stair going down indicating a basement, which she thought might be a better prospect. After making some torches which she lit, they went down and started ransacking. Jackpot. A set of 6 bottles. The label on the bottles themselves was gone, but the bottles themselves were still set on a wood display, and a still legible metallic plate proclaimed ¡°6 classic malts¡±. Malt, she knew, was the main component of many spirits, modern and old. Ancient spirit drinks, no matter where they came from, always sold well, just like the ones from Fallen Hill. She handed the bottles to Laura who carefully wrapped them before putting them into her backpack. Glasses went with the bottles. Not fancy decorated ones, but still Ancient glasses. Peter found a set of tools again, including an ax. This went on Tom¡¯s side, in case. They went out of the basement and headed to the next ruin where Peter froze, and pointed out further down the ruin¡¯s street. A bear. And given the slightly off look compared to illustrations of bears and its almost too bright blueish-white fur, an Ursid and Changed beast, not a normal version. ¡°It¡¯s not as if we weren¡¯t warned,¡± she whispered. She readied her hands in fireball position while Petra moved to her side, ready to lock the beast in place. The Ursid was at the extreme of their range and was probably capable of dodging. Peter was already nowhere to be seen, and Tom had his current hammer in hand. The group watched the Ursid, and the Ursid watched back, not moving. Johanna became aware of a weird sound, at the limit of her hearing. Is that a warning sound? Nobody moved. After a tense minute, she realized the changed beast was definitively not going to attack, although the almost impossible-to-hear sound indicated the Ursid was very, very wary. The bear-like creature was the one to break the staring contest as it turned away and went around the corner of a ruin. ¡°What happened?¡± Petra asked. ¡°For some reason, they didn¡¯t want to fight,¡± Johanna wondered. ¡°She,¡± Peter¡¯s voice came from the side. ¡°She?¡± ¡°Found what¡¯s behind her. There¡¯s a kind of hole dug¡­ and two little copies of that bear. Real tiny, barely larger than my hand.¡± Johanna blinked in surprise. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Schoolteacher said bears are very aggressive when it comes to offspring,¡± Tom informed her. ¡°That¡¯s a Changed Ursid, though. Who knows?¡± ¡°Maybe. Let¡¯s avoid that area of the ruins then. I¡¯d rather not fight a half-ton Ursid, even with our Talents.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t want me to slice it by surprise?¡± Peter asked. She made a face. ¡°And let the little cubs die?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Changed beasts,¡± Laura noted. ¡°Still¡­ those ruins have had Ursids for as long as those people in Zahl remember. It¡¯s their ruins. We¡¯re just passing through, and taking what they don¡¯t need.¡± The Level 6 Elite Frost Ursid was an interesting sight. The non-combat had yielded a tiny smidge of XP, but it was Peter¡¯s look at the hole where the she-bear¡¯s offspring were holed that sparked some interest. Moore had never ever seen such small bears. But both had a ¡°level 0 Ursid¡± label, confirming that you did not get levels early in life. It was only later¡­ and this rule, at least, held true for the Changed Beasts as much as it did for people. Moore also noted the experience gained. Exactly 100XP, 1/6th of the 100XP times level, which meant the experience had perfectly equally split between all six ¡°present¡±, including Petra. Although none of the descriptors displayed a group or team stuff, it did look like there was a standard group size of six. Above, such as their time with Kunst, contribution or some exotic factor played a part in distributing XP. He also wondered how the division was made, and on which criteria the system was deciding who was involved and not in the stand-off that had occurred. Did the system read intent? Was just being there enough? Light snow started late afternoon on the next day, as they spotted the banks of what had to be the Missouri. There was no real road, but a trail following it eastward. Two more days, she judged, and they¡¯d get to the frontier of the Dakotas and see if the light salvage would sell. Johanna didn¡¯t think the quick scoping was a bust, but neither was it much of a success. The ruins were too small, after all, they had studiously avoided the area where the mother Ursid kept her cubs, and they didn¡¯t have much time anyway. They¡¯d seen the bear pop up again at least once, and she''d watched them very carefully. But she thought they¡¯d communicated somehow that they were not going to come and disturb her small ones, and the mother seemed content with this. The idea of small Changed beasts was weird for Johanna. She realized the Changed beasts had to come from somewhere, and that meant little Ursids growing up. Although she hadn¡¯t spotted any male Ursid around. The backpacks were still full although, by the standard of their usual scavenging, it was mostly junk. She hoped they¡¯d get something good from it. She watched out from the tent flap, as tiny and distant snowflakes danced again across the plains, and Tom kept watch under an awning. B2.18 - Mighty River Anyone can claim to be the successor to Missouri. All it takes is the river crossing a corner of your territory. Nahmer Rajeen, Third Sheriff of True Missouri Petra pulled up the streamlined black headgear over her head, shaking her hair. ¡°Does it work?¡± ¡°It¡¯s too bad you don¡¯t get any way of replying or even hearing him. But yes, I¡¯m sure I reached Mark. Hope he wasn¡¯t too busy.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a bit weird we didn¡¯t hear you.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t work if you actually talk,¡± the former Zahl bartender replied. ¡°I¡¯m sure you made jokes at his expense,¡± Peter speculated. She made a ¡°who, me?¡± face, before admitting, ¡°I may have suggested him to propose to Adria. His father would thank him. Before he finally kicks him out of his home.¡± Peter snorted, and even Johanna had to smile. ¡°I wonder if they caught him already,¡± Petra added. ¡°It¡¯s one thing to become a bit better with training, but growing overnight. The Ancient rules of ten thousand hours to master something isn¡¯t for nothing.¡± ¡°Hope he sticks to the story, getting a Talent on top by luck,¡± Tom said. ¡°I¡¯m a bit more worried about people trying to get to Fallen Hill to get Talents. We killed some of the threats there, but who knows?¡± Laura said. ¡°Can¡¯t be helped. Not without telling people how we give Talents,¡± Johanna countered. ¡°Later, yes.¡± Dim Hope was a small town, the size of Cattlemen Glory back at the frontier of the Marches of the Montana. It was barely larger than two-three typical farm complexes like Johanna¡¯s original birthplace, stuck together. The local inn reflected that and getting three rooms basically had them taking over half of it. Thankfully, the prices reflected the basic quality of it. The real fun part was that dinner there was in the form of cold snacks, while they always had made hot dinner on the road. Despite that, it was still relatively tasty, and the slices of meat, while cold, were fresh. ¡°Not much money,¡± Laura noted. ¡°No. That general store probably doesn¡¯t have a way of selling stuff. We got mostly ripped off.¡± ¡°Except for the booze,¡± Peter countered. ¡°That¡¯s probably the best-selling product we could offer. But even then, Birdy offered more for the weird liquor with grass.¡± That was in those times that Johanna briefly regretted Grievar. For all of the backstabbing when he suggested them for the conscription, the salvage specialist back in Valetta had been scrupulously fair in all his dealings, offering good value for what they found. At least if you assumed that he really had no idea how much an Artifact like Swordcutter could sell for. ¡°But that puts an end to the idea of going to salvage on the road for additional money. Wasting a day or two for $400?¡± ¡°Pays for the night. And more food,¡± Tom remarked. ¡°Yeah, but I think we¡¯d be better if we just move faster,¡± she replied. ¡°So, we skip ruins? Those four hundred is a good month¡¯s wage¡­¡± Petra stopped herself immediately. ¡°Not when split in five, no,¡± Laura smiled. The temperature felt back in the mid-thirties as they cleared the gates of Dim Hope. The only good thing they¡¯d picked, besides restocking travel food, was a set of relatively detailed maps. Johanna and the team had pored over them after dinner, packed in Johanna¡¯s room, trying to map the best course. As she¡¯d originally planned, following the river looked like it was still the most promising itinerary. There was a long stretch of what was recorded as mana zones, with no roads and no settlements, but the main roads went in the wrong directions, forcing large detours. ¡°The river goes south after this lake. It should be straightforward to catch it.¡± They followed the lake banks until the shore turned southward, then went straight across the plains. One of the advantages of the plains was that you had lots of visibility, compared to the forested areas of the Montana. Johanna was pretty sure some of her history lessons had covered how the frontier between the two Marches had been set, but as Catherine had said while talking about the Rocastle Demesnes, it was probably mostly an accident of history rather than what appeared to be the change in geography and flora. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. The border of the mana zone was both subtle and clear. Nothing appeared different, but the grass up until the invisible limit was sparse, winter grass, and beyond was almost up to early spring levels. There was no obvious difference in the grass, just an unnatural amount of growth, made more obvious by the fact that it changed over a straight, yet invisible border. Beyond the zone limit, nothing else differed. A few birds moved in the skies, tracing lazy limits, but Johanna suspected there would be few preys on the ground, despite the mild mid-March. A few miles later, they spotted simultaneously what looked like the Missouri river banks and a small ruin. ¡°I don¡¯t see any sign of an Artifact,¡± Petra noted. ¡°Me neither. And it¡¯s not in good shape, I don¡¯t think we¡¯re likely to find books.¡± She checked the sun¡¯s place. ¡°If it was a couple of hours later, I¡¯d say we camp there and take the opportunity to see if anything¡¯s there, but it¡¯s not worth the time.¡± ¡°Felid,¡± Peter said, incongruously. For a second, she thought he¡¯d spotted one in the ruins, but the small Improviser was pointing out in the plains, and she quickly found the lone small furred shape. The Felid has obviously spotted them and was coming to investigate, but what surprised Johanna was when he stopped. He¡¯d noticed them stopping as well, she realized, and was not that anxious to fight them. She made a sign, and the five of them started again. She kept looking at the Felid, who was watching them go, and she was starting to relax when she noticed it starting to trot again toward them. She held her fist up in warning, and the Changed beast almost immediately stopped as well. ¡°Looks like it¡¯s following us,¡± she said. ¡°It probably wants to ambush us. Smart Felid,¡± Peter said. ¡°Yeah, it looks like it¡¯s smarter than most. The problem is, what do we do?¡± Peter laughed. ¡°We ambush it back. Or rather, I do.¡± ¡°Hey, if we get separated, I can¡¯t heal you,¡± Laura immediately replied. ¡°If I am very careful, this one won¡¯t even notice until the head is cut,¡± he said, fingering the handle of Swordcutter. ¡°That¡¯s a bit of a risk. I say, we start moving back, showing him that we¡¯re not easily cowed. Maybe it will cause him to run away,¡± Johanna said instead. At least this one was smarter than the average Felid, she thought. Most Changed beasts had a lot of confidence and didn¡¯t think of humans as threats. Still, it was one Felid, versus five humans. Even if the beast didn¡¯t have a way to tell they were Talented, five normal people could spell trouble for a lone beast without additional magics. When they started moving, the beast retreated immediately, stopping only once they also stopped. ¡°And fuck,¡± Johanna swore. ¡°An enemy that doesn¡¯t want to fight you is the worst,¡± Petra noted. She turned to look at the still-distant little ruin, an idea coming up. ¡°Looks like we are going to make camp early,¡± she started. ¡°Defensive position?¡± Tom asked. ¡°There is not much in the way of walls still up, but it¡¯s better than nothing. Peter can set an ambush there, while we¡¯re close by. I wonder if he¡¯s smart enough to figure out if we¡¯re sleeping or not.¡± ¡°Are Changed beasts always that smart?¡± Petra asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know. The ones that we had in the Montana aren¡¯t, not particularly.¡± ¡°Mistress Vanu said that Felid was a generic term, and there were lots of different species before the Fall,¡± Peter added. They moved toward the ruins on the shore, the Felid slowly following. Johanna estimated that they had a bit under three hours left until sunset. It was close to the coming up of the Equinox, and days were lengthening nicely, after all. Up close, the ruins showed their tiny extent. There were maybe two dozen traces of old buildings, with the tallest remains topping at four feet high. ¡°We¡¯ll set close to the border. I doubt he will try to confuse us by going through the ruins. More likely, he will attack from the open side.¡± ¡°And if he doesn¡¯t? At all, I mean,¡± Laura asked. Johanna stopped. Then she shrugged. ¡°Then tomorrow, we move and see if we have a companion for the rest of the trip. It¡¯s four days to the next town on the map.¡± They put up their tents against one of the ruined walls, keeping watch on the Felid. The Changed beast kept a very wide separation, staying easily two hundred yards away. Sitting on the ground, watching like he had all the time in the world. He even started cleaning himself, like he had nothing better to do until nightfall. ¡°That¡¯s spooky.¡± ¡°Changed beasts are going to be Changed beasts,¡± Peter shrugged. ¡°Okay. Time to ambush it,¡± Johanna decided. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°We¡¯re closer, we¡¯re watching and ready. Can you reach him fast enough if the beast does too much damage?¡± she asked Laura. ¡°My teleportation doesn¡¯t go that far,¡± the Combat Fixer warned. ¡°Grab you and use rush?¡± Tom offered. ¡°Eeep,¡± she squeaked back, as the big man shrugged. ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll improvise,¡± Johanna said. ¡°Peter?¡± She realized the small man wasn¡¯t around and sighed. ¡°Does he do this all the time?¡± Petra asked. ¡°He¡¯s gotten much better after Kootenai Gap. Like all of us, actually. It used to be you could keep track of him if you really knew he was there and kept watching, but that¡¯s almost impossible now. Okay, don¡¯t look too much at the Felid. I don¡¯t want to spook him when Peter attacks.¡± It was anti-climactic. At one instant, the Felid was still cleaning his paws yet again. The next, a brief yowl came and the furred body fell on the ground, the head almost separated from the body. They all immediately started running toward Peter, who was flicking Swordcutter to clean its unnatural steel of the blood. He sheathed it almost theatrically before they reached him. ¡°I guess perfect occasion and execution do help,¡± Johanna said. ¡°Easy peasy. It¡¯s only one, static target, etcetera.¡± ¡°Come. We¡¯ve made camp, we might as well take the opportunity to check the ruins before dinner.¡± One-fifth, this time, Moore noted. The level 3 Felid was very straightforward, yielding 300XP to everyone, and he assumed nothing for Petra, despite the Earth Shaper having her System tools at the ready. That wasn¡¯t the only XP he got. Odd bursts of experience had started again in Zahl, very irregularly, and after a month of nothing, had resumed. He still had no idea where those came from, but he quite liked them, even if they did not measure to the first batch. As it was, his personal XP pool slowly grew. He was far from having a safe buffer, but he was getting to the point where, if necessary, he could try to pull Johanna again. Not that he intended to, but it was at least one milestone. Now, to wait until I see what third ability I have. B2.19 - Unnatural Travels He who does not know his way to the sea should take a river for his guide. Pre-Fall Philosopher They were going to need new clothes, Johanna thought as the small town came into view. With April leading into May, and the group going south, the weather had started to become warmer and warmer. Already, it was as if it was the peak of summer back home and the warm clothes intended for the northern Marches were starting to be a bit too much. She wasn¡¯t too bothered ¨C thanks to immunity to heat ¨C but Tom was starting to sweat a lot while walking, and most of the others were feeling the discomfort. Petra was faring much better, but then, she had multiple sets of clothes to use, while the four were still stuck using the ones purchased in New Benton or White Meadows last year. The short-sleeved vest the former bartender had was much, much more practical, notably when she practiced her Jagged Stone slicing weapons. Based on the map, this was going to be Walser. So far, they had little problems traveling. The longest part of the trip had been the stretch of mana zones that had them spend eleven days without a road, a farm complex, or a town in sight. Even ruins were conspicuously missing. The one part that had been extremely frustrating at first was when Petra spotted a mana plume indicating an Artifact¡­ on the other side of the river. They had spent an hour trying to figure out how to go there. But the river was wide, deep, and the current swift. And based on the map, the closest bridge was a three-day march back northwest. At least, it was when they finally figured out the effects of the Artifact boots found on Fallen Hill. While trying to figure out how to ford the river, Peter noticed that Laura did not make a splash on the shoreline. A quick experiment later, they all realized her boots didn¡¯t sink into the water at all. It was as if the water was solid under her soles. That turned into an immediate advantage, although it proved harder to use than expected. After Johanna had put on the boots to try to cross to the ruins and its tantalizing mana plume, she quickly realized that just because the boots did not sink into the water did not make them immune to the current. She had barely started to cross when she discovered she was still being swept down by the current. She wasted no time turning back, before heading upriver to start the crossing. She ended up running, which felt a bit weird on the moving surface of the Missouri, which had started to grow from meltwater. She made sure the small ruins were safe before checking the plume¡¯s location and finding a small walking cane. She held onto it as she crossed back, while the rest of the team followed on the shore until she reached the side and the current slowed down. Peter swiftly named the pair of knee-high boots Waterway. As for the new Artifact, a few experiments showed that the cane¡¯s tip turned any surface transparent. So far, only the gloves¡¯ power remained elusive. Johanna suspected they would have to find the right circumstances to find it out. A Water Walking Talent, after all, was nowhere to be seen on the Mages of America compendium.
Glass View Tier 6
Effective: 107/107 mana (+90/hour) Passive: 107% better sight Active: Make a 21.4-inch deep, 2140 square-inch disc fully transparent. Active cost: 1 mana per 107 seconds.
As soon as they crossed the gate into Walser, they immediately went shopping. Walser was not a big town, far too small to offer truly varied choices in clothing, and there was only one clothing store, albeit a fairly decent one. But it was already over 80¡ã, and if that was what passed as early spring in these parts, she was not eagerly anticipating summer. She¡¯d been assured it was unseasonably warm before leaving their previous stop, but she reserved judgment. The sun¡¯s rays were brutal. Of course, Johanna pretty much ignored that. It was warmth, nothing more. But for the team, it was a different proposition. ¡°It¡¯s so much better,¡± Johanna said. ¡°We should get hats,¡± Laura replied. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. The storekeeper diligently went into a backroom and brought forth a collection of headgear, much better suitable for the latitudes. ¡°No, it¡¯s too warm for the season,¡± he admitted when asked. ¡°You¡¯re from the north?¡± ¡°The northwest Marches. Montana and Dakota,¡± Petra replied. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s warm there too, but yes. May shouldn¡¯t be that hot. Later in the month, sometimes. But that early? No way.¡± The prices were reasonable, and both Peter and Laura hesitated about getting an even lighter set of clothes, even if Laura did not need to be jealous of Petra¡¯s diverse clothes anymore. ¡°We¡¯re heading into the central States proper, guys. More towns. If this goes even warmer, we¡¯ll see,¡± Johanna had to moderate her friend¡¯s shopping ardor. Johanna tried to grab a newspaper but failed to find anything worthwhile. Walsey was too small to even have a real printing press and relied on newspapers from the west, but those were two weeks out of date and did not include much in the way of news from outside the State. The town was also where they were going to leave the Missouri behind. The eastern part of Winnebago, the small state sandwiched between Cheyenne north and the True Missouri south, was where you started to have more practical travel eastward. Like the one they found in the morning. ¡°Holy hell,¡± Peter said when he saw the ¡°terminal¡±. ¡°We saw something like this last year, but that¡¯s¡­ different,¡± Johanna said. The terminal was the end of a railway, pretty much like the one that had been between the Narrows and New Benton, back in the Marches of the Montana. The same metal bars, wooden ties, and carriages with large metal wheels. But there ended the similarity. The train set on the railway was a set of 4 open-air carriages, all of which sported a huge mast and large sails hanging from them. The train workers laughed when they saw them gawking at the contraptions. They made their way to the warehouse entrance, where they found a manager. ¡°Yes, we do twice weekly travel to Malebranche. It¡¯s mostly cargo, but we transport passengers.¡± ¡°How does this work?¡± ¡°Almost like a ship, but on land. You use beast trains if you are absolutely stuck with no wind for days, but otherwise, it works,¡± he replied. ¡°Right now, the wind is low but steady. We should make it in two days top.¡± The transport price was reasonable, and they were tired of walking for weeks upon weeks. And the speed of transport was unmatched by anything. A hundred miles in two days was unbeatable. They stashed their bags on top of the crates filling the first of the four carriages and waited until the train workers finished loading the convoy. Then, four of them climbed onboard each of the carriages, the conductor made sure everything was stashed, and with a flourish of flags, the sails were unfurled, and the ¡°train¡± slowly started. A very slow walk at first, but within minutes, they were at a brisk speed, and the train sped up further until it was nearly at a jog. The experience of riding the train over the well-maintained Ancient lines was unreal. ¡°No, the Ancient used some sort of power machinery to propel those,¡± the conductor said to Johanna, keeping watch on the track for eventual obstacles. ¡°It stopped working with the Fall, like pretty much everything Ancient. But wind¡­ wind is eternal.¡± ¡°I wish this was everywhere,¡± Laura said as she returned from the conductor¡¯s post. ¡°Me too,¡± Peter added. They were riding out in the open, and making a good speed, probably four or five times what they¡¯d get walking. A week-long trip, cut into a pair of days. The conductor stopped the train for the night, but otherwise, it was the most relaxing trip they ever had. Alas, the line stopped at Malebranche. The Ancient line that once connected to one of the major ruins still lingering around was almost gone. They¡¯d seen the local maps, and the sheer size of those ruins, compared to the one near Valetta was astonishing. Those were easily three, or four times larger. Of course, almost all of those had been thoroughly scavenged, leaving only an empty skeleton of a city slowly returning to nature. That was the case for most of the ruins in central Union. That was the part that was slightly worrying for Johanna. They still had some money, of course, but with ruins ransacked, the perspective for easy salvage was dim. And worse, getting Ancient books to prepare for the expedition East might be hard. ¡°All out,¡± the conductor yelled as the train finally stopped, sails furled and brakes engaged. The train station was just outside Malebranche, surrounded by warehouses. They grabbed their packs and jumped down the car. Johanna immediately noted further rails, although they¡¯d been told the train ended there. ¡°No, it¡¯s still the terminus. They started making the next spur two years ago, but it¡¯s not complete yet. Not enough preserved Ancient rails to salvage and use, you have to get new ones made and shipped there, and that takes time. Otherwise, it¡¯d be all the way to Nedalshe,¡± the trainmaster said. Johanna shrugged. They¡¯d been walking all the way from the Marches of the Dakota, they could walk a bit more to the next ¨C and most significant ¨C step on their voyage. Moore was still weirded out by the various solutions to everyday problems people had invented in the century and a half since he died. But sail-powered trains were probably the top. He couldn¡¯t make out the explanations from the train conductor but could fill in the gaps. Between those trains, triple-spring ¡°repeater¡± crossbows, and other funky contraptions, the way modern life had adapted to the seeming impossibility of using powered machinery was astonishing. He still took time to check XP. A new 500-batch of unexplained experience had finally pushed to 13k XP, which made his non-existent fingers itch to raise levels. Laura had finally gotten enough experience on her own, and he¡¯d immediately raised her level to 7, before starting on raising her Perception, as he needed 17 for Regrow, and each individual point was valuable in itself. A few thousand XP more, and he¡¯d have the next step in the build completed. Meanwhile, he¡¯d unlocked the Perception-based Fixer specialization, just for completion¡¯s sake. No surprise multipliers there. Johanna had also reached 13k XP, albeit just a few days ago. Both she and Laura had improved their main stats ¡°naturally¡± as well, and the overall combination had expanded his horizon, allowing him to plan the next steps. The ones still behind were Tom and Peter. This is why the non-finger itched, and he had to steel himself against the temptation to spend his pool. B2.20 - Time Might be Money The Ancient adage ¡°you can¡¯t manage what you can¡¯t measure¡± is fundamentally incorrect. Hector Mastrantonio, expert Bladesmith ¡°Almost there,¡± Johanna said as she jumped on her bed. The Inn at Malebranche was small, lacking even a common room. For food or drinks, they¡¯d have to cross the street for a small restaurant next door, but that was impractical, so the five travelers had packed themselves into her and Tom¡¯s room. ¡°That¡¯s Independence State, right?¡± Petra asked. ¡°Malebranche is still in Winnebago State but we¡¯ll cross the border on the first day.¡± ¡°And you¡¯ll be technically in the clear.¡± ¡°If we¡¯d kept going south along the river, we¡¯d have been earlier. The True Missouri was not that far. Although, so far, we haven¡¯t seen any sign of attempts to apprehend us or anything. Save maybe those bandits, which might have been would-be bounty hunters back in the Montana.¡± Johanna shrugged and continued. ¡°Although that requires residence.¡± ¡°And as I said, renting some kind of place. I know you farmers, you don¡¯t want to rent or borrow or anything, but renting a place makes sense when you don¡¯t know how your life is going to be,¡± Petra said. ¡°I did it for years after leaving home.¡± ¡°And we probably still have a house in Valetta, unless it got seized or something because we¡¯re criminals, deserters, and traitors to the Marches. But I see the point. Although we don¡¯t have to do it immediately once in Nedalshe.¡± ¡°Step one, find a headquarters. Step two, find dependable people. Step three, convince them they can do it.¡± Johanna sighed. ¡°That too. Although I have an idea. Even if we don¡¯t find more Ancient books to convert, we have simple parchments. We can demonstrate using them that we¡¯re not talking our asses off. One might be some exotic Artifact, eight are something different.¡± She turned and fished the wrapped bundle. The parchments were made of some kind of thick paper-like squares, and you needed to apply some serious force to roll them, but once you let them go, they unrolled perfectly flat and unbroken. That made them easy to transport. The flat, unrolled, version was a bit awkward to stash in a backpack. She picked one and then frowned. ¡°I¡­ distinctly remember this being useable back when we made them?¡± she said. ¡°Strength? Yes. Everyone could use it except me and Tom,¡± Peter said. ¡°Well¡­ obviously it doesn¡¯t work anymore.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me they have a limited shelf life and spoil like milk,¡± Petra said. ¡°We never had any for long. All of them were immediately used,¡± Johanna said, starting to feel panic rising. Petra grabbed the parchment, and the blue light sprung, converging to the central circle to start rotating. ¡°Okay. It¡¯s not broken. It¡¯s you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand. What¡¯s changed?¡± ¡°Something must have.¡± Petra handed the paper to Tom. The light started again, prompting a look of surprise. They all tested it. Only Laura and Johanna couldn¡¯t light the parchment. Tom and Peter both could now. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ totally bizarre. It¡¯s the reverse of back in Zahl? No, wait, you could do it back then, Petra.¡± Johanna picked the next parchment, checking its type ¨C Agility ¨C and circulated it. Once again, she failed to activate it, as did Laura. Both Tom and Petra, who already had been able to use it before still could, but Peter now could as well. ¡°It¡¯s not an inversion. There¡¯s definitively something very specific, very individual that has changed.¡± Authority was also slightly different. Everyone had been able to use it in Zahl, and only Johanna and Laura couldn¡¯t now. Dexterity prompted another weird data point, as Laura could still activate it, while Johanna couldn¡¯t anymore. It looked like every version now had a different set of who could and could not use them. ¡°Did your Ancient change something?¡± Petra asked. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°That¡¯s the only thing that might make sense. He said we gave him our choices, and the parchments clearly do some changes ¨C choices ¨C related to Talents,¡± Johanna speculated. ¡°New Talents? Might Tom and Peter have become eligible for Strength and Dexterity ones?¡± ¡°While me and Laura¡­ we¡¯ve got a new one and we¡¯re not eligible?¡± Johanna suddenly realized. ¡°No. Laura can use Dexterity. Even if that¡¯s the only one.¡± ¡°You said you didn¡¯t always immediately realize when he granted you a new spell.¡± She fished another parchment, realizing that it was one of the two Level ones. They¡¯d had ended with six different personal qualities, and two copies of the singular Level version. She handed it to Laura, but it did not light for her either. ¡°So much for being eligible for a Dexterity talent, then,¡± she shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s just an idea, that Level is how you can raise your maximum amount of Talents,¡± Johanna admitted. ¡°Tom?¡± Her husband looked at the inert parchment in his hand and shrugged before dropping it. ¡°Not working.¡± ¡°Yea, it¡¯s something else¡­¡± Petra¡¯s voice trailed as she saw the parchment light up in her hand. ¡°Something has changed for you too,¡± Peter said. ¡°I couldn¡¯t before. No one could in Fallen Hill.¡± Peter tested himself, confirming that the paper would not react for him before handing it back to Petra. ¡°You¡¯re the only one among us that has not¡­ given up your choice to the Ancient. He can¡¯t have affected you.¡± Johanna looked at the swirling light lines. The effect was slightly fascinating in its eerie strangeness. ¡°What do I do?¡± Petra asked. ¡°I¡¯m not so sure anymore about the effect of Level¡­¡± ¡°Mark used Level twice,¡± she reminded her. ¡°Want to try? We do have a spare one.¡± ¡°I assume it is not going to give me a new Talent. Just the potential for one.¡± Petra looked at the cycling parchment and shrugged, and the paper square started burning without a trace. ¡°Done.¡± Johanna handed her the second Level parchment, which did not light up this time. ¡°No additional level, just one.¡± ¡°It still doesn¡¯t explain how you got one,¡± Johanna said. ¡°You¡¯re the expert.¡± ¡°Some expert. I just take notes when stuff pops up,¡± she said, fishing for her notebook. She opened the page where she took notes on the parchment content, trying to figure out what mysteries were involved. ¡°Want to¡­¡± Johanna raised her head when she heard Petra stop talking and looked. The Earth Shaper was holding one of the parchments leftover¡­ the Authority one. Inactive. ¡°What. The. Fuck,¡± Petra said. ¡°So, you can no longer activate Perception, Dexterity, Empathy, or Authority, but Agility, and Strength are still available,¡± Laura summed up. ¡°They are all linked together somehow, then. If using Level affects the rest,¡± Petra said, hand tucked under her chin in thought. Johanna flipped the book to the page where she¡¯d recorded Petra¡¯s gifts and went through the list. ¡°It looks like you already received Authority. But never Perception nor the rest. Yet you still can get Strength, which you already received.¡± ¡°You can get multiples anyway. Mark had Strength twice, am I correct? That¡¯s confusing. Want me to use one of the two, and see how that affects the rest?¡± Petra asked. Johanna gave it a thought briefly, before deciding. ¡°No. We don¡¯t have duplicates, unlike we had with Level. Once you use one, it¡¯s gone, until we can get some books. So let¡¯s think before we use them.¡± ¡°And hope your patron remakes some.¡± Johanna paused, pencil poised above the page. Then she wrote a single word and a question mark: ¡°accumulation?¡± ¡°Elena said sorcerers got slightly better with age.¡± ¡°You think it¡¯s linked? It¡¯s been less than two months since Fallen Hill,¡± Petra countered. ¡°Yes, but she also said it was like time was compressed when it came to me, to us. As if we were doing in months or weeks what might take years or decades normally.¡± ¡°Well, I am not you. Never met that Skeleton of yours, certainly.¡± ¡°No, but you travel with us. Maybe there is something that spreads from our connection to the Ancient that also speeds up your¡­ whatever.¡± ¡°Interesting idea.¡± ¡°One of the things I want to check is if the parchments start activating again. That would confirm we¡¯re slowly ¨C or maybe quickly ¨C gaining something. It¡¯s probably not meaningful, since the Ancient can change us without notice, but you¡¯re the only one who is outside of his reach, and you can¡¯t change without using the parchments.¡± ¡°Test subject. Well, if that means I can gain more powers, I¡¯m all for it.¡± Johanna looked at the rest, who were all contemplating the puzzle of the parchments. Laura, in particular, seemed to be frowning in contemplation. ¡°Any better ideas?¡± Johanna asked. The Combat Fixer raised her gaze from the Dexterity parchment she¡¯d been contemplating ¨C the only one she could activate. ¡°Money.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve got enough for a while, but how that is¡­¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s like money.¡± ¡°What is like the money?¡± ¡°The parchments.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t get it.¡± ¡°Think about it like it is a kind of money. We all get paid, from time to time. Once we have enough in our purses, we can buy things. Petra¡­ Petra didn¡¯t have enough back in Fallen Hill to afford a Level. Then after our trip, she finally had enough. But once she purchased Level¡­ she no longer has enough cash reserves for some of the qualities. She can pick the cheap ones, not the expensive ones.¡± ¡°And Tom and I got paid enough we can purchase Strength. And some others?¡± Peter mused. ¡°But Laura and I don¡¯t¡­ oh.¡± ¡°Yes. The Ancient has our ¡®choice¡¯. He¡¯s got the purse strings and can spend the whatever, whenever,¡± Laura said. Johanna immediately used the eraser to remove ¡°accumulation¡± on the notebook, and wrote ¡°currency???¡±. Smart, Moore noted. Seeing Veldhuis use the Level scroll was mildly disappointing. He would have provided it on the same scroll as the skill if needed. He still needed to convey the need for two Dexterity points and an Authority one before Popping Rocks. But the game of testing who could purchase what had been genius. Johanna¡¯s notes about currencies were on the spot. The experience was currency in this RPG system. The prices might not be fixed, but just knowing about the concept would help tremendously for those that were outside his Authority. Using the scrolls as a way to teach the system had not occurred to him until now, but once you had enough materials¡­ It was imperfect, maybe too constrained even, but it was a method. They need that Library of Congress. I have so many basics to show. B2.21 - Interlude: Central State Look forward, for what follows you is often worse. Wisdom of the Ancients, Book 2 Society of Sorcerers¡¯ headquarters, sir. And you¡¯ll see why quickly.¡± Society of Sorcerers and Sorceresses had some reports straight from Elena Worchester, the high-tier Sorceress of the Mists.¡± Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Society before she clammed up.¡± ? B2.22 - Newfound Freedom The power of the lawyer is the uncertainty of the law. Pre-Fall Philosopher The station manager in Malebranche hadn¡¯t lied. East of the town, they were walking on the road set alongside the train line, or rather, what would be the line one day, but on the second day, they found the line¡¯s end, the long steel tracks stopping. The bed of crushed rocks kept on, along with wooden crossties already emplaced, and they found the traces of a work camp, along with stacks of timber for future railroad ties, but nobody was there. Instead, they found a caravan a hundred yards further out, a dozen wagons full of crates arranged in a square, with people making dinner, while draft oxen were eating the grass in the prairie. This was a surprise, but if there was enough commercial traffic to justify building that railroad, caravans should be a common occurrence. ¡°Welcome, travelers,¡± the caravan master said when they dropped their backpacks at the camp. The caravanners were a friendly bunch, and they welcomed the additions to the camp, notably when they pulled out additional food to add to the menu. Johanna kept looking for a dwarf, even though she remembered that the caravan she¡¯d seen in Valetta was doing a north-south route, not going into central states. ¡°We¡¯re doing that route regularly. Malebranche, Nedalshe, then over the river, Far Out, Five Corners, and back. I suppose one day, it will shorten. Maybe go out completely. We¡¯ll move somewhere else. There is always freight to move, and not every road can be paved in steel,¡± the master told her as they ate the beans and beef dinner. ¡°Nobody¡¯s working on the line?¡± ¡°Probably delays in getting new tracks. There are always delays in that kind of big project. It¡¯s not as if you could speed that with magic.¡± She wondered if that was the case. If there were Talents that could apply to that kind of work. Steel-specialized Shapers, along with Earth Shapers, maybe? Or other, slightly different categories. There could be entire categories dedicated to this, she realized. So far, they had mostly seen talents directly applicable to fighting and survival, but she¡¯d read stories that had Talented craftsmen, alchemists changing substances into others, and people who forged swords in minutes. If Artifacts were Talents made objects, then the Hammer of Fixing, back in Kootenai Garrison, was a preview of these sorts of possibilities. Who knew what Talents lay hidden, unknown to everybody? She knew that the hot steam breath, the fireballs, or even Petra¡¯s Jagged Stone had never been recorded in history. She was pretty sure Laura¡¯s instant movement to assist the wounded or even just the fact of healing them was also unprecedented. There is so much we do not know. They departed after a quick breakfast in the morning, while the drivers prepared their caravan for the day. They could walk slightly faster than the caravan, and they would probably arrive in Nedalshe in two days to the caravan¡¯s three. They followed the packed earth road, next to the already laid ballast. That second road of crushed stones and gravel ended a few miles from the camp, leaving the road to continue on its own. Johanna knew it was entirely wishful thinking, but she already felt freer. They were now in Independence State, the second-largest state in the Union behind the Marches of the Montana, the bedrock of the Treaty ¨C with Nashville as the Union Capital ¨C and one of the most open of all the states. And also one of the states where a draft was not legal, meaning that if they were citizens there, they could argue against the draft and all that followed from it. Although she intended to follow Catherine Rocastle¡¯s advice and not make it a point until they had to defend themselves in court if they ever needed to. Nedalshe came as a shock. They had spotted the classic farm complexes, with their usual small palisades and surrounding fields, pastures, and orchards all along the road. And, once closer to the actual city sitting next to the Mississippi, there was a lot of traffic all over the place, farmers working on getting the planting season done, merchants with filled carriages shipping things. Once the city came closer, she realized that there were a lot of buildings outside of the wall she was seeing further in. A lot more than you¡¯d expect from usual warehouses or other buildings. There was also a lot more traffic than she¡¯d anticipated, and nobody was paying much attention to them. But as they got closer and closer, and the traffic increased, she realized that she was looking at a classic warehouse on her left, while the right side appeared to be a modest, but recognizable one-story house. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Outside the walls. She had flashbacks of the old Poole farm, built on its lonesome outside of walls, and the graveyard of him and his family. What are those people thinking? ¡°That feels dangerously exposed,¡± Peter remarked as well. ¡°It¡¯s close to the walls, though.¡± Johanna realized they were sliding into what looked like the city itself, without even having to cross a protection gate. Various buildings, all relatively recent, along a mix of gardens, pastures for beasts of burden, and houses. And people going into and coming out of side alleys, normally. They walked almost a quarter of a mile through the built zone until they reached the perfectly normal and manned gate. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, we¡¯re travelers from far¡­ is it normal to build houses like that,¡± she asked, gesturing behind her. The guard shrugged. ¡°Never been around? The old ordnances against outdoor construction got struck down almost a decade ago. People kept pointing out that predator runs were almost non-existent, and had been for a generation.¡± ¡°Struck down?¡± ¡°You had people pooling a petition, and pointing out there was nothing on State law that mandated buildings inside. Reviewed, rejected, appealed, granted, and people started to build outside the designated areas inside, as it was cheaper. So, there you have it,¡± replied before switching tones. ¡°Welcome to Nedalshe, the city that grows without limits!¡± he intoned solemnly before smiling and waving them inside. They made it in along with the flow. Belatedly, Johanna realized she had not asked for suitable inns. But rather than turn back, she decided to keep looking. They still had plenty of time before evening, so they could check. Besides, the city ¨C the proper city, inside the borders ¨C was huge. Maybe larger than New Benton. There must be plenty of areas for travelers around. Then she almost stopped, when she spotted the two figures ahead. They were tall¡­ and they had horns coming out of their heads. Petra nearly bumped into her before spotting the pair. Johanna realized she was gawping like an uneducated savage from the North ¨C which she was ¨C and grabbed Tom, before starting again. She wanted to stare, but in this big city, this was marking them as too much of an outsider. As she passed the two who had stopped to look at a store¡¯s window, she caught briefly snatches of a discussion. ¡°¡­ and Johnson is probably the worst fullback of this¡­¡± She had no idea what they were talking about and did not want to look too curious, so she pushed on, trying her best not to turn her head back to look at the exotic figures. ¡°Level 3 minotaur¡±. And funnily enough ¡°Level 2 Battler¡±. Just like the dwarf, back in Valetta, the two humanoids did not quite match what you¡¯d expect of a minotaur. The faces were purely human, not bovine in the slightest. And outside of a huge muscular frame ¨C and a 7¡¯6 one, or so he judged ¨C and general hairiness they didn¡¯t look to have weirdly articulated legs or anything. One even had sandals, with five ordinary-looking pink toes showing up. The five of them did not have to go far in any case. Johanna should have expected at least one inn to be close to the gates anyway. And wonders, it even included the rates displayed prominently outside, just next to the door. With individual showers and toilets for all rooms. ¡°Reasonable,¡± Laura noted. ¡°Yes. That will do. At least until we get our bearings,¡± Johanna replied. The inside of the inn was spacious, and well-lighted, with the usual amenities clearly there. Johanna beelined for the counter where a young girl, far younger than her, kept watch. A few quick negotiations later, she handed keys to the rest of the group. ¡°As usual. We look around, figure out local gossip, and we meet back for dinner to plan for the rest.¡± Surprisingly, the common room included complimentary news sheets. It looked like Nedalshe¡¯s Voice was thrice weekly, and relatively thick. It did include all sorts of local news, news from all over Independence State, and a sizeable section of general news. One immediately attracted her attention.
Montana¡¯s Warden declares global mobilization! Following the devastating losses of the winter campaign, the Warden of the Marches of the Montana, Edgard Maistry, has announced a general mobilization across the entire state, repealing all the exemptions and quota limits. After repelling an army that entered the state itself, he calls upon the neighboring states to support the beleaguered Marches. Rumors of a secret weapon have been dispelled. General Adorno, speaking for the Wardenship, said that, although they had sought to pursue rumors in the westernmost part of the State, no major Artifact had been unearthed, and the only magical item to ever have been found in recent times there is the sword that was stolen by bandits last year. Despite that, persistent rumors of significant troops dispatched and operating west near the town of Valetta since last fall, lend strength to the idea that the Warden is seeking some sort of advantage. The most striking is that even the Sorceress of the Mists herself went west for a short trip before returning to the front lines. Meanwhile, the draft has been extended, and every non-critical citizen of the state can now potentially be mobilized to repel what looks like a major and difficult campaign in the distant northern state. So far, the Marches are on the defensive, and it is doubtful that raw recruits can turn the table fast. With the war entering its tenth year now, breaking the stalemate might remain a dream for both sides¡­
B2.23 - Lay of the Land I did my part, even when I was not there. Memoirs of Catherine Rocastle, Metal Master Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Attn: Catherine, Countess Rocastle Sincerely, Joel, your cousin
B2.24 - The Crossing of the Roads Each meeting occurs at the precise moment for which it was meant. Pre-Fall popular author. Johanna thought that New Sandusky felt more like a proper city rather than the ones she¡¯d seen so far. It was the full palisade, she felt. Sure, there were quite a few structures outside of the city limits, but they were warehousing and other trade buildings, not people¡¯s housing. After the trek across nearly a third of the State of Independence, the familiarity was pleasant. Not that there weren¡¯t things to appreciate, but the whole center of the continent had recovered relatively quickly from the Fall, and grown and modernized fast after the end of the Wars of Unification. It made her feel very off-center. Nedalshe was only one example of the wealth and comfort that went along with it, and the contrast with the Marches of the North, where they and Petra were from was extreme. Although she could see herself getting used to it. One day. ¡°So this time, you unlocked Authority,¡± Johanna noted. ¡°After Agility in Nedalshe,¡± Laura confirmed. ¡°No Authority or Perception yet for me,¡± Petra noted. The Earth Shaper had been able to activate Dexterity and Empathy during their stay in Nedalshe, but no new scrolls would activate this time. It looked like Laura¡¯s hypothesis, about accumulating some form of immaterial potential or currency was correct. Johanna was slightly disappointed that none of the parchments were activating for her. Either the Ancient spent it as fast as she accumulated it, or all of her characteristics were too expensive for purchase. Or maybe they were all wrong, and something entirely different was happening. She sighed and focused back on the immediate situation. ¡°Let¡¯s do the usual look-see. I have a Myriam Carlin to visit, but we shouldn¡¯t neglect anything of interest.¡± ¡°Especially if we stay here long-term,¡± Peter noted. ¡°It depends on who is salvaging. I would probably rather be closer to the east coast, but if that¡¯s where potential recruits are, then it¡¯s relatively well-placed. The Lake Marches are next door, it is not too close to the heavy mana zones. It¡¯s just that Washington City is, what, 300 miles from here?¡± she acknowledged. ¡°I¡¯ve seen zero sign of an Artifact,¡± Petra said. ¡°Same. Either there haven¡¯t been many found around, or they were all sold.¡± When Johanna was ushered into Carlin¡¯s office, she got a massive shock. The elderly woman looked like she was in her early sixties, but she was also in a small chair with wheels on it. She pushed away from the desk attached to the wall and looked Johanna up and down. ¡°Looking surprised, girl? Been that way for almost a decade.¡± Johanna moved to apologize, and the woman waved her down. ¡°You get one unsecured load on your legs, you get them all. Children were already all grown up, and it didn¡¯t impact the important bits up there,¡± she said, tapping her head. ¡°So, unless you can drag one of the Saintliest figures of history here, I¡¯ll make do.¡± There is a Saint here, but she probably can¡¯t do it, Johanna thought. After all, Laura never could fix the hand of the Warden, just the surface of it. They were a decade too late. The older woman took time to decipher the small note that Joel Maritin had written as an intro before looking back to Johanna, looking fairly amused for some reason. ¡°So, how does cousin Kitty fare in the cold Northwest? Casey¡¯s grown up now, I think.¡± Johanna spent the next five minutes exchanging small talk with the chair-bound woman. ¡°Catherine was always an odd one. Her husband¡¯s homeland is all about the timber, wood products, and especially that odd-tasting maple syrup. Any weirder and you¡¯d think it came from mana zones. So, she sent you to me.¡± ¡°Not directly.¡± ¡°Eh. And she owes you,¡± she noted. Johanna frowned because she had not mentioned that part yet. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me. Mail works fine, and it¡¯s usually faster than ordinary travelers, let alone caravans. Joel forewarned me.¡± Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Well, we could help, and it did not cost us anyway.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have to ask her directly. So, scavengers, eh,¡± Myriam said drily. ¡°Mind you,¡± she continued, ¡°I don¡¯t deal with Ancient stuff. Want the best woolen clothing this side of the continent, yep. I have booming exports to prove it. Ancient articles, even clothing that survived the decades, not too many regular opportunities there.¡± She pointed a bony finger at Johanna. ¡°There is no official organization for that salvaging stuff,¡± she said, putting quotation marks around the ¡°salvaging¡± word. ¡°There¡¯s business going on, yes. Most of the major ruins nearby have been wrung dry, but people ranging along the sides of the Lakes do find plenty still. But scavenging ¨C sorry, salvaging ¨C is mostly a small, independent team business, not a big enterprise.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, where do I find these? Is there a dedicated seller?¡± Myriam shrugged. ¡°If you want to sell your stuff, Macintosh Genuine Items is the place. That family¡¯s dealt with salvaged goods for generations¡± ¨C pretty much like Grievar, Johanna thought ¨C ¡°and they¡¯re the main exporter of the stuff. 50% of the things you¡¯ll find for sale in the capital come from here through him. The scavengers themselves have a favorite haunt, I think, the High and Dry pub. It¡¯s not an official place, just a common watering hole between jobs. Thinking of settling here?¡± ¡°Yes. If we can find some decent deal, that is.¡± ¡°Traveling has a way of depleting your purse. Especially if you can¡¯t earn money on the way. Well, if you find nothing, come back. I can probably find someone with rooms to rent. Who knows, maybe you¡¯ll have interesting clothing to sell in the future.¡± Johanna took leave of the older woman, remembering Catherine¡¯s warning of not getting too much in debt with her family. Joel had been nice, if very neutral, but Myriam seemed to be sniffing for an angle already. Besides, it would be only clothing, not real valuables. The High and Dry was pretty much a standard pub, with the odd outdoor placard with prices that seemed to be customary in these central states. A single type of fare, plenty of drinks, and nothing outside to signify it was dedicated to a specialized crowd. Inside, it was moderately spacious, with well-built tables, and a medium-sized crowd. She noted the slightly rougher clothing and the majority of outdoorsman complexions that denoted people working away from the city, like farmers, lumberjacks, hunters¡­ and scavengers. She spotted a familiar-looking wood cube that someone was playing with, and for a second, she thought that Coby Hopkins and maybe his friend Farnsworth had followed them. But the face, she realized, was older, and unknown. Just an odd coincidence. ¡°Miss, welcome. New around here?¡± the barkeep said. She had to smile at the remark. The pub looked definitively like a haunt for regulars. ¡°Yes. Me and my team just arrived. We¡¯re planning some significant expeditions for scouting Ancient ruins, and I was told this was where I could get more information.¡± ¡°Well, you do find all kinds of people who do that. Of course, half of the crowd here is semi-active or retired, since the real ones are busy taking advantage of the early season.¡± ¡°So, who would I need to meet?¡± ¡°Miles, probably. Miles Bertram, that¡¯s him there,¡± he pointed at a corner. She moved to the table, asking ¡°may I?¡± and the man raised a single eyebrow slightly exaggeratedly. ¡°Me and my team are looking for more people interested in an expedition. Or many, depending,¡± she simply said. Miles Bertram didn¡¯t answer, considering her, and simply gestured to the chair. Once she did, a small smile grew on his lips. ¡°Young and eager, I see. What brings you to New Sandusky? And what kind of expedition are you planning that needs people? Kids like you always dream of big scores before they learn how it works. But if you want some advice, I can do that.¡± Johanna bristled internally at the ¡°kid¡± remark. She might be young at 20, but she¡¯d already faced a lot of dangers. Although, she didn¡¯t show traces of those. Even the smallest scars vanished under Laura¡¯s touch, after all, so she might look like she¡¯d never lived a hard life. ¡°We¡¯re thinking of a few preliminary scavenge expeditions into Ancient ruins. And then, once we¡¯ve found what we need, a major expedition. To the east coast.¡± The man nearly spat his drink. He took back control of himself, shook his head, and started to laugh. ¡°There¡¯s a first time for everything. So that¡¯s what you dream of? The biggest and baddest of mana zones, the ruins that no one visited. Looks like you¡¯re still young enough to believe in your own bullshit.¡± He swallowed a large gulp of beer, before continuing his tirade. ¡°And that is bullshit. Do you have any idea how the coast is? I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve read the books and all that, and they speak of the bad Changed and stuff. But until you¡¯ve faced the real Changed, the Deep Changed, you think it¡¯s all kiddy stories made to frighten you. Want my advice? Drop the profession and go back home, miss.¡± ¡°Name¡¯s Milton. Johanna Milton.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you. You could be the Warden of Algonquin for all I care. Look, unlike you, I¡¯ve been there. When I was younger, full of shit, and I believed the difference between me and a Hero was that thin,¡± he said, putting his fingers in a pinching sign. ¡°Oh, it was glorious, mind you. We ran the best band of looters you could imagine. And it lasted for years, until we thought ourselves so good, we decided to go into the Appalachians. Seeking un-plundered ruins, untouched by man and preserved by mana. And we ran into a real Deep Changed.¡± The man suddenly shuddered, and she realized how much that encounter had to have affected him. ¡°And we ran, of course. A Deep Changed, that¡¯s a death sentence, unless you have an army with you. And even then. So, we ran when that Araneid stumbled upon us. And because we ran, we lost only one person that day. Cartagh, a very good friend of mine.¡± He swallowed another gulp of beer, before looking back at her. ¡°You can¡¯t imagine what it is. So, drop it, little girl. Nobody¡¯s going to the coast and lives to tell the tale. If that¡¯s what you want of salvage, you won¡¯t last long.¡± ¡°Single Deep Changed aren¡¯t that dangerous,¡± she simply stated. ¡°Didn¡¯t you listen to me¡­ your books are full of¡­¡± ¡°We dealt with a Deep Erinax last year. Three different abilities, including an almost complete immunity to spears or swords, poisonous breath, screech sound attack, the works. We¡¯ve dealt with Murids swimming into the ground or through walls. The only thing that ever got ever close to killing me was Lepuses. Those horns aren¡¯t a joke if they catch you. But that was¡­ when we were inexperienced.¡± ¡°Ooooh. Next thing, you¡¯re going to tell me you¡¯re a Hero?¡± The man was starting to grate on Johanna¡¯s nerves. Of course, he might have a point. After all, she didn¡¯t look anything special, and here she was coming, proposing to court death. But they were in Independence State, after all. So, she brought up her palm over the table and brought up the fire. ¡°No. A Fire Shaper.¡± B2.25 - A Different Kind of Offer The difference between you and me is that, at first, I didn¡¯t know what I was getting into. Mark Kunst, Zahl Chapter. The flame, unnatural in its origin, at least stopped the man completely. He watched the large flame holding steady in the middle of her palm. Then, Johanna realized the tavern had fallen silent and looking up, saw everyone watching the table. She snapped back the flame, closing her fist. ¡°Did not expect that?¡± she asked with a smirk to cover her original irritation. The man hesitated, before saying, ¡°You are way too young to even be a sorceress. What did you call yourself? A Fire Shaper? What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°A sorceress ¨C a Shaper of the mana ¨C that specializes in fire aspects.¡± ¡°Like the Burning Walker?¡± ¡°He was another Fire Shaper, I¡¯m pretty sure. Never met him, though. Before my time, obviously.¡± She realized she¡¯d started getting the upper hand, and pressed on. ¡°I¡¯m not just a small-trick sorceress too. Got additional Talents, which come in handy when you face a Deep Changed. But that little flame? It¡¯s still useful. I killed my first Canid by shoving that one into its mouth.¡± ¡°¡­¡± She could tell he was stumped by the exhibition of a Talent. She didn¡¯t think just displaying that would entirely be enough, but she had to show him that she was to be taken seriously. ¡°I may have gone overboard. Is there a more private space where we can discuss this further?¡± she asked. Miles hesitated. Then he called out, ¡°Jeb? I¡¯m using the side room. Bring me a new one.¡± He turned to Johanna, ¡°And you?¡± ¡°A beer sounds fine.¡± The man stood up and started, but he stopped and looked. ¡°Mind if I bring one of my former teammates.¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± He went to a table where three men looked at them curiously. ¡°Ulrich?¡± ¡°Need some help dealing with a sorceress, I see,¡± one impeccably groomed man said. The second thing she noted after his snow-white hair was the pink-tinted eyes. ¡°I¡¯m thinking I need a different perspective,¡± Miles said. ¡°And you immediately thought of your old teammate. Gee, I¡¯m flattered.¡± Ulrich stood, grabbed her hand, and brought it to his lips in an exaggerated gesture. ¡°Always the pleasure of meeting a fire sorceress, miss Milton, if I heard you right. Ulrich Sengfield, at your service,¡± he said. She could have shaken her head at the antics. ¡°Mrs.¡± ¡°Ah. I stand corrected. So, MB wants my advice. This is going to be interesting.¡± The obvious albinism had been the first alert. And a ¡°Level 5 thirster¡± was not looking like it was a specialization, one that he¡¯d missed, starting with the lowercase ¡°t¡± in it. The full descriptor, once it unfolded confirmed the intuition of a Changed.
Ulrich Johan Sengfield Male thirster, 42 years, 2 months
Unspecialized (accountant) Level: 5 (8000 XP needed) 5 unallocated skill points XP: 51180
STR: 14 (2000 XP needed) AUT: 17
AGI: 15 PER: 18 (3000 XP needed)
DEX: 15 EMP: 15
This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Mages of America. High and Dry. Projecting competence and authority was hard. Miles and his friend ¨C a vam¡­ sorry, thirster? Really? ¨C seemed interested enough, and promised to stay open to propositions, and that¡¯s what she was after. B2.26 - Tentative Starts It is a rough road that leads to the height of greatness. Pre-Fall philosopher. ¡°Same rule,¡± Johanna noted. ¡°We need a one-year residence. Apparently, that¡¯s a statewide law,¡± Peter said. ¡°Do we have enough money?¡± Laura asked. ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡± The five of them were going to meet with someone. The City Hall had pointed them to a few landlords who currently had room. Rhyland Wade owned a pair of small three-floor buildings with apartments, with some vacancies. ¡°Relatively nice. Small, but clean,¡± Johanna commented when they got to the location. The apartments there were too small for all four of them. There were two bedrooms per apartment, but one was clearly intended for a kid. The previous tenants had moved out recently due to an expanding family. She did not intend to start a family right now. Their lives were already complicated enough. But the bedroom with its small bedframe was a tantalizing reminder that, in a different life, she could have already started planning for her and Tom¡¯s future kids, how to manage a life between scavenging ruins and raising a family. ¡°There are two of these?¡± she asked. ¡°Yes. First and second floors are free right now,¡± Wade replied. She looked at Laura and Peter inquiringly. ¡°Do we get a discount if we take both, with a year in advance?¡± Laura asked him. They started to negotiate prices. Wade was willing to offer them ¡°fair rates¡±, as he said, but not one dollar less. Johanna realized quickly prices were much higher than they would be in Valetta, but apparently in line with the costs of living in New Sandusky. The total rent for a year ¨C plus the residency tax, which was owed immediately if you rented the full year ¨C was $4280 for both apartments, and she still had almost $3500 in cash leftover from Zahl. Johanna had noted the tendency of increased costs of everything in the south already, but for the same price, they¡¯d have rented an entire house in a slightly more upscale area of Valetta. ¡°We need more money,¡± Johanna realized. ¡°I got some I can lend to you, but not that much,¡± Petra added. ¡°I need to rent something too. Not that you¡¯re not nice, but I¡¯d rather have a place of my own, rather than squatting the bedroom.¡± ¡°How long do we have to seal the deal?¡± Johanna asked Wade. ¡°I can wait until next week. But I¡¯ll open up to the market again after that. If someone else comes and says okay then, I¡¯ll take the offer.¡± They found themselves back on the street, wondering about how to solve that cash problem. Johanna doubted she could get the local bank to provide a loan for non-resident scavengers. ¡°We may need to sell an Artifact quickly,¡± Johanna confessed. ¡°That legal problem really screws you,¡± Petra noted. Kieran Macintosh, the local equivalent to Grievar back in Valetta, looked promising. There was even a team of salvagers negotiating a sale when they found Macintosh¡¯s Genuine Items and they had to wait a bit. ¡°New?¡± he asked. ¡°We were salvaging in the northwest Marches. We¡¯ve just arrived.¡± ¡°Well, most of the salvage goes through here. Want to know standard prices for the future?¡± he pointed to the side. Johanna quickly looked at the panels covered with item types and what looked like price ranges. She was tempted to compare with the prices she¡¯d gotten from the last attempt at selling but quickly focused back on the matter at hand. ¡°Actually, we might want to sell something right now. I doubt it has a standard price.¡± ¡°You¡¯d be surprised, I sell most of everything you find in Ancient ruins.¡± ¡°Artifacts?¡± She was already smiling in anticipation when Macintosh surprised her. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since we got some. You¡¯re right, it¡¯s not standard pricing for that kind of stuff.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°You¡¯d be surprised what people find in the Lake Marches. Come in.¡± She reluctantly pulled out the Cane. Out of the five Artifacts they now had, it was the least useful in practice. You could use it as a weapon, granted, but it was not practical to wield. The Helm of Telepathy, she could see its uses beyond protection from Laura, so they¡¯d hold on to it, but that one was just a source of funds. ¡°It creates glass?¡± Johanna tapped lightly the end of the three-foot staff on the table. It almost instantly turned into a clear panel, and Macintosh peered in, looking at the carpet under. ¡°It¡¯s temporary,¡± she demonstrated, removing the tip and the table turned back into wood. ¡°Also, you have better sight when you hold it. We noticed that immediately.¡± She handed him the Artifact and he looked around. He whistled, before catching himself. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡°That¡¯s what makes me wonder every time. The sheer strangeness of those Artifacts.¡± ¡°So, what do you think?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a true novelty, quite unique. Hmmm¡­ I can see some potential for both effects¡­¡± He pulled out a small notebook, humming a bit more. ¡°I got a list of prices of other Artifacts sold in the State. Practical ones like yours¡­ I¡¯d say $35,000 base price.¡± She almost whistled on her own but managed to keep her face straight. That was more than twice what had been offered by Grievar, although she¡¯d known later it was a rip-off. ¡°Sounds a bit low?¡± she ventured. ¡°What do you expect? Every Artifact is a risk. You can get more by waiting for the right customer. Or even going for a public auction¡­¡± The negotiation went back and forth until they settled on a fixed, immediate price. Once Macintosh had realized ¨C somehow ¨C that they truly needed money rather quickly instead of waiting months, he made a final offer, saying it was his best or they could attempt to auction it in Nashville. ¡°Want to come back tomorrow, or I can get to the bank? It might be useful to open up an account and store the money there. 40k is a good sum. Even for salvagers.¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather have the cash at hand,¡± Johanna admitted. ¡°Up to you.¡± When Johanna entered the High and Dry again, she found Miles sitting at a table with Ulrich. She wasted no time and went straight for them. Miles Bertram noticed her and waved as she was approaching. ¡°I¡¯ve thought a bit about your objectives. And if you want to probe some ruins people don¡¯t like, I got a few possibilities.¡± ¡°Good to hear.¡± ¡°Besides, I want to see your team in action. A team of Talented, as you said, must be something.¡± ¡°Wait, you want to come?¡± ¡°Why not? You said you wanted me to use my talents ¨C mundane ones ¨C to recruit people. I can hardly do that without knowing better what my reputation is going to be used for.¡± Johanna was surprised, but not displeased. She wanted to prepare for the expedition, and she needed to recruit. If they could be convinced to help beyond introducing her to the right people¡­ why not? ¡°You¡¯re sure you¡¯re up to? You said you retired?¡± ¡°I can still carry a backpack, miss,¡± Miles laughed. ¡°Johanna,¡± she insisted. ¡°It¡¯s not the busiest season for accounting,¡± Ulrich said, ¡°and Miles doesn¡¯t truly need to work all the time.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± he laughed. ¡°I do have an ex-wife. She may have a job of her own, but I do pay for my kids to get all they can get. The costs of the university down in Nashville aren¡¯t cheap, even with boarding on the premises.¡± The albino shrugged dismissively. ¡°You know we sold enough Artifacts to retire¡­¡± ¡°¡­ if we live frugally. Just because you never married¡­¡± Johanna had to smile at the banter. The two were very obviously old friends and adventuring comrades. But the mention of Artifacts perked her, after Macintosh¡¯s mention of having handled Artifacts before. ¡°You said you sold lots of Artifacts. Macintosh mentioned sales as well. Are those common around? Well, common for Artifacts, that is.¡± ¡°Ah no. We never found any in the north. That was back when we scavenged south, near the Aztlan border. Ulrich and I, we ran with a crew of almost entirely Changed races from all over before the coast. I was the token human for a while before I built my own crew here north,¡± Miles explained. ¡°We got a few Artifacts early on. They sold quite well,¡± Ulrich added. ¡°Lucky you,¡± Johanna said. ¡°Ah, luck had nothing to do with it. You know, one of us had something to detect Artifacts from afar.¡± ¡°A Shaper? Sorry, sorcerer?¡± Johanna asked. ¡°No. That was a wendigo, on some kind of exotic pilgrimage or something, and he had a pair of glasses that let him see magic.¡± A wendigo with Artifact glasses? ¡°Big glasses that almost entirely cover your eyes. With a¡­ reddish line in the middle on the sides?¡± Ulrich frowned. ¡°You¡¯ve met Snowbound?¡± She realized she¡¯d never known the name of the wendigo that snuck into the Kootenai garrison. ¡°We were not formally introduced. We first met¡­¡± she stopped herself before mentioning the battle ¡°¡­ in not quite simple circumstances. But I do remember those glasses well. Artifacts like that make a big impression.¡± ¡°Given the war in the North, I wouldn¡¯t have expected you to meet. So, you know what those glasses do?¡± ¡°The Talent is called Mana Sight, and it lets you spot magic use¡­ and yes, the presence of Artifacts,¡± Johanna said. ¡°It¡¯s supposed to be rare among sorcerers, but Petra and I both have it.¡± Ulrich raised a white eyebrow but did not comment further. ¡°So, if there¡¯s an Artifact around, you can find it?¡± Miles asked. ¡°We probably don¡¯t have the same range as that Artifact. But yes. We¡¯ve found five Artifacts since last summer, thanks to this Talent.¡± ¡°This expedition sounds more and more interesting.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s your team,¡± Miles Bertram said as he entered the room. He had insisted on meeting the full team and reserved the table at the big side room of the High and Dry. ¡°My husband, Tom. Our two friends Peter Donnall and his wife Laura. And the latest member, Petra Veldhuis,¡± Johanna introduced. ¡°I wanted to meet you all as we proceed. I know scavenging is usually a younger person¡¯s job, but that¡¯s a bit unexpected to see people coming from so far so young. Although my friend Ulrich would disagree.¡± ¡°He¡¯s not along?¡± Johanna asked. ¡°We do have our own lives, you know.¡± ¡°You really ran along with other Changed? Dwarves and all?¡± ¡°I think it was just three of them in the early days. Thirster, Dwarf, and Dryad. Then the rest of us came along, and we ran all around the south for a couple of years. Places like Huntsville, Chattanooga, or some of the big ruins south of Lake Nashville. There was enough left even then to make a living from it, but of course, when Snowbound was along, we hit the jackpot. He could see Artifacts from four or five miles away. We didn¡¯t find one in every ruin, but when we got one, it was like half of the season¡¯s earnings in one item. We scoured the area, but he had to return to his homeland after a couple of years. He could endure summers, but not that well. Then later, we moved up north here to find easier ruins.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not as good as those glasses seem to have been, but that still works. It depends on the Artifact, actually,¡± Petra said. ¡°You¡¯re the other sorceress your boss mentioned?¡± Miles noted. ¡°Earth Shaper, yes.¡± ¡°Johanna mentioned being a Fire Shaper? So, you must have some Earth Talent then? I must admit I¡¯m not that well-versed in that kind of thing. You usually hear about Talented, notably in the big cities like Vernon, but the odds of meeting one is low.¡± He looked at the table, adding, ¡°Let alone five. There is probably some pretty wild story behind this, but I have time for that later. So, what do you think of New Sandusky, then?¡± ¡°Homey, of sorts. It¡¯s got a better feeling to it than places south. A city like Nedalshe was a kind of shock, seeing all those houses outside of walls,¡± Johanna said. ¡°You¡¯re from the Northern Marches, no wonder there,¡± Miles replied. ¡°Here, it¡¯s a little bit different. South of New Sandusky, there are almost no mana zones. There used to be, but they shrank slowly over the last two or three generations. Most of the changed vegetation died off, and you don¡¯t get Changed beasts being around anymore. People also killed most big predators, who usually make the most dangerous beasts if they spend too much time in the zones.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know. Canids are not the worst. I hate Lepus, though,¡± Johanna said. ¡°I think those were the closest I got to dying, at least until Laura fixed me.¡± Miles turned to look at the last woman, who nodded. ¡°Be aware, I need to fix that kind of wound very quickly. Within a minute of the wound itself,¡± she warned. ¡°Duly noted. Anyway, New Sandusky is close to the Lake Marches and the Great Lakes themselves and has a major road toward the Marches of the Algonquin, and those do have lots of spotty mana zones, and the usual beasts coming out. It¡¯s probably not as harsh as what I hear from near the Northern Divide, but we get beasts wandering in regularly. So that¡¯s probably why you feel at home.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that bad up north,¡± Johanna countered. ¡°But we¡¯ve got fewer people than central states, that¡¯s for sure. New Sandusky¡¯s probably a tiny city for you, but it¡¯s a real one for us.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re going to settle here?¡± ¡°We need to. We got a pair of apartments lined up. Petra?¡± Johanna asked. ¡°Found something too. Smaller, cheap, will do until you find a way to turn that adventure into untold riches.¡± B2.27 - Target One Anyone who goes salvaging without the right Talent along is just a bottom feeder. Albert Maginot, Marches of the Algonquin. The next day passed like a whirlwind. Johanna and the others settled the deal for their apartment lease, then completed the registration for residency at the City Hall, with their landlord attesting to the one-year rent payment. And just like that, the four found themselves once again official residents in a city. Hopefully, with a better status. Johanna half expected now to have some hidden citizenship clause to come and cause them problems, but at least, on paper, they had some protection against the reach of the Warden. Petra was not entirely convinced this was the end of their troubles, but they had little other recourse if things escalated. At least they had some money since apparently, lawyers were reputed to expect to be paid even for giving advice. Ulrich and Miles were waiting for them just outside the northeast Gate of New Sandusky. The road coming from there went around the Lakes proper, heading toward the eastern part of the Lake Marches rather than the wilderness that was the western. It was the main commercial road to Ontario, the capital that sat on the lake of the same name. Johanna had skimmed on her geography lessons back when she was younger, but Miles had sketched quickly the northeast for her when they¡¯d discussed a potential target. The Lake Marches stretched all the way to the coast of the Atlantic, sandwiched between the East Coast mana zones and the tail end of the Northern Mana Barrier, a sort of mirror of the way the Marches of the Montana went to the Pacific port of New Willapaga. ¡°My people live a bit higher, in the Marches of the Algonquin. That¡¯s probably even less populated than the Lake Marches. Thirsters make a fourth of the population,¡± Ulrich had said. ¡°You¡¯re not living there?¡± ¡°This is the closest I¡¯m going to go to quote-home-unquote,¡± he had replied, without elaborating. But for the moment, they were headed to a large ruin of an Ancient city called Cleveland that both old-timers felt was a good idea. ¡°We¡¯ll check some parts of West Cleveland, near the Lake. That was not my usual area back then, but people usually skip it because you can hear Canid packs hunting all the time and the south of that Ancient ruin is a lot easier and not too shabby in terms of loot. It¡¯s a mana zone so Changed beasts tend to breed faster and grow bigger there.¡± ¡°Good. More chances of having well-preserved stuff,¡± Johanna replied, as they started. ¡°Artifacts?¡± ¡°That. And possibly Ancient books.¡± ¡°Why them specifically? I know, there is always a collector market, but it¡¯s not much bigger than practical items. Intact clothes usually sell for more by volume and weight. Unless you recover a unique book no one¡¯s seen since the Fall, but that¡¯s rare. And you find that after the fact.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s say we value them a bit more, not just in terms of prices at Macintosh¡¯s¡±, she said without elaborating. The initial stretch of road was relatively uneventful. They noticed a few wagons and farmers heading back to the various fortified farmplexes that dotted the country around the city. Johanna enjoyed the weather. It was still warm for an early May, but not oppressively so. All around, fields were already being plowed and for a moment, she could believe they were back in Valetta, heading home after a few rounds of salvage to relax and take some news of the family. Although they were both in their forties, the older men were still walking at a good clip. Although they said they had retired recently to city jobs, they were still in good shape. Then she caught up herself, judging people who probably had started salvaging Ancient ruins before she was even born. She tried to make small talk instead. ¡°I hope we¡¯ll be up to your expectations,¡± she said. Miles raised an eyebrow in response. ¡°You probably have never seen Talented in action.¡± ¡°Let alone five.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t ask for demonstrations, though. Beyond what I displayed. So, what made you believe me?¡± she asked. ¡°Because of fifty thousand dollars,¡± the voice of Ulrich Sengfield came from behind, as the albino man reached them. Despite all of the clear skies and bright sun, the albino Changed wasn¡¯t bothered, making her wonder if he wasn¡¯t a fire adept, following what appeared his family¡¯s tradition. He had a small bandana around his head, a sleeveless jacket, and matching pants over long boots. ¡°Fifty thousand what?¡± ¡°The bounty. For your desertion.¡± She stopped, before starting again almost immediately. ¡°How do you¡­?¡± ¡°I like all kinds of stuff about dangerous people, bandits, the like. I got sent the notice of the Montana bounty calling for the capture of four Talented, dead or alive. Fifty thousand is pretty high. Probably close to a record for a group of mere deserters.¡± Seeing as she was mute from the surprise, the thirster smiled, showing perfectly white teeth ¨C and normal canines. ¡°I¡¯m not going to judge you. Although I am going to be very curious about how exactly you met Snowbound. But yes, I knew you had Talents and significant ones. The bounty notice said so, even if it was light on details.¡± Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°Is that going to be a problem?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re worrying about bounty hunters, operating in Independence State would make their work a bit complicated since it¡¯s about Montana lawbreakers. They¡¯d get branded as murderers since I doubt anyone would risk trying to capture you instead of killing you. So, the most likely scenario is that any bounty hunter would call upon a judge to examine the charges, get him to order you arrested, and then kill you when you inevitably resist and claim the bounty. That means having lots of lawyer correspondence involved as the extent of the charges isn¡¯t detailed enough on the bounty leaflets. You might not be aware of it happening, of course, but that¡¯s not going to be very fast.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you were trying to get residence?¡± Miles asked. ¡°You didn¡¯t guess? You¡¯re getting senile, MB,¡± his friend replied. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what someone suggested to us,¡± she confirmed. ¡°Smart move. This escalates lawyering to higher heights. You¡¯d probably get involved directly to present a defense against the charges as citizens and thus be forewarned. Of course, you may still get someone stupid enough to try to get you without all that paperwork, but proving it for the bounty afterward might be a bit difficult if they break the law here.¡± ¡°That does relieve me. A little bit.¡± ¡°I¡¯d love to see that play out, but I¡¯m more interested in how you ended up in that situation in the first place,¡± Ulrich said. ¡°It¡¯s complicated,¡± Johanna said. ¡°Unusual situations often are. Talented are rare. Multi-talented, like you and your friends, even more. Young talented? Probably as rare as hair on a dwarf¡¯s head. And yet here you are¡­ and you found an earth sorceress along the way. Which is supposed to also have ¨C what are you calling it? ¨C Mana Sight as well.¡± ¡°Look, it¡¯s going to be hard to believe. I mean, I can show you a few things, but¡­I said it¡¯s complicated.¡± She looked at the two men ¨C a man and a thirster, at least ¨C and winced. ¡°But if we find what we¡¯re looking for, then you¡¯ll have answers. And some proof.¡± ¡°In the East?¡± ¡°No, here hopefully. The East¡­ let¡¯s say, it¡¯s the next step up.¡± ¡°And if we don¡¯t? Find what you¡¯re looking for, I mean,¡± Ulrich said. ¡°Then I¡¯ll have to figure out a plan B. But until then, as I said to Miles, keep a look for Ancient Books.¡± ¡°Books? I mean, they sell well, but not Artifact-well.¡± ¡°It¡¯s complicated.¡± With the fine weather, camping was easy. They found traces of what Miles said was a recent caravan campsite. The caravan had probably been there a day or two before them, heading toward the Algonquin, and they might even catch up before they veered off into Cleveland, as the commercial road went between two Ancient ruins. The evening was an occasion to showcase some abilities, with Laura cleaning up some light scars on Miles¡¯ hands, Peter demonstrating knives moving instantly between spread hands, and Petra raising her stone slicers-shields. That was also a time to learn more about the location. The south of the Great Lakes, she learned, had been scavenged early on. Most of anything worthwhile had been recovered even before the Wars of Unification. What you had left was mostly stuff that modern industry could duplicate, but was cheaper to get from Ancient warehouses or homes. Alium and similar metals from Ancient times always got some prices, but it was increasingly hard to find, even in the larger ruins. Ancient Steel was a surprising mix of better-than-modern products and ¡°cheap stuff¡± nobody wanted. Miles wasn¡¯t too surprised at the Alium trade back from Valetta. ¡°You have some places that do specialize in that. If you have one nearby, it¡¯s probably a good sale. Macintosh just exports the stuff in bulk, and every merchant on the way will take a chunk of the final prices.¡± Both men were happy to let the youngsters take watch, but the stretch of commercial roads proved to be safe, without the slightest hint of predators prowling. A quick breakfast later, they started toward their target, leaving the field-dotted landscape behind. ¡°Incoming,¡± Tom said abruptly. Johanna stiffened, and Miles threw a look at her. ¡°Problem?¡± ¡°Someone, or rather something, is coming to attack,¡± she said, dropping her backpack. Miles didn¡¯t discuss things. He immediately stopped, looking around for whatever was coming. Tom had already unclipped his mace weapon, and the rest of the team was starting to spread to offer minimal targets. Ten seconds later, a canine figure burst out of the undergrowth, charging toward the left of the group. Then the Canid stopped abruptly, almost falling over its legs. ¡°What?¡± Miles muttered behind her. ¡°Petra locked him,¡± she explained briefly, before aiming her hand and shooting a fireball. There was a shout behind her, but she ignored it because, at the same moment, two additional Canids bounded out of the vegetation that had hidden them, just as the fireball singed the first Canid¡¯s fur. Fuck, I need to remember to shoot at their feet. They dodge. Tom rushed to the leftmost Canid while she debated internally the tactics. The incoming beast was met by his mace, and the mace won handily, throwing the furred menace back several yards with a surprised howl. The first canid was still locked in position by Petra, so she wasted no time throwing a new fireball at a lower angle. She got immediately distracted by the flash of manalight that came from the side, as one of the beasts activated some magical effect. ¡°Beware, magic, stand back!¡± she called out. The first canid was convulsing on the ground, its fur burning hot and heavy. Its movements were already slowing as it died from the cooking fire. But she had no time as the other two canids reached them already. The first was met by Petra¡¯s stone-slicing arm extensions, and he tried to twist to avoid the sharp edges. But the other was rushing Johanna, and white fog lines were trailing the beast. The streak of white on the fur and the condensation made her realize the beast was certainly using some form of ice-based magic, but she shelved the thought, raising flame in hand in front of the beast. The Canid dodged and she raised her hand to fire¡­ and stopped as its head separated and flew into the grass. ¡°Be careful. If I can¡¯t notice you¡¯re there, I could throw you a fireball in the face,¡± she swore at Peter as the short man flicked Swordcutter. ¡°Oops.¡± She turned to see what Petra was doing, but Tom was already throwing the Canid to the ground with a mace hit. As usual, the hit blurred, as if he was hitting twice ¨C she was pretty sure her husband had a special Talent for that by now ¨C and the Canid tried to rise, only to find itself stuck in place. The mace rose and fell and the Canid¡¯s head spewed blood over the grass as it broke open under the hit. Silence reigned. Then a clapping sound came, and Johanna turned to see Ulrich applauding. ¡°I don¡¯t know about the East Coast. But if that¡¯s what your team can do, you¡¯ve got the Marches¡¯ ruins locked up. I knew I was betting on a winner,¡± the thirster said, half-laughing. ¡°So did I,¡± Petra replied. She ground her two arm covers¡¯ edges together, making a grinding sound before the two vanished and she put her hands on her hips, striking a theatrical pose. ¡°And I¡¯ll follow her to the East Coast and beyond,¡± she added, making Johanna start to flush. ¡°Less than a minute,¡± Miles whispered. ¡°Not even a minute and a Canid pack erased without a scratch. Like that.¡± ¡°The Warden undervalued the bounty,¡± Ulrich said to Miles as the expedition advanced as the sun slowly came down, announcing the evening. ¡°If he put it too high, people would have started asking the wrong questions instead of hunting them,¡± Miles replied, throwing a look back at Johanna as the fire sorceress ¨C sorry, Fire Shaper ¨C followed, chatting with her husband. ¡°What I want is figuring out what she wants from us. Compared to them, we¡¯re chumps,¡± he added. ¡°Sorcerers have limits. From what I heard of grand-uncle Markus, after a while, his fire went out, no matter what he wanted. And it took a lot longer to get it fully back,¡± Ulrich replied. ¡°They did it in under a minute. And I¡¯m guessing she¡¯s got way more oomph than your old uncle.¡± ¡°I doubt all Talents require the same mana. But there¡¯s probably a good reason. If only to have us carry the loot while she and her team blast their way through hordes of Changed.¡± ¡°Well, if I¡¯m a secondary character in an epic novel, I hope I get more than an honorable death to add spice.¡± B2.28 - Opportunities I was an accomplice in my own frustration. Pre-Fall Novelist. Petra spotted the trace just before Johanna again. ¡°Sign of Artifact,¡± she called out, raising her fist. Johanna looked at where she was pointing and noticed the faint manalight swirl. The direction she was pointing at looked to be mostly trees, with no visible ruins. Technically, they were within the Cleveland ruins, but it was hard to tell without Miles stating the fact. ¡°Let¡¯s check,¡± she said. It did not take long to get close to the swirl. For a moment, Johanna thought that there would be no ruins before she noticed a foot-high line of masonry remaining, covered in various growths. There had been some house or similar building there once, but it had decayed to almost nothingness. Without Mana Sight, nobody would have even suspected it to be there. ¡°Not much. You¡¯re sure?¡± Ulrich asked. Johanna found pieces of fallen masonry, between which the manalight swirled, reaching inside. ¡°Pretty sure, yes,¡± Petra answered for her. Johanna started to pull up the bricks covered by rampant vines and weeds, as they crumbled under her hands. Tom joined in, and Miles pitched in to help immediately. In no time, they dug up, exposing ground and a pitch-black handle of sorts buried in the soil. She dug and pulled until she got out¡­ An axe. The handle was made of some impossibly black wood, with whorls and burls barely visible as black upon black, and impossible to feel under the thumb. The entire length of the handle looked like it had been waxed, many times. The head was shining steel ¨C or something that looked like steel ¨C and elongated, as if someone had taken a normal axe head, and stretched it until it was half again a normal span. ¡°Artifact for sure,¡± Miles said. ¡°Seen a few. There is no mistaking that look of more-than-Ancient craft.¡± Johanna made a few swings, causing everyone to move back. ¡°Feels balanced. Not too light, but¡­¡± ¡°Any idea what it does?¡± Peter asked. ¡°Not always easy. Remember how we tried stuff with Swordcutter?¡± Tom replied. ¡°Let me,¡± Miles said. Johanna handed the axe to the salvager, who moved away a bit before swinging a bit. Then he drew the axe up, looking it up and down, until there was a flash. The axe¡¯s head burst into flames. Whistles came from the assembled salvager¡¯s group. ¡°Burning Slasher,¡± Peter immediately called out. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem to be very burning,¡± Miles answered. Johanna got closer and realized she was feeling some heat. It felt like what she got from a bonfire that had been burning up for a while, so she knew immediately that the flame covering the axe¡¯s head was hotter than hers. Not that she should have expected anything less, after all. ¡°You¡¯re going to be immune to the fire it puts out,¡± she reminded him. ¡°Just like my flaming blade Talent.¡± ¡°That¡¯s handy.¡± ¡°Turn it off.¡± The flame puttered and vanished. ¡°You got this well,¡± Johanna noted. ¡°That¡¯s not my first Artifact,¡± Miles replied, smiling. ¡°Keep it in one hand, and show me the other,¡± she said. ¡°Okay.¡± She put her hand just under his, gripping, and without warning, started her flame. Miles yelped and reflexively tried to pull out his hand, jerking her, before he realized he wasn¡¯t feeling the fire. ¡°You don¡¯t even need to use it actively. As long as you hold it, you¡¯re good.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t know that,¡± he answered, throwing her a dark look. ¡°Well, additional demonstration. Can I test something?¡± The man reluctantly handed her back the weapon. She tried to remember how Swordcutter worked. Roughly, it worked like Talents. She tried calling the axe¡¯s flame, but quickly realized it might be more complicated. ¡°What are you trying?¡± Peter asked. ¡°Compare my own flame¡¯s heat to the Artifact¡¯s¡­¡± She switched to pushing her own flame to the blade. And failed. The axe did not ignite. ¡°What the fuck?¡± she blurted. ¡°Problem?¡± Tom asked. ¡°I can¡¯t light it. Even by myself.¡± That¡¯s interesting, Moore thought. The Artifact itself looked normal. And the skill was something he was familiar with, after all that time. But it was showing as locked, which was unexpected.
Flaming Blade Tier 5 Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.
Mana: 84/84 (+75 mana per hour) Passive: Grant bodily immunity to fire, up to 1140¡ãF (615¡ãC) Active: Create a flame of max temperature surrounding a bladed weapon. The weapon remains immune to melting or burning while covered. Active cost: 1 mana per 84 seconds.
I also never noticed, but the mana zones don¡¯t affect the Artifacts¡¯ regeneration rates. Because it¡¯s hovering at 15% right now, it should be higher than 5¡Á15¡­ Johanna looked at her hunting knife, which refused obstinately to light up. Then she released the grip on the axe, letting it lay on the ruin¡¯s remnants. The knife¡¯s blade lit up. She put just the tip of her index on the blade and the flaming knife sputtered and stopped. She could still bring out the flame in her hand while holding the axe, and she did not think the flame was hotter while she was wielding it. But the axe and her flaming blade Talent neutralized each other. ¡°So, you¡¯re the only one that can¡¯t use it,¡± Peter said. ¡°Fuck this,¡± she swore. She heard ignored the snickers coming from her friend and glowered. ¡°Well, it is good money back in New Sandusky,¡± Miles said. ¡°You wanted something else?¡± ¡°How did you know about the fire resistance?¡± Miles asked as they sat at the evening camp. ¡°We¡¯ve got some experience with using Artifacts for a long time. I¡¯m guessing you didn¡¯t find one with an obvious passive. Or always sold them quickly,¡± Johanna replied. ¡°That¡¯s true. Some could be worth almost an entire season¡¯s work. That flame axe is probably on the mid-range or lower range.¡± ¡°Really? I would have thought¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s a close-range weapon. Powerful, but limited in direct use. It¡¯s the kind of stuff you sell to collectors more than people who¡¯d use it. We found half a dozen, and the one that got the biggest prize was a bow.¡± ¡°A bow?¡± ¡°An Ancient bow, with pulleys and wires and all kinds of weirdly shaped attachments. But when you used it, you could switch targets almost instantaneously, without losing your focus. You could literally aim at a close and easier target and then switch to a distant one and be almost as accurate.¡± ¡°Ah. Fast Aim, then.¡± ¡°Sorry?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the name of the Talent your bow probably had.¡± ¡°One of your team has it?¡± ¡°No, but we know a Hero with it. He¡¯d be disappointed if he had to use your bow and find himself without the skill.¡± ¡°I¡¯m guessing your friend doesn¡¯t have that problem with any of hers, then.¡± ¡°Laura? You know?¡± ¡°As I said when we found the axe, that¡¯s not the first I¡¯ve seen. I¡¯m not entirely sure about the gloves, but the boots are clearly some type of Artifact.¡± ¡°We still don¡¯t know what the gloves do, but the boots were a surprise.¡± ¡°What do they do?¡± Miles asked. ¡°We were trying to cross the Missouri. We were on a small creek and found she didn¡¯t make a splash. She would walk on the water with those.¡± Miles started to laugh. ¡°What?¡± ¡°A Saint? That walks on water?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ Oh.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you didn¡¯t think of it.¡± ¡°Well, we didn¡¯t. I mean, it¡¯s just a Talent, not something granted by the Lord.¡± Then she stopped, because while she was certain the Skeleton was an Ancient spirit of some sort¡­ it granted blessings, in a way. As Laura would say, she did not think any of them were saints of any sort, not in the usual sense. But if you believed in a higher power¡­ the Ancient qualified. She hid her brief hesitation and carried on. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m nearly certain that Saints are just a category of Sorcerers, just with a narrow focus on helping people rather than doing things.¡± ¡°How so?¡± ¡°With Mana Sight, I can see some of hers, just like I can see most sorcerer skills being used.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ an interesting position. Most churches have spent a long time propping up Saints as, well, saintly figures. After the Fall, it was a reassuring fact that the Lord hadn¡¯t forsaken this world, and we were not in the Tribulation Times like some of those sects would claim.¡± ¡°Elena said the same thing.¡± ¡°Elena?¡± ¡°The Sorceress of the Mists of the Montana. She¡¯s the one that introduced me to most of the concepts behind sorcery.¡± ¡°You must have had an interesting life already, for one so young. So many Talented you¡¯ve met.¡± ¡°It sometimes feels weird for me, too.¡± ¡°They use the Artifacts for what?¡± Ulrich almost exclaimed. ¡°It makes some kind of perverse sense. Artifacts are so resilient, they make for good armor. And since she¡¯s the one that has to heal the rest of them¡­¡± Miles replied. ¡°And they walk around with a fortune, just to provide additional armor. At the same time, trying to raise capital for an expedition. Incredible.¡± ¡°They do have different priorities, I guess.¡± The two-ton Ursid that came out from the forest that covered the ruins looked wickedly dangerous. At least until it ran to the range of Petra. It stopped abruptly, and Johanna had little difficulty aiming at the center of the mass. Ten seconds later, the Ursid monster was a burning mass. The expedition passed the corpse, Miles and Ulrich throwing still incredulous looks at the smoldering beast. The combo Earth-Fire is insane on single targets, Moore thought. In a balanced RPG, the root-type spells would have massive drawbacks, break-on damage, or something similar. No such thing here. You either had enough Strength or not. It was almost worth it to remain as a basic Shaper build. You sacrificed range and power, but you were a one-man, or maybe one-woman wrecking ball. The Level 6 Superior Ursid had no chance against Earthbind plus Fireball. Although with only a 1¡Á multiplier, some higher-level monsters would be able to resist, presumably. Is there some multi-element specialization? An advanced¡­ Magma Shaper or similar? If there was one, it was further away than he could see, not just one or two tiers higher than the individual specializations. Or he would have seen an example with Johanna for the Fire-Water combo, as both stats were at 17 along with her 20 Authority. But for now, he had some XP to use. He wasted no time in allocating the next point in Johanna¡¯s Strength, bringing her to 16 and unlocking his target skill for level 7. It was more of a utility spell unless she could conjure it anywhere, including something¡¯s face.
Blazing Orb Requires: Authority 20/Strength 16/Level 7
Effective: N ¡Á Strength + Level (adds mana) Passive: (Eff)% better sight Active: Create a (level) inch diameter floating orb of flames up to (Eff) feet away. The orb remains locked in place until released. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds
Fire Shaper AUT 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Metal Shaper AUT 17/STR 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Moore noted the new specialization that had finally made its appearance. He hadn¡¯t paid attention, but the point unlocked at least the fourth combination of elemental Shapers. And while it wasn¡¯t suggesting a metal, the multiplier for this wasn¡¯t zero. Maybe it¡¯s because you can let it hang overhead in the sky? That was another part of the theme for Strength-based Shaper skills. Sky, lightning, those things. It was a kind of hodgepodge category, for some reason. Johanna¡¯s complete stat set would include the next spell at level 8 in Agility, Cinder Circle, but that would have to wait. Laura had received Regrowth with the earlier fight, and she was the first of the team to have one skill in every stat. Level 8 would be wide open since she¡¯d have two skill points, and every stat eligible for her next skill. But for now, he wanted to quickly bolster her mana stores and ability. Agility was a very low-cost purchase, and she tended to grind the skill, so this went first. Then Dexterity, to improve her combat healing ability. 2 more seconds of delay, slightly more body mass to fix. And finally, Authority to improve the Falter gaze, leaving her at a whopping 36 XP left. Peter and Tom would be next and were lagging behind their wives. There was still no good skill for level 7 or 8 in Peter¡¯s ¡°free¡± stats unless Moore wanted to dip into mana-fueled skills. It increasingly looked like the Improviser would have to get again a second skill in one of his other stats. For Tom, at least there were two new stamina-based skills to pick, Blind Fighting at 7 and Grapple at 8. B2.29 - Suburban Haven The suburbs: signs of life, but no proof. Pre-Fall aphorist Glass Cane and whatever they would get for Burning Slasher would be plenty if they simply worked as scavengers, but Johanna knew it was not to be, and every bit might count. The stairs next to the entrance led to a floor with low slanted ceilings, and she quickly found all kinds of goodies in one room, while the others had pierced roofs, and everything in those had rotted decades or maybe a century ago. Despite the offer from Myriam Carlin about Ancient clothing, she didn¡¯t think she¡¯d get anything good unless the merchant was interested in slightly stained Ancient underwear and socks. Still, they picked everything, including those, bringing it down to the ground floor and stashing it in the main room of the house, where it looked safer from the elements. parchments, she opened them and saw mostly smudges of pictures rather than words, and realized that, while the paper may have endured, the ink had smeared to illegibility from humidity. Like many of the hymnals in the church, they were useless. parchments, and she would rather show why the books were important rather than try to convince them anyway. Well, she could always try to do it later, if nothing else happened. The Midnight Line or Miramar Bay. And they seemed intact, although she¡¯d just seen that the cover did not prejudge the interior. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.
Miles Albert Bertram Junior Male human, 43 years, 8 months
Unspecialized (gofer) Level: 7 (21000 XP needed) 7 unallocated skill points XP: 41017
STR: 17 AUT: 17 (2000 XP needed)
AGI: 15 (2000 XP needed) PER: 15
DEX: 15 EMP: 16 (3000 XP needed)
Given the difficulty to communicate a full build plan, the obvious was to build upon the top two base stats of each person rather than some abstract group synergy and minimize the needed extra stats with whatever was available as a skill. In Bertram¡¯s case, that would mean his Strength as primary, and Authority secondary. The problem with this strategy was, Tom didn¡¯t have enough Authority to unlock the Battler specialization that would go with it. And he was not going to sacrifice XP to give him the necessary two points right now. If he had something else than Blind Fighting for the next skill, he might have tried it, but the Specialist Battler had no use for Authority until level 8. And it was hard enough to level him now that Moore was no longer expending his hoard of XP directly in his team. The other variants he knew about all started from lower base values, meaning he had to expend more of Bertram¡¯s stock of XP to unlock or raise those. And that basically prevented a future switch once the ¡°proper¡± specialization became available. That left the basic Battler, which was, well, serviceable, but not what one would expect from a veteran at level 8, since he had enough XP for that. He could upgrade the specialization for free later, but he ran against the problem of communicating the need for a ¡°touch-up¡±. Petra, he expected them to guess he could give her a new skill soon since she¡¯d used a Level scroll. But Bertram Jr? He would have the new specialization available long before he could give him a new skill, not make just a weird no-skill specialization scroll. In fact, he might have to wait until their newest recruit got to level 10 to do so, which put that in the far future. Okay, sorcery again. At least I now have the specialization from Johanna. Now¡­ let¡¯s see the proper ordering of those things. Johanna briefly thought to make it ceremonial. Creating parchments was, after all, an otherworldly experience. But practicality won out, and she decided to simply grab the book and just watch Miles¡¯s reaction. ¡°What we want for the expedition is¡­ this.¡± Right on cue, she felt the cold seeping from the book, as the blue light started to swirl above it. ¡°Another Talent? How many do you have?¡± Miles asked. ¡°Not quite. It should be¡­ enlightening to see who you are, Miles.¡± ¡°What do you mean, who I am?¡± he asked, just as the geometrical abstractions swirling above the book coalesced and the first parchment dropped over the extended book. She caught it immediately and looked. A full four-fold version. MetalShaper, CallLightning, Level, Authority. Wait a minute, Metal Shaper exists? Was it linked to Authority? If she remembered right, Catherine¡¯s first parchment had included Strength instead. But Miles was waiting for an answer, and she pushed aside her questions about why the Skeleton had made Catherine into a simple Shaper rather than a full Metal Shaper. ¡°I said we needed the right people. By right people, I meant Talented ones.¡± ¡°But those are rare. You won¡¯t find those in New Sandusky. So why pick us?¡± ¡°Because Talents can be earned. Because Talents¡­ can be given.¡± She kept the book in one hand and handed the parchment to him. Miles grabbed the paper square and, unsurprisingly, it started lighting as soon as she released it. ¡°What is THAT?¡± he exclaimed. ¡°The biggest change in your life since¡­ well, since. If you accept it like it somehow asks you to.¡± Miles contemplated the slowly rotating lines of blue on the parchment before looking back at her. ¡°You called yourself a Fire Shaper.¡± ¡°And if you accept, I¡¯ll call you a fellow Metal Shaper.¡± ¡°I would become a sorcerer with that¡­ thing? Really?¡± ¡°With your first Talent, Call Lightning. And I would avoid trying to use it while in here, I think. Based on the name, I¡¯ve heard of it, even if I never saw it being used. The Warden of the Montana was almost killed by that kind of spell, even if he only got crippled permanently.¡± ¡°And the rest?¡± he asked, still not accepting the parchment. ¡°Level, I think, is how you get access to more Talents than most people will ever do. Authority¡­ probably something to go with Call Lightning. It does fit, in a way.¡± ¡°You think?¡± ¡°My team, we did not get our Talents using this method. People seem to cap at three Talents ¡®naturally¡¯. But based on what happened with others, it looks like it is what it does.¡± ¡°Petra Veldhuis,¡± Miles guessed. ¡°Yes. She was a minor sorceress, an ice adept, back in the Marches of the Dakota.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s how she¡¯s an earth archmage¡­ An Earth Shaper, as you said. Now you give me that¡­ why?¡± ¡°Because we need Talented backup for the expedition to the East Coast. And the way we¡¯ll get that is by finding the right people. People who aren¡¯t too afraid of risks, who like working in ruins¡­ and giving them the right Talents. Just like Petra.¡± ¡°I feel like I¡¯m probably making a mistake.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be fine. As I just said; it¡¯s not the first time.¡± The parchment flash-fired, leaving no trace and eliciting a yelp of surprise from Miles as the ash vanished before falling on the ground. ¡°Welcome to the rank of sorcerers, Metal Shaper Miles Bertram,¡± she smiled, before adding, ¡°when Tom comes here, we¡¯ll see about giving you something else¡­ although,¡± she realized. She put the partially converted book on the table nearby and grabbed the second book on the shelf. Lines immediately formed up. Dexterity, Chill Metal. She wordlessly handed the new parchment to Miles and didn¡¯t wait to see what he did before grabbing the next book. Dexterity again, Fusion. She recognized the Talent since they had made the exact same parchment for Catherine. It did look like Miles was indeed going to have a similar type of magic. Dexterity ¨C a third time? ¨C and Metal Skin. That one made her wonder. She would have to verify on her notebook, but she was quite sure it had been Strength, not Dexterity. Although it had been the first parchment? It was with the specialization and Level thing, not as a stand-alone. ¡°I need to take notes of what I made for you,¡± she informed Miles, as he consumed the paper. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°We¡¯re still discovering how that works. Well, not the general gist of it, but the details. Congratulations on being above Archmage rank, by the way.¡± ¡°Archmage?¡± ¡°People with three Talents are called Archmages because they are extremely advanced. But, of course, that does not apply¡­¡± ¡°Apply to you, you mean?¡± the voice of Ulrich came from the side. She spotted the thirster, arms full, dropping some of the salvageable items from above in the house¡¯s main room. ¡°I¡¯ve heard the bit about archmages before. I thought you to be one, based on what you said and showed back in New Sandusky, but then you demonstrated that fireball thing. So four Talents. At least four.¡± ¡°Five,¡± she replied. At his raised eyebrow, she added, ¡°Remember, I breathe ultra-hot steam.¡± ¡°Did not see that one. So, five. And one day, you¡¯ll tell us more about that.¡± ¡°She did, Ulrich,¡± Miles said. ¡°And I missed the talk?¡± he replied. Miles smiled. She did not spot the flash of manalight, unlike with the Countess, confirming what she suspected about Metal Shaper versus Shaper. But the flush of metal coming out of the jacket and rising across his face was familiar. ¡°What the¡­¡± Ulrich blurted. ¡°It¡¯s almost like using an Artifact,¡± he said, raising and looking at his shiny hands. ¡°Metal Skin is protection, I think. One for metal-oriented sorcerers, or Metal Shapers,¡± Johanna said. ¡°You won¡¯t have much in the way of mana reserves, maybe enough to hold it for thirty seconds?¡± she tried to guess. The thirster looked at both of them. ¡°You are really doing that?¡± he finally said. ¡°I am. Thanks to Mrs. Milton.¡± Ulrich looked between Miles and Johanna, his discolored eyes furrowed. ¡°How?¡± ¡°Well, given that he only got one Level, Miles got probably all the spells he can use. Why don¡¯t we see what a thirster can be? If you have so many fire casters in your family, maybe you¡¯ll be one too?¡± She grasped the fifth book and watched Ulrich look at the swirls of blue and symbols that manifested. She grabbed the parchment as it formed. ¡°You know what? That reminds me of what cousin Sofia said when she got her fire immunity.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°A place where blue was all over. Where lines of blue made figures that the brain can¡¯t really parse.¡± ¡°Elena ¨C the Sorceress of the Mists of the Montana ¨C called it the dream of mana. A place, no, an ocean of blue with lines. You might be right. I mean, with Mana Sight, it¡¯s somewhat colorless. But the very first mana accumulation I saw was¡­ all blue.¡± Then she looked at the parchment and froze. Agility. Mirror. Wait, what? ¡°Problem, Johanna?¡± Miles called. ¡°It¡¯s not what expected. There is no specialization. Or level¡­ it looks¡­ an additional spell. Mirror? A metal one?¡± ¡°Well, if it¡¯s still for me, it¡¯s easy to check,¡± Miles answered, extending his hand. The parchment lit up and was consumed. ¡°You don¡¯t control what you make?¡± Ulrich asked. ¡°No. It¡¯s complicated¡­ But it usually fits.¡± The sixth book turned into something she remembered well and fit the metal theme as well. Perception and Detect Metal. She wordlessly handed it to Miles, who immediately used it. The seventh turned into Authority and Ember Chains. ¡°How many skills can you have? You¡¯re a monster!¡± she started.
Miles Albert Bertram Junior Male human, 43 years, 8 months
Metal Shaper Level: 8 (34000 XP needed) Mana: 1/394 (+26 per hour) Stamina: 1/42 (+21 per hour) 0 unallocated skill point XP: 3059
STR: 17 (958 XP needed) Metal Skin (42) AUT: 19 (8000 XP needed) Call Lightning (65) Fusion (65)
AGI: 16 (3000 XP needed) Mirror (56) PER: 16 (2000 XP needed) Detect Metal (40)
DEX: 18 (5000 XP needed) Ember Chains (44) EMP: 16 (3000 XP needed) Chill Metal (40)
+6.5 mana per hour Bodily immunity to cold, down to -100¡ãF (-73¡ãC) Bodily immunity to fire, up to 950 ¡ãF (510¡ãC) +42 stamina +5.6 Perception for skill checks Recognize the primary metal of any alloy
B2.30 - Unnatural Ways We¡¯re all at the mercy of the whims of the Power when it comes to our destiny. Wisdom of the Ancients, book 2. Moore was very happy with himself. The pure optimization of the scrolls created, combining skills that didn¡¯t need anything with other stats in advance¡­ Of course, it helped that Mr. Bertram Jr. had so much XP available and that Moore could actually see up to level 8 for skills. Those points came with age and what looked like a rough life. The only man he¡¯d ¡°seen¡± with more XP was that sergeant in Valetta, who had been a level 10 skill-less Duelist. He briefly wondered what had happened to the soldier, if he¡¯d survived the war. It pained him a bit to provide so many skills outside of his Team, but the planned expedition needed a lot of muscle to face hordes of Changed beasts as promised in all the notes he¡¯d read. She was only starting, but given Johanna¡¯s picks, he might be the future frontman for that expedition. So, he selected a mix of offense and lots of utility for added mana reserves. Call Lightning if there were enough clouds around. Ember Chains as a backup at closer range. Fusion and Chill Metal were probably useless against beasts, but they could be alternatives against people if need be. Now, it was going to be the case of the ¡°vampire¡±. It didn¡¯t matter how nice he acted. And Moore knew the world was real, not a mass of tropes from bad TV series. Yet, he couldn¡¯t make himself trust a vampire ¨C one that the System said he was, despite the innocuous-sounding euphemism ¨C with something truly risky. Some melee, and defense, yes. Just not raining doom or instant slaying. Or mind fuckery. Especially mind fuckery with a vampire. Thankfully¡­ given what he remembered from Sengfield¡¯s descriptor, he had the perfect combo. If he had the right equipment anymore, he¡¯d have laughed himself silly at the idea. ¡°That¡¯s not what you expected?¡± Miles said. ¡°Five Talents¡­ are the biggest we¡¯ve ever seen. Laura and I have both five, Mark ¨C the Hero I told you about your bow ¨C also has five. Yet you are already at seven.¡± Johanna had glumly picked the eighth book, expecting even more insanity to happen. But to her surprise, the parchment that materialized was a four-fold one. Level. Perception. Barkskin. WoodShaper. ¡°Looks like it¡¯s over for you, Miles,¡± she said, trying to hide her relieved tone. ¡°Oh? Only seven? Are you sure?¡± he replied, barely holding a chuckle. She looked at Ulrich, then showed him the parchment of power. ¡°You think¡­?¡± he asked. She shrugged and the thirster picked up the scroll. Which lit up. ¡°Wood Shaper isn¡¯t something I¡¯d have expected to see,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m wondering if that¡¯s not the common specialization of the Erlangs,¡± Ulrich replied. ¡°All I know about them is that they have three eyes. And they come from over the ocean.¡± ¡°They are supposed to be the purveyors of their lands. Making things grow, shaping plants, those kinds of things. People have said they were like the druids of old, priests of natural powers.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Of course, even among the Erlangs, such powers are rare. More common than among humans, but still not something the average Erlang has. They get their reputation of mighty Sorcerers because they are the most numerous Changed species of men and sorcery does come to them easier.¡± ¡°Will they get jealous of you?¡± she asked. ¡°Why¡­ oh.¡± ¡°You¡¯re probably going to have some ridiculous number of Talents.¡± This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. She could see him hesitating. ¡°Not everyone can be a Fire Shaper,¡± she said, ¡°even with your family. Look at the Burning Walker who was without an Erlang¡¯s traditional powers, if what you say is right.¡± ¡°I¡¯m the reverse Burning Walker,¡± he laughed, and the parchment burst into flame and vanished. ¡°Welcome to the rank of sorcerers, Wood Shaper Ulrich Sengfield,¡± she intoned. He bowed respectfully, but he had a large smirk showing. The next scroll made her startle again. Level, Agility, Entangle. Then she remembered that not only had Mark Kunst gotten two Levels, but Miles had a single one for seven fucking Talents. She would have to revise her idea of Levels. They meant something different¡­ although the Ancient seemed to almost always start with that one, for some reason. And Petra had gotten a second one, later. In any case, if their idea of payment for the scrolls was correct then both Miles and Ulrich seemed to have a lot of accumulated back pay to spend. The third paper square for Ulrich was another surprise. Dexterity and Dark Flame. ¡°I think you may have gotten your uncle¡¯s magic,¡± she noted. ¡°Really?¡± After the sixth parchment, Enter Tree, formed, Johanna started to fret internally. How do they get so many Talents? Do¡­ do 20 years make that much of a difference? She was already on the second shelf, but the next book did not start to change. She looked at it for a few more seconds, before letting out a sigh. ¡°And I think that¡¯s it.¡± ¡°You got only six,¡± Miles said to his old friend. ¡°And I really need to take notes while I remember what¡­ wait, you started with what? Chill Metal after Call Lightning?¡± Johanna asked. ¡°If you don¡¯t remember, I do. Don¡¯t worry,¡± Miles replied. ¡°Be right back.¡± She almost ran out of the house and rushed to where they¡¯d looted. Tom was lounging on what looked like a very old, yet intact, chair, taking in the afternoon sun. Their backpacks were next to him, and she immediately plunged into hers to find her notebook and pencil. ¡°Something?¡± ¡°About fifteen books. Reasonably thick. I¡¯ve started converting them.¡± ¡°Need me?¡± he said, starting to rise. ¡°Not right now. We¡¯re good. We¡¯ll pack them later.¡± Back in the house, she found Miles and Ulrich looking at the stacked books on the table where she¡¯d put them after making each parchment. ¡°What happened to those books?¡± Miles asked. ¡°Making the parchments of power consumes pages from the book. Sometimes a lot.¡± ¡°Is that what they¡¯re called?¡± ¡°Parchments of Power has a nice sound to it,¡± Ulrich judged. ¡°That¡¯s our name for them, yes.¡± She pulled out the page that had been devoted to Catherine Rocastle¡¯s Talent list, adding ¡°Metal¡± to the original ¡°Shaper¡± title. Then, she had Miles repeat his parchment list. ¡°So, you had the same Talents already.¡± ¡°Yes. Although I don¡¯t understand why Catherine had only Shaper instead of Metal Shaper.¡± ¡°Then you know these Talents you gave me.¡± ¡°Some. Fusion¡­ lets you melt metal. You don¡¯t even have to touch it. Detect Metal does exactly what it says. You can sense metal, and recognize which one, even in alloys. I told you already, I think Call Lightning may be what was used early in the War in the North against the Warden. The rest¡­¡± ¡°We may guess from the names, maybe. Chill Metal¡­¡± He pulled out his hunting knife and looked at it. A few seconds later, some beads of condensation started to appear on it. ¡°Yes. That sounds right.¡± ¡°It does cool down the metal then?¡± she asked, before taking notes. ¡°I¡¯ll probably have to check on the reference tome of the Mages of America if it¡¯s known,¡± she added. Mirror, Miles tried on a wall and a perfectly reflective surface formed. She¡¯d seen plenty of mirrors, from home to various inns, and this was, clearly, the best one she¡¯d ever seen. ¡°I feel empty,¡± he said just after that test. ¡°You are just promoted to being one of the most powerful mages in history, but you haven¡¯t enough mana available right now.¡± ¡°How is that?¡± ¡°When I exhaust my mana reserves, it takes the entire night to get it back in full. I might be able to sustain my flame for hours, but if I try with the blade, it cuts down the duration to half. The more Talents I use at the same time, the faster I run dry. I can throw a lot of fireballs, then I get that empty feeling you just felt, and I can¡¯t do it again until I sleep it out. You had essentially no mana at all until a few minutes ago, and it will take hours to fill your reserves.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re saying I need to wait to check all those Talents you¡¯ve just given me?¡± ¡°Well, you can test them after waiting something like half an hour. You just can¡¯t sustain them. Same thing for you, Ulrich.¡± She finished taking notes under the Wood Shaper heading, before slapping the notebook closed.
Ulrich Johan Sengfield Male thirster, 42 years, 2 months
Wood Shaper Level: 7 (21000 XP needed) Mana: 2/271 (+24 per hour) 0 unallocated skill points XP: 16180
STR: 14 (2000 XP needed) AUT: 18 (2000 XP needed) Thorn Fist (61)
AGI: 16 (2000 XP needed) Entangle (39) PER: 19 (5000 XP needed) Barkskin (45) Enter Tree (64)
DEX: 16 (2000 XP needed) Dark Flame (23) EMP: 16 (2000 XP needed) Slow Poison (39)
Skin 45% more resilient +3.9 Agility for skill checks +2.3 Authority for skill checks 61% more weight carry LD50 increased by 390% Water needs per day lower by 64%
B2.31 - Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger When coming back, we may notice we have changed because others haven¡¯t. Pre-Fall writer. They set camp in one of the houses, the one they¡¯d found the collection of books. ¡°I think it¡¯s time you explain¡­ all of this,¡± Miles asked. ¡°It¡¯s a bit complicated. Remember, I said we were looking to build an expedition to the East Coast.¡± ¡°Ulrich and I were speculating about why, since you have massive powers.¡± ¡°We do, but they have their limits.¡± ¡°Duration, right?¡± Ulrich asked. ¡°Yes. Compared to any Talented you¡¯ve heard of, it¡¯s much, much higher. Your grand-uncle was tier 1 if I remember? About 12-15 minutes of sustained Dark Flame before it reverts to bright?¡± ¡°Correct. You?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t fit into tiers. The highest known is tier 6, over one hour and a half. The last time I checked, I could sustain my flame in hand for more than five hours.¡± Ulrich whistled. ¡°Then you run dry and have to wait,¡± he said. ¡°A long time,¡± he speculated. ¡°An entire night. If I use two Talents at the same time, it¡¯s draining even faster. Those fireballs, they use a lot of my mana. Same for Petra, Laura, everyone else.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯re recruiting,¡± Miles said. ¡°If we lose access to our Talents because we don¡¯t have mana or stamina to fuel them¡­ that would be bad. We better have people in reserve who can do some of what we do. Like¡­ well, like you do now.¡± ¡°Using those Ancient books,¡± he said, looking at the stack of partially destroyed books. ¡°But you¡¯re not in charge,¡± Ulrich said. ¡°What do you mean, I¡¯m not in charge?¡± she asked. ¡°It¡¯s obvious. You made those parchments, but you had no idea how many were coming, what they would do. You were even unsure if you had finished giving me the last Talent. You have no idea how everything works together, yet it does.¡± ¡°And so?¡± ¡°You may not know how it works, but someone does. It¡¯s all¡­ directed.¡± ¡°You¡¯re correct,¡± she admitted. ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°An Ancient.¡± Both men stared. ¡°So, this dead Ancient is still hanging around fifteen decades after the Fall. And he watches through you and can act on Talents. On you and through you.¡± ¡°Essentially yes.¡± Ulrich picked a small thimble and swallowed. Then he stood up and saluted. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Saying hello to your patron. I am honored to meet you, sir?¡± he bowed slightly before sitting back. I need to learn how to read lips, Moore thought for the umpteenth time. He had no idea what Johanna and Mr. Vampire Sengfield were discussing when he¡¯d just saluted her out of nowhere. ¡°So that¡¯s how you know about that Ancient library back east,¡± Miles said. ¡°The vision was precise. A clarity you wouldn¡¯t get in a dream, anyway. It had some damage, but the set of buildings it¡¯s in was in good condition. It looks like the excess mana kept them relatively intact, at least so far.¡± ¡°Millions of Ancient books. And you can change them into¡­ parchments.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve seen right here that even if the building is intact, not all books might be, but yes. It¡¯s all there. The Power the World needs.¡± ¡°His words?¡± ¡°Yes. They were a bit strange¡­ and after having experienced Telepathy, I think that¡¯s what they were. A telepathic sending.¡± ¡°Telepathy? Is that a Talent of yours?¡± ¡°Artifact. We didn¡¯t bring it here as it¡¯s a bit bulky, but Peter will use it to scout on the main expedition. It allows you to speak ¡®silently¡¯ across long distances. It¡¯s your voice, but if you pay attention, it¡¯s a voice that is not a sound. That is how it felt when the skeleton was speaking to me.¡± ¡°If it was a dream projection, it¡¯s probably more involved than that¡­¡± Ulrich stopped as Miles raised his hand, and interrupted. ¡°This phrase. The Power the World needs. What does it mean?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t truly know. But I have an idea.¡± This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. She started sketching her idea, of empowered teams of guards and scouring mana zones. Both men stayed silent for a while once she finished. ¡°You want to change the world.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what the world truly needs. That was a shock, seeing cities in the central states abandoning fortifications¡­ and I knew this should be every city. Every farm. And the only way this will happen is if there are people that can take the fight to the mana zones. The places where the Changed beasts breed, grow, and then come at us people. We can clean them.¡± She stopped, as she realized she was starting to sound like a madwoman. ¡°That¡¯s what the Talents are for,¡± she finished. ¡°I can think of a dozen uses for Talents, but that one is¡­ well, noble,¡± Miles noted, and Ulrich laughed. ¡°I see why you would need such a library,¡± the thirster added. ¡°It¡¯s going to be a buttload of books to carry,¡± Miles speculated. ¡°Unless we convert them first. That¡¯s more manageable. You¡¯ve seen how the parchments are, compared to the source material.¡± ¡°You can do that in advance?¡± ¡°The Ancient can. Back in the northwest, we made a set for someone who wasn¡¯t there in the room. And later, he made some simple parchments, enough to track some things.¡± Ulrich gestured toward the stack of books. ¡°So, you could change them right now?¡± ¡°There¡¯s only one I haven¡¯t handled yet. But Tom, Peter, or Laura could do for the ones I already did.¡± ¡°Uh?¡± ¡°Why?¡± they both exclaimed at nearly the same time. ¡°We don¡¯t know. But it looks like each of us can create only one parchment out of a given book, for some reason.¡± ¡°But how do you know who to use the parchment for?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t. We check who can use the first one, the one with the Talent and the name of the set of Talents you have. Like Earth Shaper, Guardian, or similar names. You want us to try?¡± The only book that had not been converted yet was obvious since it was the only one intact after she had made the sets for both veterans. This time, the familiar cold started and she breathed more easily. That was the little tingle of fear with those conversions, as she was not in charge, and couldn¡¯t know what was coming. Dexterity and Popping Rocks. ¡°Well, as I said, we don¡¯t fully control the process,¡± she admitted. She heard Petra sigh and turned to look at the former bartender. Then she facepalmed. Rocks meant earth, right? She gestured to Petra. The Earth Shaper grinned and grabbed the parchment, then frowned when it did not activate. ¡°What gives?¡± ¡°I thought it might be for you. But no. So, what it¡¯s for?¡± ¡°Who knows? Try again?¡± Petra replied. ¡°Tom?¡± she asked, handing the book to him. Dexterity appeared and Petra immediately started to laugh. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Remember Mark?¡± she said. ¡°What about Mark? Oh¡­¡± Petra turned to the two men, explaining for Johanna. ¡°A guardsman from home, one those four granted Talents to before we left. At one point, she made just a Strength parchment, and we wondered about what it was for. Then we got a Strength along with a Talent. This looks like the reverse. Much clearer, I¡¯d say.¡± She grabbed the parchment, which activated briefly before immediately vanishing. Then she picked the previous one and smiled as this time, it did light up under her touch. ¡°I knew it,¡± she laughed and the parchment sparked and vanished. ¡°And one more!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t start popping rocks right now,¡± Johanna warned her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll test that tomorrow when we head back, and with enough distance.¡± Seeing the incomprehension in the faces of the two men, Petra added, ¡°One of my Talents, Tremor, is¡­ fairly destructive. Thankfully, all the Talents seem to have a relatively limited range.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re discovering each Talent?¡± Johanna started explaining. ¡°A lot of the Talents we get are unknown. I think not enough people had Talents in the past, and what they get is random, so they might get the easy ones first. I guess that the Ancient knows better, and he gives us not the easy, but the useful ones.¡± ¡°Useful for what?¡± ¡°Fighting,¡± she admitted. ¡°There have been all kinds of stories about others, but¡­¡± ¡°But you are going to lead an interesting life. Even more so if you go to the East Coast regularly,¡± Miles noted. ¡°Regularly?¡± ¡°Well, you think you¡¯re going to bring back a million books in just one expedition?¡± ¡°True,¡± she realized. ¡°Pop,¡± Petra said, and the little stone smoked, before it abruptly cracked, spewing rock fragments all over. ¡°It¡¯s not spectacular, but it has its uses,¡± Miles said as they finally moved onto a proper road. ¡°Too small, and it just cracks. Too big, and it takes ages and not enough boom. There¡¯s a trick to it, I swear,¡± she replied. ¡°But I¡¯ll figure it out. As long as I keep enough mana, in case.¡± Both Miles and Ulrich shrugged. The two men were doing tests of their own, to figure out their Talents and more importantly, their limits. Johanna looked at the almost tree-like humanoid that was there and blinked once again in wonder. What must be Barkskin provided the normally albino thirster with thick, light brown bark-looking skin. It was smoother than you¡¯d expect from cork but unmistakably tree-like, yet his features were still perfectly recognizable, much like the Metal Skin effect. Only the hair remained perfectly white and unchanged. That and his pink eyes. ¡°Still holding?¡± ¡°Three hours and not a hint of being empty. I¡¯ll hold for as long as I can.¡± ¡°You know, archmages supposedly have the highest endurance of all known mages¡­ at over an hour and a half.¡± ¡°Well, I got twice as many Talents, I sure hope to have at least twice as much endurance. You said you last five hours, after all.¡± ¡°And you, Miles?¡± she asked the expedition captain. ¡°I¡¯ll test that skin duration on another day. Right now¡­ I¡¯m still trying to wrap my head around all this.¡± ¡°You tried most, except the ones that looked offensive Talents. Did you?¡± ¡°Nothing when it comes to lightning. I suppose you do need clouds for that one, but right now, the only two around are a bit too far away,¡± he replied, looking up at the near-empty June sky. ¡°And Ember Chains.¡± ¡°That one I did. I don¡¯t know what I expected, but it is simply bizarre. I get a manacle, on whatever wrist I focus on, with a length of rough chain attached, nearly nine feet long. Blackened metal, with glowing cracks like it¡¯s straight out of the forge and hasn¡¯t had time to cool.¡± ¡°What kind?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the weird thing. With that Detect Metal Talent, I can immediately know what kind of metal anything is. Like iron as the base of anything made of steel, or copper from my bronze belt buckle. But that chain? Nothing. Nothing at all. It¡¯s like it¡¯s not made of metal at all, despite the look.¡± ¡°Well, it does disappear when you release the Talent, right?¡± Seeing as Miles nodded, she continued, ¡°I think it¡¯s made of solid mana. Like Petra¡¯s jagged stone bits. They look like some form of stone, but they vanish when she ends the Talent. And we¡¯ve tried cutting them with Swordcutter, the bits you shave instantly vanish when removed.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ve tried to use them like a whip or something. It¡¯s probably doable, but I need lots of training because so far, I¡¯m just rattling lengths of chain. Very hot chain.¡± ¡°How hot is it?¡± ¡°It depends. With¡­ or without holding the Burning Slasher?¡± ¡°It affects the chain?¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure it does. And that¡¯s almost immediate. If I pick up that axe you found, the cracks immediately brighten a bit, as if they got hotter, and they dull slightly when I drop it.¡± Johanna groaned. ¡°That¡¯s what you wanted to test, right?¡± Miles asked. ¡°Both flames I make have the same heat, even though the flaming hand is far easier than the flaming blade. I was hoping ¡®having¡¯ a much stronger fire power, even by proxy, would count.¡± ¡°It looks like it does, then. Just if it¡¯s not already one of your Talents.¡± ¡°At least, that axe will provide some good funds for the expedition.¡± ¡°Well, technically, we all would share in the money it will fetch.¡± Johanna blinked. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I know it¡¯s going to be needed for that plan of yours, and I can settle for the normal loot money. My chain is already hot enough as it is. And even if I wanted it, I don¡¯t have enough money to pay for your shares of it,¡± he laughed. B2.32 - Core Concerns That some achieve great success is proof to all that others can achieve it as well Pre-Fall Politician. Macintosh¡¯s Genuine Items. High and Dry to recruit people. That¡¯s you, miss?¡± Burning Slasher ¨C took precedence. High and Dry that evening, Ulrich started the discussion. Talent House of yours,¡± he enumerated. parchments like you, Petra. It¡¯s hard to say, because not every parchment consumes the same amount. Simpler ones take a lot less. But I¡¯d rather avoid needing to buy any. We do need that money,¡± Johanna said. Talent House,¡± she said, throwing an eye toward Peter who kept a straight face, ¡°now has an accountant.¡± Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. the power the world needs. What about the rest of the world? Reconquering Europe?¡± parchments, and not others.¡± Talent House, to be set. And in the same vein¡­ Item two. Prepare your expedition¡¯s logistics. How large, what do you expect to bring back? Model this on professional salvage outfits,¡± Miles said. Burning Slasher should be more than enough.¡± parchments of power, was to hide even more. Catherine ¨C the one we made the first ones for ¨C said to build a power base before being found out. But the Library of Congress changes that. We¡¯re going to get loads of parchments. Once we do¡­¡± B2.33 - All the Kings Adventurers It always seems impossible until it¡¯s done. Pre-Fall leader. The High and Dry was more and more familiar, given all the times Johanna had had meetings there. She¡¯d even joked about making it the official Talent House ¨C she guessed they might as well use that name, after all ¨C headquarters. This time, there were two people already sitting with Miles. The man, she thought she¡¯d recognized, having seen him around the pub before. The woman was unknown. ¡°Hello, everyone.¡± ¡°Johanna,¡± Miles said, ¡°allow me to introduce you to two of the most dependable and reputable of New Sandusky. Cameron Scott and Madelynn Nash head well-established teams, reliable and regular. Their teams are good, experienced, and not the kind to screw people over loot. Those kinds of teams never get truly working anyway. Put up the right contract, and you can trust them.¡± ¡°At least until we¡¯re back in town, and I drop you like hot garbage if you messed up,¡± the man ¨C Scott ¨C said. ¡°You get your chance, but not a second one.¡± The woman was studying her very carefully. Johanna already knew her youth would work against her, but if Miles Bertram was willing to vouch for her, it could work out somewhat. ¡°I was getting ready to head out when Miles got me here,¡± the woman finally said. ¡°I¡¯m unsure if it¡¯s worth it, but salvage doesn¡¯t need strict schedules after all. The season is long enough.¡± ¡°The floor is yours, Johanna¡±, Miles announced. ¡°My team and I are slowly getting ready for a major expedition. We are looking for people ready for a long-term commitment, at least until winter. The opportunities will be quite¡­ unique.¡± ¡°So, what kind of team are you looking for, exactly?¡± Scott asked. ¡°Between fifteen and twenty people total, counting us. As I said, reliable, which Miles just said you were. People who know how to operate in ruins, recognize the kind of traps you may find, who have seen Changed beasts and are cautious but not afraid.¡± ¡°Most of the people doing that work can do that, easily¡±, Nash noted. ¡°Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t stay long in the profession.¡± ¡°Which is why I¡¯m adding ¡®reliable¡¯. People who will not just take easy loot and go for the longer game, people who can go along other teams, that kind of people.¡± ¡°That sounds quite weird when said that way. What kind of expedition are you planning that needs that many people? And to get what?¡± Johanna hesitated briefly but stayed on the script she¡¯d chosen. ¡°It¡¯s going to be two. A small test run first. But the main one is¡­ the East Coast. More specifically, the Ancient capital, Washington DC.¡± Both salvager team heads looked at her in surprise. Then they turned to Miles. ¡°You knew?¡± ¡°I did.¡± ¡°And you haven¡¯t laughed her out? Didn¡¯t you try that and lose some of your old team?¡± Nash asked. ¡°I lost a friend, yes. But she¡¯s shown me her plans, how she intends to reduce the risks to reasonable. Not discussed, shown.¡± Scott pushed himself into his chair. ¡°People have targeted these kinds of spots since the Fall. Nobody ever came back so far, unless they turned back before even crossing the Appalachians,¡± he objected, arms crossed. ¡°A hundred and fifty miles of danger, I know. Well, we have Talents on our side. Hero and lots of Sorcery, with a Saint as a backup.¡± ¡°I remember you. A flame hand, right? But it will take more than a flaming hand to deal with Changed beasts.¡± ¡°I know. That¡¯s why our plan is a two-parter. First, we have a test expedition in the Lakes.¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a pre-commitment field trial. The idea is to demonstrate we can negotiate the dangers of the East Coast death zone and see how much we can trust each other over that. If it doesn¡¯t pan out, we¡¯ll test again with others, but I¡¯d rather not take too long. I¡¯m probably overestimating winters compared to the Marches of the Montana¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that bad, at least compared to that place,¡± Madelynn said. ¡°But it¡¯s a long trip, it will take organization first, and we¡¯ll probably have to spend some time once we get there, with nights that get shorter all the time. Otherwise, the idea is that people joining this first expedition should be open, in principle at least, to go on the real one later on. I don¡¯t think there is a need for such a large expedition to the ruins of the area,¡± Johanna suggested. ¡°Yeah, right. You can get into scuffles with packs of Canids or the odd Ursid, and we did have to bail out Jurgen¡¯s team last year, as they got seriously wounded. But larger teams mean usually more complicated logistics, like carts to carry things and the like.¡± ¡°Not for the first expedition. I¡¯ve asked Miles to suggest a target, with good enough prospects, and relatively untouched because it would be slightly riskier than usual.¡± ¡°And I¡¯ve got one,¡± the man answered. ¡°It was called Grand Rapids before the Fall.¡± This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Both scavenger leaders whistled in almost unison. ¡°Hard?¡± Johanna asked. ¡°You can say that. It¡¯s not a truly deep mana zone as you can find in the Algonquin or even the East Coast border, but you can count on getting tangled with all kinds of Changed beasts, even before the fall season. They don¡¯t range very far, but there are enough around.¡± ¡°About 120 miles from New Sandusky. That far, I¡¯d say even Lansing would be a better prospect for salvaging¡­¡± ¡°Lansing? But that¡¯s a classic. I know it¡¯s far, but if you go early in the season, you may not even see a Changed in the north suburbs.¡± ¡°Central Lansing has been never really scouted seriously¡­¡± Johanna listened to the two team leaders debating the merits of the known spots. She looked at Miles who was waiting for the discussion to pause. ¡°Grand Rapids has been even less visited and is larger than Lansing next door. And one just has to look at what passes as white ¡®cedars¡¯ around to see why. That¡¯s how you know it¡¯s heavy mana-filled,¡± he finally said. ¡°You take this seriously,¡± Cameron Scott asked Miles. ¡°I do. As I said, I¡¯ve seen what they can do. And, it will be easy to check, even before we get there.¡± ¡°We¡¯re looking at around ten-twelve people in addition to us five, but we can take a few more. That way, if some people don¡¯t want to follow up, we still have enough for the main expedition.¡± ¡°That¡¯s four from me,¡± Cameron said, ¡°and I presume still five for you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Madelynn confirmed. ¡°Plus, Miles and Ulrich, that sounds good to me,¡± she concluded. ¡°Wait, you two are coming too?¡± ¡°I thought you retired from that?¡± Madelynn added. ¡°I went along with them. When I said she¡¯d shown me how she wants to handle Changed beasts, that¡¯s what I meant.¡± ¡°I heard about you going on a salvage run, I mean, but I thought it was just some easy run, to rekindle memories,¡± Cameron said. ¡°Nope. I wasn¡¯t about to recommend you to some unknowns. Not before checking if they were serious.¡± ¡°So, when she says she¡¯s already had Saints and Heroes in her team¡­?¡± ¡°She¡¯s serious,¡± he confirmed. ¡°Well, color me interested if you think it¡¯s a solid proposition. Of course, trying for the Grand Rapid is something, that East Coast business is something else.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I called it a pre-commitment trial. Because if you¡¯re already set against the idea of the expedition, we¡¯re wasting time,¡± Johanna said. ¡°I¡¯m not against it. But it¡¯s a tough sell, you have to admit. You?¡± ¡°Same,¡± Madelynn replied. ¡°I have doubts about the East Coast. It¡¯s a long trip after all, and the profitability of such is uncertain.¡± Johanna looked at Miles, but the man shrugged almost imperceptibly. It was her offer, her campaign¡­ her quest, after all. ¡°We have specific targets there, and some will be worth a lot. But that¡¯s not what I¡¯m counting for. Worst case, we settle for Artifacts.¡± Both scavenging leaders looked at each other. ¡°You settle¡­ for Artifacts?¡± Madelynn Nash said. ¡°They¡¯re worth a lot, and you say worst case? Miles got his reputation when he came because he¡¯d probably seen and sold more than all of New Sandusky in five decades. What makes you even think you can get some?¡± ¡°Macintosh complained he¡¯d had two recently and they were eating in his liquidity,¡± Cameron noted. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t say who got them, of course. You?¡± ¡°My team. Miles had the help of an Artifact, but I have the same type of Talent. If there is an Artifact within a mile and a half, I¡¯ll know it.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s a random factor that just got a lot better. Although there aren¡¯t that many to begin with.¡± ¡°Ruins in heavy mana zones are much better for that. We only found one¡­ maybe two in low mana zones. The rest came from big mana zones.¡± ¡°Like the East Coast?¡± ¡°And Grand Rapids,¡± Miles baited. ¡°So, you don¡¯t need to drink much anymore.¡± ¡°I¡¯m never really thirsty. Which is a fun thing, given what my people are called ¨C at least politely,¡± Ulrich said. ¡°Which means one of your Talents includes a reduction in drinking needs. We¡¯ve been looking for these since we got the gloves. Thorn Fist is out, the compendium says it just increases your strength somewhat. Dark Flame too, no one has found any associated effect. Now, Laura can try to emulate the rest of your abilities, and see if she can make one happen.¡± ¡°Or we can test directly,¡± the thirster replied. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Well, as we¡¯ve discovered, an Artifact interferes with its Talent. I can wear your gloves, and if one of my Talents fails¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯ll know which one.¡± ¡°And if all of them work, then we¡¯ll know which ones it is not. My bet is on Barkskin. It takes a special kind of mindset to keep it up.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not Barkskin,¡± Laura said as the thirster¡¯s skin turned brown and thick. ¡°Not too much water would have fit with being a tree. Well¡­¡± They had moved outside of town, to allow for testing. The vegetation under Ulrich turned rigid, and he immediately turned his Talent off, because they already knew the herbs would desiccate and die if walked on. If it had not been for horrible difficulty moving, it would have made for a great weed remover. It was only when Ulrich slapped on a large tree that they scored a win. ¡°So it¡¯s that one?¡± ¡°Looks like,¡± Ulrich said as he peeled off the gloves. ¡°Let¡¯s try this,¡± Johanna said, as her friend put them on. It took Laura a try or two, but then she slid into the tree, leaving no mark. She almost instantly came out. ¡°You can¡¯t see anything!¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s a bit hard to get used to. I guess trees don¡¯t have sight,¡± Ulrich noted. ¡°So now, you¡¯ve got water walking, tree hiding, and that insane cold aura,¡± Johanna noted. ¡°Which I can¡¯t sustain for long, or my trousers won¡¯t survive the damage,¡± Laura replied. ¡°Well, if you can¡¯t find more Artifacts in Grand Rapids, I would imagine the East Coast will offer other opportunities. It¡¯s almost like an entire extra specialization,¡± Ulrich noted. Good work. I gave him that one to allow the opportunity to figure out your gloves, Moore cheered mentally. Although I didn¡¯t think of that particular way of checking. She¡¯d managed to check out some light furniture for her apartment, to have more than three chairs and a small table. And a minimum of supplies for the pantry, because she realized there had been almost an entire year when all she ate, all the four of them ate, was meals prepared by others or pre-packaged for the road. And while meals at restaurants or top inns could be incredible¡­ there was something to be said for meals you made yourself, just for you and Tom. She just wanted a couple of days where she could be Johanna Milton, fresh resident of New Sandusky, not Fire Shaper Johanna Milton, emissary of an Ancient Power. So, she sighed and picked the Sandusky Times to check her new home¡¯s comings and goings.
Montana¡¯s top figure to present case The Adjutant to the Warden of the Montana himself took to travel to Nashville to petition the Senate. When a raiding force managed to pass the Kootenai Gap, he argues, the condition for the mutual defense and support of the States of the Union should be satisfied. The Warden is dissatisfied with the support or lack thereof and wants active help from his neighbors. The general mobilization seems to be running into problems, according to several sources in the Marches, and precious units would need to be diverted from defense to enforce the orders, notably among towns near the frontiers where substantial levies are missing. People familiar with the current Senate expect no quick decision to be made, although the Adjutant is expected to make direct addresses to the assembled Senators¡­
Johanna remembered well Agnello, who was said to be the right-hand man of Warden Maistry and therefore the second most powerful person in the Marches. The fact that the same Adjutant, the man that had grabbed them from Valetta and escorted them to New Benton, was there, in Independence State, immediately made her nervous. Although, of course, the man was nearly three hundred miles away, and there was no way he could even be aware of their presence in the same State. B2.34 - Time to Rumble You prove your worth with your actions, not with your mouth. Pre-Fall leader. Johanna was surprised that it took only three days to set up everything, although the split on Artifacts had been the main contention point. But the final contracts were drafted and signed by the two teams, and the expedition could finally proceed. Everyone was assembled at the southwest Gate of New Sandusky. Cameron Scott was with his full team of four, and Madelynn Nash also had her own team. Miles Bertram and Ulrich Sengfield completed the expedition. All of the teams looked at Johanna, but Miles stepped forward instead. They¡¯d discussed it beforehand, and although Johanna was the sponsor of the expedition, it was generally accepted that Miles would work better as the expedition leader. Everyone there knew him, even those who had never worked with him. ¡°Quick refresher. Our target is the Grand Rapids ruins area. I talked with everyone, and the consensus is that we¡¯re bypassing the usual scavenging areas, and heading straight in, to focus on that. So, leg one, northwest to the Toledo area. Then, in leg two, we don¡¯t head to the old Detroit ruins, we go northwest again. Last part, we skirt the Deep Forest, pass south of Lansing, and then we get there, and the real work begins.¡± Everyone nodded, the plan had been communicated in advance. ¡°Big risks are of course the Deep Forest. Summer isn¡¯t when you get lots of beasts, but that¡¯s the biggest risk. But everything north of the Toledo-Chicago line is risky, so don¡¯t relax.¡± He pointed at Johanna¡¯s team. ¡°Now, you¡¯ve all heard about the organizers of this expedition. They are actually going to take the front, so if they spot trouble, they deal with it. We provide support if things look to go wrong, but they are supposed to take care of it all while we watch.¡± ¡°About that¡­¡± one of the scavengers ¨C from Nash¡¯s team ¨C started. ¡°Not convinced? It¡¯s a bit late.¡± ¡°I know. But it¡¯s kind of hard to believe you have so many Talented helping. Not that it¡¯s impossible, but¡­¡± Johanna sighed, and before Miles could answer, advanced. ¡°And you need some demonstration.¡± She raised her hand, calling up the flame, adding, ¡°in case you weren¡¯t at the High and Dry.¡± Petra snorted and moved front, raising her arms. Grey rock slates formed out from nothing under her wrists, covering the hand, the sharp edges almost shining in the morning sun. Tom raised his fists, asking, ¡°any volunteer? Not too dangerous.¡± Cameron Scott laughed and raised his hand. Tom¡¯s feet blurred and in a second, he punched the man in the shoulder, toppling him and drawing a scream of both surprise and pain. The rest of the scavengers had not even started to be surprised before they noticed Laura suddenly kneeling on the fallen man, and pressing her hand on the shoulder, eliciting a groan. Everyone was silent. Peter said, ¡°and if you need a demonstration from me, then you¡¯re fucked.¡± The man who started it all by asking for the demonstration was startled and turned to look at the small man next to him. Peter tapped him lightly on the arm, shrugged, and walked back to the group, raising his hand up in the air. A knife appeared out of nowhere in it, and he waved it lightly before sheathing it again. ¡°I think this concludes our demonstration. Now let¡¯s get out. We have a very long trip ahead of us,¡± Miles said. Johanna joined him. ¡°No demonstration?¡± ¡°They know me. If they see me doing weird sorcery, they are going to ask questions. You wanted to test their mettle before committing, remember.¡± Camping with so many people was a different affair. In practice, every group had recreated their small grouping, with tents or just bedrolls facing each other, with a common fireplace. Madelynn Nash¡¯s team had a cook. A real one, or at least, a real scavenger one, who could do wonders with very little. All Johanna had to do was to supply flame, although only to start the fire. ¡°You¡¯ll burn everything,¡± the cook grumbled after he felt the heat of her flaming hand. Still, people chatted, and she found herself next to Cameron Scott, who talked about the local scavenging, comparing his tales with Miles. ¡°The places you work are ruins at the edges of the Marches, the Lakes, or the Algonquin. Fifty years ago, you routinely spotted roaming Changed, or so my grandfather said, so few people risked it.¡± ¡°He was a salvager too?¡± she asked. ¡°Family tradition. I think we always did some scavenging since the Fall, or nearly so, although we¡¯re from further south. My family settled here when New Sandusky was founded last century.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. The man probed a bit about the East Coast. ¡°What are you searching for? If you have that Mana Sight, I supposed the very heavy mana zones might have made more Artifacts than usual, but I¡¯m not sure it¡¯s a good risk/reward situation.¡± ¡°Artifacts can always be useful. We still have those we found last year¡­¡± ¡°Wait, you didn¡¯t sell them? I thought you already sold some at Macintosh¡¯s?¡± ¡°The ones we don¡¯t use, yes. You¡¯ve seen Laura in action. If she is hurt, then we lose our biggest advantage ¨C instant healing in a fight.¡± The man massaged his shoulder, and Johanna raised an eyebrow in question. He shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s more phantom pain than anything. Your husband¡¯s hit was brutal. It wasn¡¯t being hit by a fist, it was like I had an entire building collide with me. Then she was just there¡­ and I felt my bones snap in place.¡± ¡°It is a weird sensation, I agree. Wait until you feel your internal organs knitting themselves back in place.¡± The man threw her an incredulous look and she shrugged. There were no problems on the first leg of the trip. Two days of walking, including a four-mile section of almost intact Ancient road, brought them safely to the south of the Toledo ruins. The expedition crossed the river that led into Toledo and the Great Lakes not too far from the ruins, using an Ancient bridge that still stood. ¡°It looks like it was built yesterday,¡± Johanna noted as they got near it. ¡°The ruins just after it are not as intact. Well scavenged, of course,¡± Miles answered. Here it comes, Moore noted as the team crossed the bridge. Tom¡¯s regeneration had just jumped up one point per hour, indicating some light mana saturation present, similar to the ruins of what he had guessed had been Cleveland. ¡°These ruins are mostly cleaned out. Madelynn, I think, does most of the work around here. Or maybe did. I¡¯ll have to ask later,¡± Miles narrated as they passed into the ruined city on the other side of the river. It was heavily overrun by trees, but you could see bricks and other structures poking out of the undergrowth on both sides of the remnants of the Ancient road. ¡°Is that city, Grand Rapids, like that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I never went that far. We mostly ran the east side of the peninsula. Detroit and the shores, or we went in the Marches of the Algonquin. But according to Cameron and Madelynn, the ruins are spotty. Like now,¡± he announced as they came out of the main undergrowth. The road bent at a near-straight angle to the side, and there was a small lip ahead, but it was mostly filled with brushland. ¡°Keep left, then right at the next intersection,¡± the voice of Madelynn Nash came from behind. Johanna dutifully followed the road. ¡°They both know the area?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I picked Grand Rapids rather than try deeper into Cleveland, even though it¡¯s much further. Scott alternates between here and Cleveland, but Madelynn know the terrain for the trip, at least most of it, which makes it easier. They know what¡¯s dangerous and what¡¯s not, and that will give them a better appreciation of what we do.¡± ¡°Our old ruins weren¡¯t overgrown like this,¡± she noted. ¡°Lucky you. Half of the difficulty of this job is making sure you don¡¯t miss a ruin. But those were already looted,¡± he added. ¡°How do you know?¡± He pointed at a wall, still rising up to 6 feet. ¡°See the blue mark?¡± She spotted it quickly. Someone had put two small but thick lines of blue paint halfway over the wall. ¡°Remember what I said about marking ruins. This means that you¡¯ve scavenged the ruin, and taken everything you thought was valuable. Makes it handy to remember what you already checked, and warn others not to waste their time.¡± ¡°Sounds obvious.¡± ¡°New Sandusky has a long history of salvage teams. I learned the mark trick only after I moved here to the north. We didn¡¯t use that with my original team.¡± Johanna dutifully turned right, following a rougher stretch of Ancient road. The ruins on the sides were more visible this time, and now that she knew, she could see the blue paint spots that marked the visited ruins. Some were more faded than others, but there were lots of them. ¡°You were not kidding when you said these ruins were cleaned.¡± ¡°It¡¯s an obvious spot unless you move on to Toledo on the north. Most of it is gone, though, and the Ancient bridge there is down. So, people doing West Toledo come this way.¡± The Dark Forest announced by Miles was dark indeed. Seen from the distance, the tree foliage looked pitch black rather than green or even dark green. And there were two huge furry masses outside of the forest¡¯s edge. The expedition was going to come with half a mile of them. In theory, they could curve a bit away, and avoid the encounter. But the two Ursids ¨C since that¡¯s what they looked like ¨C were the first Changed beasts they¡¯d seen, despite the mana zone status. And Johanna¡¯s team still did not had had the opportunity to demonstrate their prowess. She pushed on, catching up with the chatting team leads, and pointed out the shapes in the distance. ¡°We¡¯re going to fight these two.¡± Madelynn Nash looked in the distance and frowned. ¡°I told you, the expedition is partially to show how we can deal with Changed beasts for the Washington expedition. It¡¯s only two Ursids.¡± ¡°Only,¡± Cameron laughed. ¡°Wait, you¡¯re serious?¡± ¡°Completely. Worst case, Tom needs fixing.¡± The grunt just behind told her that her husband had heard her remark. ¡°That¡¯s if Peter doesn¡¯t deal with the last before it reaches you,¡± she reassured him. A bigger grunt answered that idea. Both team leaders raised fists to stop the expedition, and she went back. ¡°Want us to help?¡± Miles asked once they moved to the side of the expedition line. ¡°No. Officially, you¡¯re not supposed to be Talented. And unless the whole thing falls apart, it¡¯s easier to keep it that way. Just join if you think things will go wrong.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± She turned to the team. ¡°Usual tactics. Petra snags the biggest¡­¡± ¡°They¡¯re both big. I don¡¯t think it matters,¡± the Earth Shaper noted. ¡°And I fireball it. Peter, you try to cut the other as it charges.¡± ¡°Aye. And if it¡¯s too far away, Tom hits it.¡± ¡°I¡¯d help, but not enough rocks on this ground to pop,¡± Petra complained. ¡°I thought you¡¯d threw them just before they blew up?¡± the small man asked. ¡°I¡¯m not that good. Those Popping Rocks are better for traps, not direct hits. And it¡¯s a matter of timing either way.¡± The expedition was following as the five of them moved toward their targets. They were only two hundred yards away when the two foraging beasts noticed them. Even from there, Johanna could hear the chuffing that they suddenly emitted. The two beasts turned and charged simultaneously. Johanna briefly wondered how it was that Peter could move around a relatively empty plain like that, and not be noticed. She just hoped he had enough time to place himself. He¡¯d said he still needed to move cautiously or the effect of his Talent was more likely to fail for some people. And presumably beasts. One beast stumbled, indicating that Petra¡¯s Earthbind had taken hold, and Johanna simply started shooting. Like the previous Ursids, the massive beasts, once locked in position, were easy to burn. The other grunted as it passed near Peter¡¯s location ¨C the small man was almost immediately noticeable once he¡¯d started acting ¨C but it looked like he hadn¡¯t had enough reach to actually do damage to the bearlike Changed beast. Before the Ursid could reorient himself, Tom was already sprinting at the incredible speed he had now, hammer impacting the bear¡¯s side. The beast was confused about the double attack, but never had time to recover. Both hammer and Swordcutter coming from both sides ended the beast. She walked back the short distance, spreading her arms in self-deprecation. ¡°There you are. Told you,¡± she said to Cameron. ¡°Although it¡¯s been favoring us. Slow beasts, only two.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the most insane thing I¡¯ve ever seen.¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t finished saying that,¡± Miles said at his side, almost laughing. B2.35 - Lines of Battle Facing a horde is nothing to laugh at. But no horde will make me move somewhere else. Gavin Vernon, Lake Nashville Port Ombudsman, 2044 Johanna groaned. Because separating them from what looked like the outskirts of the Grand Rapids ruins ¨C and a manalight swirl in the sky she¡¯d just spotted a few minutes ago ¨C was a giant Lepus colony. She did a quick counting and found that there might be more than thirty of the beasts. Maybe forty. They seemed to be sunning themselves or ripping out some bushes for snacks. A pair, notably, was intent on polishing or something their horn on one of the large ¡°cedars¡± that were the main trees around. The trees themselves did look like cedars ought to be, save for the fact that their thin trunks rose to maybe sixty or seventy feet before the foliage began. And the bark seemed to have visible alternating rougher and smoother rings of one foot wide. As Miles had said in that meeting in the High and Dry, one look and you knew them for Changed vegetation of a deeper mana zone. ¡°Do we?¡± Peter asked as he reached her. ¡°I¡¯m not sure that wasting time going around is even worth it,¡± she replied. She signaled the team leaders and gathered them. ¡°The Artifact is a bit too close behind, I think. We¡¯re going to have to fight them. I¡¯m not going to leave that many Changed beasts just behind us. They¡¯re not interested in people until they decide that people are interfering with whatever they are doing,¡± she announced. ¡°I know what Lepuses are. I may not have grown on a farm or something like Madelynn, but that¡¯s the biggest non-predator pest you¡¯ll ever find in the Marches or close to the mountain ranges,¡± Cameron Scott replied. ¡°Yes. I know, if this was a normal expedition, and no way of knowing, then moving away and going to a different part of town would be better. But¡­¡± ¡°But that horde is too close for comfort,¡± he concluded. And I want a test of your abilities, she mentally replied, but she was not about to say that part out loud. ¡°That¡¯s right. And I hate them. However¡­ well we don¡¯t have any Talent to properly tackle large numbers at the same time. Petra has something, but that¡¯s a kind of last resort, and it¡¯s not a killing Talent, more of an ¡®oh shit¡¯ one for distraction and disruption.¡± ¡°Uh oh,¡± he noted. ¡°Yes. Basically, we need to organize a line of defense. We need everyone to keep them at bay while my team whittles them. Not an attack formation, mind you, just¡­ well, as much of a defense you can muster.¡± ¡°That¡¯s probably dangerous,¡± Cameron noted. ¡°Laura has the advantage she¡¯ll immediately know if you¡¯re wounded, and she can instantly move to where she¡¯d needed. There are limits ¨C if she has to bounce all around the line¡­¡± Johanna stopped. Because a pair of Lepuses close to where the expedition was arrayed had stopped nibbling and turned their heads in their direction. ¡°Shit,¡± she said. ¡°TO ARMS!¡± Miles yelled, briefly looking up to the sky. To their credit, the scavengers wasted no time, dropping packs and pulling out weapons as fast as they could. One dropped parts of a pike on the ground, abandoning an attempt to reassemble it in favor of a 20-inch blade, while another reached for a bow strapped behind him, another hand trying to grab arrows while focused on the threat. A second later, Johanna heard a shrill sound she recognized well now, and all of the Lepuses¡¯ horned heads rose and turned. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. The Lepus horde charged as a pair of arrows flew between defenders, to little result. Johanna found herself in the front line by default and wasted no time starting to throw some fireballs into the mass of fur and horns bearing down on them. She dodged a sword raised next to her, and pulled her long knife, lighting it and raising it. Distantly at the side, she saw chain links snapping like a whip, trailing smoke, and making an inbound Lepus flinch. Then the first Lepuses reached the expedition and she switched to a different attack. She breathed, a cone of swirling smoky fog pouring out. The Lepus in front of her shrilled in its characteristic cry, trying to avoid the ultra-hot steam thrown in its face. She moved her head slightly, trying to avoid breathing on the scavengers next to her. The breath wasn¡¯t sufficient enough to outright kill the Lepuses, but the beasts were blinded, their fur boiled, and she saw in her peripheral vision swords and long knives being pushed into the beasts. Instinct made the beasts move aside, trying for other parts of the defensive line, and she stopped, having to take her breath back. She spotted Tom using his mace on skulls, pushing them aside, and oversized corpses being thrown away. Ulrich had a short sword in one hand, his skin turned again into the protective bark-like form as he slashed, Despite that, Lepuses reached the line of scavengers and jerked their heads, using their horns. Johanna spotted Laura suddenly appearing next to a woman that had fallen, reaching for her shoulder, with just enough contact that she could restore broken bones and punctured organs. ¡°Fuck, I thought you could deal with¡­¡± she heard the woman, recognized belatedly as Madelynn Nash. ¡°Later,¡± she replied and breathed hot steam again in the face of the incoming Lepus pair. As they faltered, she spotted a late beast, and threw a fireball in its way, not bothering to aim. It would hit or not. Chaos reigned for a moment, and suddenly, as fast as it had begun, the fight was over. Less than a dozen beasts were still trying to use their horn to gore the scavengers, as swords and a few small pikes were pushing. A larger Lepus pulled back and froze, locked in place, and Johanna immediately threw a fireball in the middle of its mass, causing it to jump in place before falling in the throes of dying. Laura flickered next to her, and briefly touched Madelynn¡¯s arm, causing it to straighten, and she almost instantly vanished, gone somewhere else. ¡°That¡¯s why I did not want to leave them behind,¡± Johanna said as she contemplated the carnage. ¡°Can you imagine them attacking like that from behind?¡± ¡°And you want to go to the East Coast?¡± Madelynn wondered, massaging his arm for the phantom pain. ¡°I know. It looks bad, but everyone¡¯s safe and sound, right?¡± she countered. ¡°I¡¯ll admit they took us by surprise. But I was starting to assume you had it in hand.¡± ¡°Too many of them. That¡¯s why I want more people for the East Coast. With Laura at your back, you¡¯re¡­ almost as good as Heroes. And nobody broke or faltered, which is what¡¯s important,¡± she said, remembering her lessons in the Army of the Montana. Laura walked to her, reporting. ¡°Four heavy wounded only. There are still a few scratches, but I¡¯ll deal with it later.¡± ¡°You can tell?¡± Madelynn asked. ¡°I can feel if anyone¡¯s wounded and how badly they are. There is a threshold below which I don¡¯t know, but that¡¯s on the order of a shallow scratch. I won¡¯t miss anything serious unless you¡¯re like more than twenty yards away,¡± Laura explained. Madelynn Nash fingered her side. ¡°That nearly instant healing is weird as hell, and I wish it did fix the outside.¡± She contemplated the holed jacket. ¡°I have a repair kit for clothes,¡± Johanna said. The older scavenger blinked at her. ¡°Never go without one. As you just noticed, Laura can¡¯t fix jackets, only people.¡± ¡°I wish,¡± Laura added. ¡°I want to know what you used. It was like there was a monster behind¡­¡± Madelynn asked. ¡°That¡¯s me,¡± Laura said. ¡°The team is immune to it and you are not, but it was more important to slow down the Lepuses attacks. That¡¯s how we fought¡­¡± Laura stopped herself before explaining about their participation in the war up northwest. Johanna nodded briefly at her, remembering those days when the dread gaze was considered by the army the most important ability among them. ¡°Weird. That kind of thing can be devastating if you¡¯re not ready for it,¡± Madelynn realized. ¡°Welcome to fighting along Talented,¡± Johanna said. Too many participants, Moore thought as he checked the final results of that battle. Doing the horde on their own might have granted them more experience, but they still got a decent chunk. The disappointing bit was that Moore was now at 16249 personal XP. And there were no new windows popping when he focused on bringing up his options on either of the melees of the team. The first ability he had, Pull, required 5k plus 500 per level of the target. It did not look like 10k plus 1000 per level was the cost for the next ability when he targeted Tom or Peter, which would have sounded logical. That left him to guess. If there was a Fibonacci progression, it would have been double, 10k. If it was a pure geometric, same thing. That left¡­ either a ¡Á5 factor, for 25k+2500 per level. Or a ¡Á10, 50k+5000. Or some additional nonsensical combination, like 35k+1000 per level. After all, the System seemed so prone to odd and stupid quirks, so why not on the progression of his own abilities? Let¡¯s see what comes at ¡Á3. And thus, I need to keep grinding. Well, they need to keep grinding for me to leech. Or wait until the Library of Congress. B2.36 - Enlistment Terms Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Pre-Fall Anthropologist. ¡°What was that,¡± Madelynn Nash asked when Miles joined them. ¡°What was what?¡± he asked, exaggerating an innocent look. ¡°Those¡­ metallic chains. It looked as if they were burning. Fresh out of the forge.¡± ¡°Oh, those,¡± he said dismissively, but the sparkle in his eyes and the barely constrained smile didn¡¯t escape her. ¡°I would have thought yet another of Milton¡¯s fire Talents, maybe granting someone those burning tools¡­ if not for him,¡± she said turning toward Ulrich. The thirster¡¯s skin still looked like the weird, deceptively soft bark that came with the Barkskin Talent. And his knuckles still sported the inch-long spikes, slightly glittering from the poison coating he could bring forward on any weapon, including those. ¡°So, what gives? I remember stories of your old team, and Uther worked with you¡­ you two actually, for four years before you retired. You never showed any Talents before, but now you both do? Something doesn¡¯t add up.¡± ¡°Johanna?¡± Miles simply prompted. She steeled herself internally and stepped up, turning to face the two team leaders. ¡°We should probably gather everyone, not just you, but your teams as well. Because what I want to say is for everyone here.¡± The two scavenger leaders frowned, but they quickly turned and called their teams. ¡°We¡¯re here and listening, Milton.¡± She took a deep breath and started. ¡°When we started this way, I told everyone we wanted to organize an expedition to the East Coast. And that we wanted to prove that this was possible. That¡¯s why we came this way, in a deeper mana zone, with more dangers, and possibly more and better loot. Well, you¡¯ve seen the kind of dangers you get in a mana zone. And you all did well against those. So, who feels ready?¡± People looked at each other and peered at Johanna and her team. The only one who had visible difficulty not snorting or laughing was Petra, who knew of course what was coming. ¡°You, Scott, what do you think?¡± she asked him. ¡°Well, that¡¯s twice we¡¯ve seen your team in action. Can¡¯t deny that. But the East Coast is another thing. That¡¯s the only place in the entire continent still with occasional Beast waves, like the stories of the Fall. Even the West Coast isn¡¯t that bad,¡± Cameron answered. ¡°You¡¯re right. What worries me is things like that Lepus horde, but made of Elemental Canids. Or worse, like packs of that spider monster you told us about, Miles. How do we defend against those? Even with a Saint as a backup. We can¡¯t cover every angle, and she could run dry, out of mana, and unable to heal us if we suffer more critical wounds because we can¡¯t take them fast enough. How would you get around that?¡± Cameron hesitated before replying, ¡°Well, unless you can make Ancient weapons work again, obviously more Talented. But, after seeing Miles and Ulrich¡­¡± Cameron Scott had difficulty stating his thoughts outright. ¡°Until a few days ago, the Miles Bertram you all know was a pretty ordinary retired salvager, invited on a special run. And then¡­ I gave him Talents for a Metal Shaper, a sorcerer with all kinds of metal-based spells,¡± Johanna replied. ¡°How?¡± Madelynn Nash asked before Cameron asked ¡°all kinds?¡± instead. ¡°There is a long story behind this. But the short of it is my team and I can turn Ancient books into what we call parchments of power. Those are some form of Artifacts, except they don¡¯t occur naturally in ruins, we need to be there to make them. However, unlike Artifacts, which work like Talents when you use them, you use these to confer¡­ permanent Talents.¡± There was an instant of silence, then pandemonium erupted among the assembled salvagers. ¡°How?¡± ¡°What kind?¡± ¡°It can¡¯t be that simple¡­¡± She waved to try to keep the silence. ¡°It can be done. And we¡¯ll show you. But that¡¯s what brings us to the expedition. As Mr. Scott said, we need Talented for that expedition. And that means we. Want. You.¡± The pointed statement seemed to silence them. ¡°That¡¯s the offer I¡¯m making to you all, right now. If you want to join us on the East Coast, I¡¯m not promising untold riches or anything beyond some decent money and fame, actually. But what we will do is we will make you Talented. Heroes, Saints, Sorcerers. We will give you¡­ tools to face the threats of mana zones. Of dangers from Changed Beasts. And those tools will be yours forever.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s all we need to do?¡± one salvager asked. ¡°That¡¯s all I signed for,¡± Petra replied before anyone else did. ¡°To be fair, I had this little tiny Talent that was completely useless¡­ but they made me into an archmage straight from some kind of epic novel. I will certainly follow them into whatever venture they do next, but that¡¯s what they recruited me for.¡± ¡°I told her to require a lifetime servitude contract, but she said no,¡± Peter added out of nowhere and Johanna threw an exasperated look at him, as the rest of the salvagers hesitated, unsure of the joke. ¡°I know it¡¯s not a written contract or anything like that. Because we couldn¡¯t quite yet afford to put that in writing before. It¡¯s purely voluntary. If you do not want to go with us on that expedition, I can understand. We are still trying to work out a way to offer, under conditions, Talents to people who might need them. But that¡¯s in the future.¡± ¡°So, we just say ¡®yes¡¯, and you give us those Talents now?¡± one salvager woman asked. ¡°We could wait until we go back, for sure. But Talents change the way you would fight, the way you approach things. In an ideal world, we would have training and support, but right now, all you can do is learn by doing. We will probably face more Changed beasts before we come back¡­ and you¡¯d be able to face them, as Talented.¡± ¡°Sign me up,¡± Cameron said. ¡°What do I do?¡± Johanna grimaced. ¡°Well, that¡¯s the other part. As I said, we turn Ancient books into parchments of power, for various Talents. We have here the rest of what we used to give Miles and Ulrich their Talents, but it¡¯s not enough for everyone. But maybe we have a solution.¡± She turned and gestured toward the suburb. ¡°Those houses are well preserved. There is probably enough mana around to change and alter decay. And there should be Ancient books in a reasonable condition laying around. So¡­ it¡¯s time to salvage things.¡± Miles took over the organization. ¡°I¡¯d say four hours. Then we can camp there,¡± he added, pointing at a square lot that had mostly vegetation and rusted iron bars, including a pair of Changed cedars, and no trace of a house, ¡°and see what we got. By pairs, people.¡± The salvagers split up and spread across the ruins. Meanwhile, the team, Miles, and Ulrich gathered. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°We should probably check houses as well,¡± Miles noted. ¡°Yes, but before that, we do have that Artifact to find,¡± Johanna said. ¡°Do you need everyone?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± she admitted. They followed the trace of the mana swirl. It was further in the set of ruins, but not very far. They stopped next to one of the houses. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Ulrich asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Johanna and Petra answered simultaneously. Johanna smiled, and said, ¡°I know, it looks like the rest of the area for you. But it¡¯s unmistakable.¡± ¡°Snowbound never shared his glasses with anyone. They were a family heirloom, he said. I wish I could have seen that stuff at least once,¡± the thirster said. The door was still standing, but when Johanna reached for it, the hinges that held it broke under her touch, and the door nearly fell on her as she dodged. The manalight converged on a coat hanger at the entrance, but there it split in two and then again. Johanna blinked in confusion. ¡°Something good?¡± Miles asked from just behind. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± Petra slipped in, looking at the swirling not-light that came from above the now destroyed entrance. ¡°That¡¯s not an Artifact,¡± she started. ¡°That¡¯s two,¡± Johanna completed. ¡°Wait, what?¡± There was a single item on the coat hanger, so it wasn¡¯t hard to figure out that the jacket that was draped there was the Artifact rather than the piece of furniture. But the mana swirled down, toward a pair of low shoes under it. The two women looked at each other and simultaneously whistled. ¡°That¡¯s why it looked thick,¡± Petra said. ¡°Double whammy,¡± Peter commented as he entered. Before long everyone had stepped in, taking in the dual Artifacts. ¡°Nice jacket,¡± Johanna acknowledged. That was an understatement. She had no idea what it had looked like before the Fall, but it was simultaneously looking worn yet new. A heavy leather garment, with what looked like studs on the shoulders, and an Ancient-style zipper. That kind of fastener was relatively expensive to create today, and almost unheard of. The pair of shoes, by comparison, looked a bit more ordinary. They even looked like the kind of shoes she¡¯d seen in a storefront in Nedalshe when they¡¯d arrived in Independence State. Brown loafers that just looked brand-new, rather than a century and a half old. She bent and picked them, separating them to verify that the two individual shoes were indeed part of the same Artifact.
Flash Run Tier 6
Mana: 120/120 (+90 mana per hour) Passive: You tire 90% less (capped). Active: Increase your running speed by 600% Active cost: 1 mana per 120 seconds.
Those sneakers don¡¯t look like running shoes¡­ but with that 6¡Á multiplier,¡­ wait, is the skill named after that superhero series? Or what? Johanna had to hesitate. Contractually, they¡¯d signed off one Artifact every two ¨C they¡¯d enticed the salvagers with the promise of potential Artifacts, after all, so the first Artifact they found was to be sold, while the next was theirs, and so on. But here, they¡¯d found two at the same time. Then she realized it was no contest. Sure, if the Artifact had interesting properties, they were okay with it. But the secondary goal was protection for Laura in combat, and in that regard, the low shoes were way worse than her boots. The jacket was it. So, she handed the pair of loafers to Miles and gestured to Laura. ¡°All yours.¡±
Frozen Body Tier 4
Mana: 76/76 (+60 mana per hour) Passive: Grant bodily immunity to cold, down to -280¡ãF (-173¡ãC) Active: Drop your body and skin to lowest temperature Active cost: 1 mana per 76 seconds.
Is that liquid nitrogen? Or is that at colder levels? Moore wondered at the temperature. He then realized that, with a 3¡Á factor on some skills, even a specialist like Elena Worcester wasn¡¯t too far from being immune to being dunked in liquid nitrogen. ¡°Well, that¡¯s quite a find,¡± Laura said. ¡°A bit heavy maybe.¡± ¡°Better protection. Also, it¡¯s probably time to start doing proper salvage,¡± Johanna said. ¡°The houses seem well preserved, I agree,¡± Miles replied. They came out, Johanna holding the jacket in the crook of her arm. ¡°Okay, time to see what this corner of Ancient times has for us. I¡¯ll leave this one to you five, Ulrich and I will check another,¡± Miles announced. He looked up at the sky, gauging time. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t take long.¡± ¡°That might be the fastest expedition I¡¯ve seen,¡± Madelynn said as she and her pair reached the gathering point. ¡°That good?¡± Miles asked her. As predicted, he and Ulrich had quickly run through the entire one-story house they¡¯d picked, finding interesting salvage but little else. ¡°My first house was trashed, but I moved to a second one, and I already got more booze than I can carry. Jackson here picked some interesting tools. And filled his bag with jewelry.¡± ¡°How much?¡± Johanna asked, curious. ¡°Lots. I¡¯m not kidding, his backpack is now a third food for the trip, a third tool ¨C including not one, but two Ancient binoculars, that shit sells for a fortune ¨C and a third with jewelry. This section of Grand Rapids is so preserved, half of the houses look like the Ancients left a year or two ago. It would take an entire team to get everything remotely sellable out of a single good one.¡± ¡°The ruins we started working on were definitively not like that, even if they were thought to be the product of Changestorms dumping stuff there.¡± ¡°Well, if you can really provide Talents, we could organize a larger expedition next time. The travel time is a bit of a bother, but the amount of wealth in this area¡­¡± ¡°Found any books?¡± ¡°Only these,¡± she said, handing Johanna a pair of thin volumes. She opened them, curiously, only to find pictures. The mention of ¡°graphic novel¡± on the first pages left no doubt about the nature of the finding. Maybe these works as well. Then she realized conversion had not started, even though Madelynn was there, and wondered if she was not eligible, or if they wouldn¡¯t work. Or if the Ancient was simply waiting. ¡°I see Cameron coming back. Looks like almost everyone is finishing,¡± Miles noted. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood. The near-intact houses were an incredible find, everyone agreed. And what was more important was that there was a growing pile of books as salvagers found them, next to the partially consumed books Johanna¡¯s team had brought along. ¡°So how does it work?¡± Cameron Scott asked. ¡°We simply convert books into parchments. Let¡¯s do it,¡± Johanna replied. Cameron sat in front of Johanna and the rest of the team. ¡°I¡¯ve already stripped this book for Miles, but Tom can do it next. So, I¡¯m just taking notes.¡± ¡°What for?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been less than a year for us. We¡¯re still trying to find out how everything works together. What Talents are out there? Because there are a lot of them, and not all of them are known already.¡± ¡°Does this mean there is a risk¡­¡± ¡°No. I mean, it¡¯s highly consistent. Not like, well, normal Talented. When you have two Talents, it¡¯s often been very random what you get. The parchments we make for someone are usually highly focused on one specific theme. But we just don¡¯t know what it¡¯s going to be for you. I wouldn¡¯t have expected Ulrich to be a Wood Shaper, for instance. Tom, ready?¡± Her husband smiled at the scavenger and put his hand on the first book. Blue lines started to swirl and rose, making the usual weird mix of dancing geometric figures and lettering. The entire expedition was watching and drew breath at the unnatural display. The parchment that came out definitively didn¡¯t look like sorcery, so she intoned instead, ¡°Welcome to the ranks of Heroes, Swordbringer Cameron Scott.¡±
The Talent House
Miles Bertram Metal Shaper 7 skills
Ulrich Sengfield Wood Shaper 6 skills
Petra Veldhuis Earth Shaper 5 skills
Scott''s Team
Cameron Scott Swordbringer 5 skills
Cornelius Strout Ranger 5 skills
Jorieke Wichers Earth Shaper 5 skills
Ignacio Flores Deep Fixer 5 skills
Nash''s Team
Madelynn Nash Tyrant Fixer 6 skills
Cyrus Foster Keeper (thought to be Guardian) 5 skills
Caroline Foster Quick Battler 4 skills
Uther Wilkins (Cook) Water Shaper 5 skills
Jackson Lloyd Shaper 4 skills
Moore''s Four
Johanna Milton Fire Shaper 6 skills
Laura Donnall Combat Fixer 6 skills
Tom Milton Specialist Battler 5 skills
Peter Donnall Improviser 5 skills
B2.37 - Elevation Books are a uniquely portable magic Pre-Fall horror writer. Fuck it, thank god she made it all work, Moore thought. He had seen the expedition leader¡¯s descriptors back in New Sandusky and had peeked at the man Peter had used for his demonstration, as well as a furtive contact with the raid¡¯s cook. But everyone else was a blank, outside of the visible level label, which didn¡¯t tell him anything useful since none of them had a pre-existing specialization. But he refused to start a conversion until Johanna had got the bright idea to get the person to put her hand on the book so that Tom covered it. A bit too theatrical, but it did what it was supposed to, which was to let him see the stats and available XP. One of the candidates even had a non-specialized Armored skill. At his level and without any multiplier, he certainly had never even been aware he had it, and Moore had woven it into his specialization since his stats fit well enough. That was probably the only skill Johanna had missed in her copious note-taking, as it never appeared on paper. She¡¯d also mistaken the Keeper specialization for a skill, given how he¡¯d granted it as an upgrade to Guardian given the double Level increase required, and he would have to figure out how to communicate the error, later. The disparate collection of books had been more than enough. He had never thought he¡¯d be grateful for the existence of Harlequin paperbacks. I wonder how many books there are still at the Congress. Then, selfishly, so much XP waiting, as he took stock of the personal 933 XP his conversion of that collection had netted him. The road to 24k XP to see if my next ability is ¡Á3 is long. And it¡¯s going to be 25,500 by then, as they will all have leveled to 7, I bet. Johanna contemplated her notebook. It wasn¡¯t full, not yet, but the sheer variety of things she¡¯d seen after converting all the books was intimidating. Madelynn Nash had become a Tyrant Fixer, with a Talent set that certainly included some of Laura¡¯s, notably Falter which suspiciously sounded like her dreadful gaze effect. There was also a Deep Fixer, another Earth Shaper sorceress, a Guardian like back in Rocastle, his wife a Quick Battler reminiscent of Tom¡¯s specialization, and another Ranger almost like Mark, although he had one differing Talent. Everyone had accepted the terms she¡¯d outlined, but they had found enough books to create a set of Talents for everyone and some. Not every book had worked. Some houses had damaged books, and like the hymnals back in the church, once the damage was too big, the books could not convert. At one point, Johanna had to sort through three damaged books before she picked one that immediately radiated the cold she knew well, and the lines of parchment creation poured out to dance above. The last expedition member, a young man in Madelynn¡¯s team, got a surprisingly simple Shaper. Johanna immediately got curious, as said Shaper got a Burning Ground skill at the same time. ¡°Why?¡± asked the man, looking pretty disappointed. ¡°There is probably some form of limitations that prevents you from going further. I know a Shaper, back in the North. She¡¯s doing metal sorcery, but she was unable to get Metal Shaper like Miles,¡± Johanna started to explain. ¡°So¡­ I can¡¯t be a Fire Shaper? That¡¯s what you are?¡± ¡°Or maybe you¡¯d be another Earth Shaper? Burning sounds like fire, and Ground sounds like earth. Miles got metal spells related to fire and ice.¡± The scavenger from Madelynn¡¯s team sighed loudly, and Johanna picked the next book to see what was in the cards. Her suspicions got confirmed as the three next skills granted were named Flaming Blade, Spark Ash, and Shape Flame. Then she got a surprise with the following parchment. Level, Fire Shaper. Just those, no Talent name or quality. ¡°What now? Do I¡­¡± This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. The scavenger looked at the parchment in his hand, which remained inert. ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± she said. ¡°I don¡¯t either¡­ but I¡¯m guessing. You can¡¯t be a Fire Shaper right now. But you might be. Once you can gain a, well, a Level.¡± ¡°How do I do that?¡± ¡°It takes time,¡± she said, then she remembered. ¡°I did that, last year, back in the North. I had only four skills at the time, just like you got. But one day, I suddenly lost all my accumulated mana, and then every fire skill became much more powerful,¡± she guessed. ¡°I was a Shaper until then and became a Fire Shaper after that. I didn¡¯t start as one.¡± She pointed at the parchment in the Shaper¡¯s hand. ¡°Keep that. Check from time to time, maybe once a week or two. And once it lights up, use it.¡± She stood up and called for attention. ¡°And that¡¯s one thing done. Congratulations on your Talents, everyone.¡± Now that the conversion was done, Johanna looked at the books. There were a lot of wrecked books, their pages vanished from the conversion process. A pile of ruined books that had failed to convert. And finally, a dozen of still intact books. She hesitated briefly, then called the rest of the team. ¡°What do we do with the rest?¡± she asked. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Peter asked. ¡°We had enough for the expedition, I think. This is probably enough for, I don¡¯t know¡­ four or five more Talented? I guess.¡± ¡°So, you need to lug all those books,¡± Cameron Scott called out as he came back. ¡°Well, yes and no. We can convert them into sets of Talents in advance. Easier. The problem is that, if we do that, there is no telling who will be able to pick them. We did that once, for one bodyguard. But there were two of them, and only one could use it. The other person couldn¡¯t. That¡¯s why we kept them unconverted.¡± She looked at the pile again. ¡°Want to see? That¡¯s how we intend to get as much as possible from the East Coast. The parchments do not take as much room and weigh a lot less than the original book.¡± Madelynn came closer as well, interested. She picked one of the intact, unconverted books, and without any waiting, the cold sensation and light show of the conversion came. Level, Authority, Maker¡­ Fusion. The parchment was handed to the scavenger leaders, but it did not light for anyone. Johanna pulled out her notebook again, starting to take notes. The list of parchments that appeared as they kept converting books was a seriously odd one. Strength and Restoration. Agility and Sharpen. Dexterity and Smooth Planes. After five different quality-Talent pairs, the parchment output switched to a four-fold again, with an Authority and Monger specialization along with a weirdly named Impose skill. It was followed by a Detect Lies along Perception, and followed by Empathy and¡­ Empathic. The similarity made her pause briefly, wondering how the two were related. More often than not, there seemed to be a relation between the quality and the theme of the skill, but this one was odd. A few of the parchments, usually when the book was almost consumed, were simple Levels or qualities. I should probably have made an additional skill scroll for that Fire Shaper. If he gets lucky and fights some mobs with enough participation, he might get XP for both the spec and the stat by the time they return, Moore thought after the last book was converted. Making ¡°guess¡± builds was simultaneously less stressful and more wasteful than dedicated builds. He had simply thrown one skill per stat, along with a stat increase, so hopefully, people could pick at least three if not four, or five skills. It would take the perfect alignment of pre-boosted stats to get all six, he guessed. The salvagers spent the last of the evening trying to figure out their brand-new Talents, and Miles had to make them split because testing so much sorcery and weird things in close quarters was becoming dangerous very fast. Madelynn had already needed to fix one of her team getting his arm almost sliced open by mistake as the Guardian and the Swordbringer tested their respective abilities. Thankfully, none of them had much endurance available, so they had to wait, although simple stuff became available relatively fast. Johanna was starting to feel that First Aid was certainly the Talent for that. Both new Fixers had it, and the name was highly suggestive. ¡°You making me intimidating is such a tease,¡± Madelynn told her. ¡°I never experienced that feeling,¡± Johanna replied. ¡°For some reason, all of the team is immune to Laura¡¯s version of the dreadful gaze. No wonder Elena thought her that powerful if that¡¯s what it does to people.¡± ¡°You¡¯re basically like the Sorceress of the Mists of the Montana¡­ only better,¡± she comforted the cook after Madelynn had yelled at him for briefly covering the entire area with impenetrable fog. ¡°I¡¯ve heard about her in the news. Is she that powerful?¡± ¡°That Fog Cloud is how she basically stops battles when they start getting bad. It¡¯s hard to keep fighting when nobody can see their enemy. And you¡¯ll be probably longer lasting than her already, seeing as you have Frostbite as well, and each Talent seems to make you better overall. You should ask Petra about it, she did have it before she became an Earth Shaper.¡± ¡°Oh, and you¡¯re immune to the cold of winter,¡± she added before the cook beelined to the former bartender. Having off-loaded sorcery questions to Petra, she took a breather, joining Miles who was standing with Ulrich near the large ¡°cedar¡± that the latter had used for his demonstration. ¡°That¡¯s not quite as you expected,¡± Miles commented. ¡°It¡¯s more¡­ wild?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve just made nine people into the most powerful Talented in the world, just like that. What did you expect?¡± ¡°And I find it funny for some. Cameron as some sword expert is surprising, but Madelynn as a Tyrant something? Those sounds almost hilarious,¡± Ulrich added. B2.38 - Practice Makes Perfect You are never master of your talents until you master others¡¯. Wisdom of the Ancients, book 2 ¡°What is the plan now that you¡¯ve got your books?¡± Madelynn Nash asked as the expedition was eating breakfast. ¡°As you said yourself, we¡¯ve got our bags full. And even an Artifact to sell,¡± Johanna replied. ¡°I completely forgot yesterday with all that¡­ change.¡± ¡°Miles has them.¡± ¡°Them?¡± ¡°A pair of shoes. I don¡¯t know what they do, not yet. Something related to walking, or running. Or maybe kicking or stomping stuff. Most Artifacts revolve around what they look like.¡± ¡°Of course, you¡¯d be an expert. Never found one myself.¡± ¡°So, we¡¯ve got what we were looking for, and now we head back.¡± ¡°All that walk, and a single day in the ruins,¡± Madelynn laughed. ¡°Well, was it a profitable one?¡± ¡°You bet,¡± the Tyrant Fixer replied. The expedition was a bit livelier. They roughly followed the same tracks they had coming to Grand Rapids, but it was clear everyone was still talking about their new Talents. She let herself slide back a bit from the front of the line, checking with the rest of the team. ¡°So, how are the other Fixers?¡± she asked Laura. ¡°Different, I¡¯d say. You took notes, so you¡¯ve noticed both got Close Wounds and First Aid.¡± ¡°True. And First Aid sounds like your ability to fix combat wounds.¡± ¡°Just from the name alone, I agree. Close Wounds, I think that¡¯s my basic fixing of surface light stuff. I had both erase some small scars to check and they do it pretty much the same as me, and as fast, as far as I can tell.¡± ¡°Anything else? Madelynn got your dread gaze. Sorry, Falter.¡± ¡°And Silence. That one¡¯s absolutely weird. You stop talking. It¡¯s not that you can¡¯t be heard or your mouth is shut, or anything, you just¡­ stop talking. Tyrant Fixer¡­ is certainly a descriptive label.¡± ¡°Most of them seem to be. And I¡¯ll note it¡¯s not Mind Shaper even if both Falter and Silence are thought to be a form of mind sorcery. Anything else?¡± ¡°The Deep Fixer I think has another one of mine, Cleanse Toxins. I¡¯ll have to check later if he can shrug off heavy drinking. Unless we test with the salvaged booze, it will have to wait back in town.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll update my notes. Nobody got your instant teleportation?¡± ¡°No. I remember when I started intuitively knowing the gravity of a wound even at a distance, and none of the two have that kind of sensation.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re probably still the one the expedition will rely the most upon for real emergencies,¡± Johanna concluded. ¡°That. But they can take over some cases in battle. It¡¯s¡­ weird.¡± ¡°Not being the only Fixer?¡± ¡°That. Oh, and I may have gotten a new Talent myself.¡± Johanna almost stopped, before starting again. ¡°When?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know exactly. But that Deep Fixer had lost a small finger phalange a couple of years ago. He was bummed that First Aid was useless after so long ago, and I told him just to fix the scarring.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°And we both felt things shifting inside when I showed him how best to smooth out the skin. So, I tried to focus, and kept doing it.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°It took me over seven minutes. But he has a new phalange. With a very clean nail.¡± Johanna stayed silent for a few seconds. ¡°You should probably test yourself somewhat. After we found out that we hadn¡¯t enough ¨C power currency ¨C in stock, it¡¯s probably because the Skeleton was really adding a new Talent,¡± Laura added. ¡°Maybe.¡± ¡°Six Talents. I¡¯m ready to bet you also have six now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not taking a bet that I¡¯d be happy to lose,¡± Johanna replied. ¡°But I¡¯m not surprised.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Tom¡¯s talked with the Guardian. With Gauge Endurance, he¡¯s found Miles the most powerful of the entire expedition, no surprise there. But notably, we¡¯re both slightly more powerful than Tom or Peter.¡± ¡°Wait, didn¡¯t Mark¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Note we all had equal power at the time? Yes. So, we gained power since. And now, I just have to find which Talent I got from the Ancient.¡± ¡°So, do I thank you for sending me all those new Shapers?¡± Petra said. ¡°Errrr. I¡­¡± ¡°Talk about the blind leading the blind. Four Talents, and you sent me an Earth Shaper with five.¡± ¡°She¡¯s got Earthbind and Tremor.¡± This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°And I wasn¡¯t about to compare how big ours were. At least not in the middle of those ruins. But we compared Earthbind¡¯s range.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°It turns out to be exactly the same. I would have expected her to be slightly more powerful than me. But no. If we took one step back, neither of us could lock the other in place anymore.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not immune?¡± ¡°Neither of us.¡± ¡°Strange. Usually, sorcerers ¨C well, Shapers ¨C are immune or at least very resistant to their abilities.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Like you could stay upright in Tremor? I don¡¯t think anyone else could have done that.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem like immunity to me.¡± ¡°Okay, resistance. But yes, it¡¯s weird you can¡¯t resist an Earthbind.¡± ¡°All rules have exceptions. Even that one.¡± ¡°I¡¯m thinking that, if you have the same range¡­ maybe you can get a fifth Talent?¡± ¡°That Level parchment¡¯s effect, you mean.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure again that Level has something to do with the number of Talents, because Miles got only one Level, and then seven Talents when Ulrich got two Levels, but six only. And then there is the Shaper who will get Fire Shaper once he can get a Level. Ask that Guardian how you measure in terms of power compared to the other Earth Shaper, it¡¯s probably more accurate.¡± ¡°Well, if you had not consumed all those books for our expedition members¡­¡± ¡°We should find more. Then we¡¯ll see.¡± ¡°I hope so.¡± Johanna sighed. The worst case was buying expensive collector books on the market if they could find some. Or waiting until Washington. ¡°And the Water Shaper?¡± ¡°Can you tell your boss to make me back into one?¡± she laughed. ¡°Truly?¡± ¡°I¡¯m half-joking. But the difference in speed in Frostbite is insane. He tried on a small glass of water. He got it frozen solid in like six seconds. You were not kidding about the jump in power between being adept and sorcerer. Let alone a specialist, like he seems to be.¡± ¡°So, Tom told me all about the Quick Battler and Guardian. What about you?¡± Johanna asked Peter. ¡°You know, just because I use Swordcutter doesn¡¯t make me an expert on¡­ Swordbringing?¡± ¡°Well, the Talent sets we got seem to be balanced. Five sorcerous ones for four heroic ones.¡± ¡°Right. And we¡¯re two for two. Anyway, Ranger, based on the Talent names, seems pretty much similar to what Mark had. The big difference being that Strout ¨C that new Ranger ¨C has never used a bow. He¡¯s more of a pike man.¡± ¡°That¡¯s curious. You¡¯d think the Talents would reflect something of the person,¡± she noted. ¡°Were you a pyromaniac before?¡± ¡°Okay, no. Point taken,¡± she had to laugh. ¡°Swordbringer is very obviously about close combat, true, but not quite the same way I do. The only one in common, I think, is that deep wound ability we both have, but I have no idea what the name is among Scott¡¯s set. He¡¯s got five skills, but only two seem immediately obvious.¡± ¡°Deep wound?¡± ¡°When I cut something¡­ and Scott too, we cut slightly deeper than the blade should be able to.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°As if I wouldn¡¯t get my head slapped by Laura instantly as she teleported to me. No, we tested on softwood.¡± ¡°Anything else?¡± ¡°Obvious ones like Fast Draw seems close, but not as good as my instant weapon switching. The advantage is that you can draw a weapon very fast even with the other hand occupied. Or even with both hands at the same time. But stuff like Passes? No idea whatsoever.¡± ¡°To think we used to know Talents, but not their names. And now, it¡¯s the reverse,¡± she mused. Johanna started noting down mentally all those pieces of information. At the next break, she¡¯d write down everything. Her notebook was starting to fill somewhat fast. She still had lots of room for other specializations, but each Talent added to her store of knowledge. One particular point was that, despite what looked like specializations in specific aspects, there were overlapping Talents. By experience, she knew that one could have Talents entirely outside of your sphere of specialization, but you were a weak adept in that case. But they were finding Talents that spanned multiple specializations. The beast was something she¡¯d never seen before. It shuffled out from behind a lip of the ground and stopped as it found itself suddenly against a large pack of bipeds trudging toward it. The creature hissed and Johanna saw a flash of manalight as lines of red spread over the leathery skin of the Changed beast. She had immediately a flashback of her very first encounter after being granted powers. ¡°Fire Changed. Don¡¯t go too close,¡± she warned. The creature started ambling toward them before stopping, then trying to shift on the spot. Johanna raised her hand as her team started. ¡°Urodel. You see those near the Lake, rarely inland like this,¡± Ulrich noted. ¡°Time to test. Let the rest of the expedition deal with it.¡± Petra shouted to the other Earth Shaper, ¡°Take over, I¡¯m releasing Earthbind in five seconds,¡± not letting her gaze stray from the beast. ¡°Madelynn, keep it suppressed just in case with Falter. Ranged attacks only,¡± Johanna ordered. ¡°It¡¯s going to be fire resistant too, just like you,¡± she added as the Shaper raised a small pike whose end was already burning. The man grimaced but stood his ground. He was one of the few who would be immune to the Urodel¡¯s bodily fire effect, just as she had been with that first Canid. ¡°This would be a perfect time to have a cloud around,¡± Miles complained next to Johanna. The Ranger had been lent a bow by one of Nash¡¯s team, but he wasn¡¯t a trained archer yet. Johanna assumed the Talents would compensate for his inexperience. The Water Shaper moved next to him, trying to focus. The Ice Dart flew, but it was a bit too small to inflict true damage unless it hit a vulnerable part. In response, the Urodel hissed and its mouth sparked manalight, spewing a hot smoking cloud in a cone in front of it. Johanna immediately recognized it as a version of her breath, used by the Changed beast. It took a few more tries until an arrow managed to lodge itself into the eye, penetrating straight into the skull. Miles clapped, and everyone suddenly cheered. ¡°Looks good. But having an Earth Shaper is cheating,¡± he said. ¡°Every Talent is a cheat in itself. But one Earth Shaper can only hold one beast at a time, remember.¡± ¡°Do we pass muster, Mrs. Milton?¡± Scott said, smiling. She snorted in repressed laughter. ¡°You¡¯ll do. Well, next one ¨C if there is one, that is ¨C we¡¯ll try to see how well people do in melee range. We¡¯ve now got three people who can fix any non-lethal problem, after all. It¡¯s just bad luck to get an elemental Changed that¡¯s dangerous at close range.¡± ¡°We could have tried to spear it or something. As you said, we three can heal in an emergency,¡± Madelynn said. ¡°There are also enough of us we don¡¯t need everyone to kill those poor Changed beasts,¡± Johanna replied. ¡°I never thought I¡¯d hear those words uttered,¡± Cameron said as he joined them, looking at the fallen salamander-like monster. ¡°There has never been such a concentration of Talents before,¡± Miles noted. ¡°True. And now you see why we needed to come here before the East.¡± ¡°Is it going to be that easy?¡± Cameron asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know. We may have to turn back, as Miles did. But worst case?¡± Johanna smiled thinly. ¡°Worst case, we raise an army, book by book.¡± The expedition fought a few more Changed beasts near the town that bordered the river to Toledo, with little difficulty and increasing confidence. The only thing that had worried Johanna a little bit and caused her to intervene was a pair of Corvids. But the gigantic crows were not as dangerous as the one they¡¯d faced in the Dakota, and the raiders had clustered together, melee Heroes ready to catch and wound the flying monsters if they got near. And once on the ground, the birds were stuck there thanks to Petra and Jorieke. The big surprise was the Shaper suddenly lighting his special parchment. He wasted no time using it and reported to Johanna the same sudden feeling of emptiness and weakness that had accompanied her increase in power. His Flaming Blade was hotter now as well, confirming the magnitude of improvement of the elemental version of Shaper. He also insisted on checking the existing parchments to see if there was one set aside for him. Surprisingly, three lit up under his touch, but none looked like they were fire-themed based on the name. Johanna had to caution him against picking a parchment that didn¡¯t fit his specialization. ¡°It¡¯s possible to get Talents that you have no real ability for. Like I had Earthbind while a Fire Shaper, but it was weak, nearly useless.¡± She didn¡¯t mention she should have thought about keeping a spare book for that type of event. Alas, she had not expected Lloyd to be able to gain a Level so soon. And now, the Gates of New Sandusky welcomed all of them. Miles called out to everyone. ¡°It¡¯s getting late, so I think we can all head home. We¡¯ll meet tomorrow at Macintosh for the loot split.¡± Shouts of ¡°aye¡± came back, and Johanna realized that, somehow, she was now home. In a way. B2.39 - Expert Opinion We start off confused and end up confused on a higher level. Pre-Fall Philosopher Johanna woke up in total darkness with a start. For a few moments, she listened, wondering what had brought her up. But the silence was the only answer. She listened longer, without much success. She forced herself to relax, slowly and methodically, and curled herself around the bulk of Tom. She woke up again with a start, but this time, it was because Tom was shifting, and small rays of light were coming through the slats. This time, she swore she¡¯d take the day off. Well, not off, but doing nothing related to Talents, expeditions, organizing, or anything. Just shopping, because the apartment they¡¯d rented was still pretty bare. She had money¡­ ¡­and then she remembered all the planning, organization, and future expenses. And the meeting at the seller later. She sighed enough to finish waking up Tom, who turned and looked at her. ¡°I was hoping for a day off. But nobody¡¯s cooperating.¡± ¡°Your choice. Tell them to sod off. Light the hand if they insist.¡± She laughed. ¡°You make it simple.¡± She felt the shrug from his arms as they wrapped around her. She was still finishing breakfast and noting she needed to do some market shopping because she deserved more than finishing expedition rations when a knock on the door came. What is it this time? she thought. To her surprise, it was Ulrich and another man she did not recognize. Unlike Ulrich, the white in his hair had everything to do with age and not with the Changed species. The man was much older, as attested by the cane he used, and the lines carved on his face. ¡°Well, I wasn¡¯t expecting surprise guests this early. Come in.¡± She pulled the last chairs she had, as Tom excused himself. ¡°Want something?¡± ¡°I¡¯m good,¡± Ulrich replied. His companion nodded, raising a hand in denegation. ¡°May I introduce you to Ernesto Gomez from Nashville, the foremost scholar of Talents of the modern age.¡± The man ¨C Gomez, obviously ¨C puffed and snorted at the introduction. But that was a name that triggered some memories for Johanna. ¡°I think I heard about you. Elena spoke about some theories of cumulative Talents or something?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯d be me, correct. And if by Elena, you refer to Mrs. Worchester, she sent me a tantalizing letter about you and your mind-sorceress friend Donnall, only to clamp up later. Imagine my surprise when Mr. Sengfield sent me a letter on your behalf to see if I could provide some expertise. Everyone wants a bit of it these days.¡± She turned to the thirster who merely nodded. ¡°Well, you said you did not know how Talents were managed, could be attributed, and such. I told you I had a lead. I¡¯m guessing Professor Gomez here is the perfect person to help you in this endeavor,¡± Ulrich said. ¡°Not the perfect. Perfection does not exist. But the best thing you¡¯ll get, maybe,¡± the scholar replied, before adding, ¡°Given that I¡¯m probably the only one on this continent who tries to apply a semblance of the scientific method to what everyone says is not a scientific matter.¡± Ulrich immediately added, ¡°And she¡¯s outright stating it is so.¡± ¡°Is it, Mrs. Milton?¡± ¡°Talents being linked to the Ancients ¨C and more importantly, the Fall ¨C is not something new,¡± Gomez said after she started explaining. ¡°Oh?¡± Johanna replied. ¡°I haven¡¯t published that article yet, but I¡¯ve been making some statistical analysis on sorcerous abilities these days. They¡¯re a lot easier to measure than most. Notably, I¡¯ve been comparing ability magnitudes, and measuring things among adepts.¡± ¡°They¡¯re the lowest-tiered abilities, you mean,¡± Johanna said. ¡°And adepts are far more numerous than full-fledged sorcerers. One of the temptations of a scholar is to apply some of the Ancient physics tools to the modern world. Notably the principle of mediocrity and the famous Occam¡¯s Razor¡­¡± Stolen story; please report. He sighed at seeing Johanna¡¯s glazing eyes, before continuing, ¡°But if you take some simple, basic, common-place skill like the refrigeration effect ¨C what¡¯s labeled as ¡®cooler¡¯ in the Society of Mage¡¯s compendium¡­¡± ¡°Ah, Frostbite.¡± ¡°I beg your pardon?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the, well, real name of that.¡± Johanna saw the look of half-confusion from the older scholar and waved it away. ¡°Not important.¡± ¡°The point is, I¡¯ve gotten data collected across the Union by almost two dozen of those refrigeration ¨C or maybe Frostbite? ¨C adepts. And they all fell into four categories. Those that sustain it for 16 seconds, those that do for 25, those that can squeeze 36 seconds, and one that did 49. Now, Mrs. Milton, what does that means to you?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ I¡¯m not that good at advanced math and stuff,¡± she replied, immediately adding, ¡°Although I remember when Petra was doing that one. Looks like it was 25 seconds?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m not expecting even the performance of my students in Nashville. But that¡¯s simply the square of numbers. 4 squared, 5 squared, and so on.¡± ¡°O¡­ okay?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re familiar with Ancient physics, notably, quantum mechanics, you expect things to occur in discrete intervals. Which is what prompted my currently unpublished paper. But the discrete intervals are a ¨C what it¡¯s called? ¨C red herring.¡± ¡°About what?¡± Johanna asked, finding herself drawn to the scholar¡¯s evident depth of interest. ¡°About the fact that it¡¯s a square number of seconds.¡± ¡°Uh?¡± ¡°Because when you study physics, both the Ancient version and the distorted and somewhat revised version of the modern world, you quickly understand that commonplace units are awful for physics.¡± Johanna¡¯s blank look of complete incomprehension must have shown because Eduardo sighed. ¡°The second of time we know and use is a contrived convention. Distantly based on Sumerian preference for numbers that could be divided by lots of things and the rotation of Earth. When you go into real physics, you need all sorts of constant multipliers to use seconds, because the universe does not care about ancient Mesopotamia or Earth. Same thing for feet or inches. They¡¯re historical artifacts of measurement from centuries before the Fall, and they were not even consistent across ages. Yet¡­ measurable effects ranges are in almost perfect multiple of feet.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that Talents use¡­ Ancient measurement units? That¡¯s it?¡± she asked. ¡°Yes. That¡¯s what I¡¯m saying. And why I¡¯m mildly unpopular among the scientific academia. Because it¡¯s a given in science that human ¨C Ancient or modern ¨C perspective is arbitrary. But when it comes to Talents¡­ it clearly is not.¡± Johanna startled. She¡¯d been taking it for granted that the Ancient could give them Talents, for some reason she did not dwell upon. But now, she realized that the Ancients ¨C or maybe The Ancient ¨C might be the source of the existence of the Talents themselves. ¡°So¡­ you¡¯re saying that Talents are made by the Ancients.¡± ¡°I am not saying that. But when you¡¯re claiming that an Ancient is behind your Talents¡­ it¡¯s not as surprising to me as it could be to someone else.¡± Gomez looked her in the eyes and started to smile. ¡°So¡­ Mrs. Milton. What else do you have to show me?¡± The spread parchments were a sight. But what had been surprising was the sheer variety of those that Gomez had been able to activate. He could activate all of the single qualities or the Level one when he held them, which was not a big surprise for Johanna if she trusted Laura¡¯s model of accumulating currency. An older man like Professor Gomez ought to have lots of spare. No, the real surprise was that, while he could not activate any of the four representing their own Talent sets, nor Monger, Maker, Explorer, or Duelist, he seemingly qualified for both Fixer and Sentinel. That surprised Johanna, who had somehow expected that each person would have a very specific specialization available¡­ and nothing else. Petra being shifted from a water-slash-ice adept to an Earth Shaper instead was part of the source of that idea. Not only that, but he had been able to activate only a handful of the Talent parchments that had been made alongside those two, but not all of them. ¡°That¡¯s not something I¡¯d ever expected to see. Because even if you study Talents, and get sometimes to do interviews and see first-hand actual magic¡­ those insane-feeling parchments of yours are something else. I mean, it looks almost like paper, but it isn¡¯t, not truly.¡± ¡°Our guess is that they¡¯re like Artifacts. They have that same better-than-Ancient feel.¡± ¡°And just the fact that those ¡®specializations¡¯ won¡¯t light when I hold them is an interesting fact as well.¡± ¡°How so?¡± ¡°Each element in them is something separate, I¡¯d guess, given that you can have them individually. But the parchment is a whole. You need to be able to, well, make use of all the parts to make use of one. You don¡¯t happen to have a Level and quality combined parchment without anything else?¡± ¡°Uh, no.¡± Then Johanna realized she had something else to offer. ¡°I have a notebook where I recorded all the combinations we got, not just the ones left over, though.¡± ¡°Oh, you did? I commend you. Half of my students wouldn¡¯t even think of doing that, I¡¯m afraid.¡± The professor was looking cursorily through the notebook. ¡°Just browsing that, I already get a few interesting ideas. And frankly, weird ones too.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all we got. So far, that is. But we have names, some matches to the Mage compendium, and some correlations, at least,¡± Johanna replied. ¡°Hmm¡­ You¡¯re sure of those Shaper variants?¡± ¡°At least twice, I¡¯ve seen the basic Shaper designation appear. And we had one sort-of graduate to Fire Shaper. Based on that, I think the other Shaper ¨C someone we granted powers back in the Montana ¨C can become a Metal Shaper one day.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± Gomez muttered. ¡°That¡¯s interesting.¡± ¡°In what way?¡± she asked. ¡°What do you know of Erlangs?¡± he asked back, almost off-handedly. ¡°Tall with three eyes. Supposed to be more magical than most. And of course, the two expatriates that are listed in the Mages of America.¡± ¡°Well, the Erlang have a high council. The foremost five mages of that species that are currently alive, one per sphere of magic. Those spheres are Fire, Earth, Water¡­ Wood. And Metal.¡± ¡°So, they¡¯ve guessed at some of the Shaper specializations?¡± ¡°These five spheres of magic are an old part of the Chinese philosophy, which is the Erlang¡¯s Ancient homeland. Their five elements theory predates the Fall ¨C and Talents ¨C by thousands of years.¡± Johanna stopped, looking at the scholar in incredulity. ¡°Strange, isn¡¯t it? Your five magic specializations directly echo Chinese magic. And China seems to have the most prosperous and most magical Changed Species.¡± She blinked. ¡°Congratulations, Mrs. Milton. You are making this academic very, very confused, and thus, very, very happy.¡± B2.40 - House Foundations You always get choices, but first, you must deal with what you have. Bootleg copy of the Gomez Guide ¡°What do you mean, you don¡¯t want a specialization?¡± Johanna asked. ¡°Proper scientific inquiry requires controls, Mrs. Milton,¡± Gomez answered. ¡°But you still want to come with us to Washington?¡± ¡°Oh, I won¡¯t pretend my bones wouldn¡¯t feel more at ease here waiting. But I definitely want to see your so-called conversion being done. Not just for the process, but the parchments you¡¯re going to make. Besides, if this treasure trove of yours is intact, our head librarian, Estrella, will crucify me and then use my hide to reskin some of her books if I let the ¡®wrong¡¯ ones be destroyed forever. Getting ancient academic books is almost impossible these days.¡± ¡°Well, I can¡¯t guarantee anything,¡± Johanna winced. ¡°We¡¯ll see. That¡¯s the point of me coming, after all. And I can trust you all to protect this little me.¡± The professor tapped his chest pocket, where he¡¯d slid Johanna¡¯s notebook. ¡°I¡¯ll take good care of this, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll have all the data copied in no time and return it soon. Writing exam notes taught me how to write fast. More so since most of my students do need a lot of these notes.¡±
Ernesto Gomez Male human, 62 years, 8 months
Unspecialized (scholar) Level: 6 (13,000 XP needed) 6 unallocated skill points XP: 44,589 XP
STR: 14 AUT: 17
AGI: 14 PER: 17 (2000 XP needed)
DEX: 14 EMP: 17 (2000 XP needed)
An interesting character, Moore noted. And the stats spread was definitively weird. Johanna having provided her notes, and the obviously animated conversation had cemented the whole impression. While none of the specializations he¡¯d unlocked seemed to gel into a scholar-type, the System still provided his own confirmation of what Mr. Gomez seemed to do for a living. Johanna found the rest of the expedition in front of Macintosh¡¯s store. The merchant whistled when he saw the pack of scavengers massed in front of his outfit. ¡°I heard someone was organizing a massive expedition up the Marches of the Lakes. Looks like it was a thing,¡± he said, before inviting them inside his warehouse. With the sheer number of items being brought out, there were no real negotiations. Johanna asked about the last Artifact they had brought in and he rolled his eyes. ¡°Should have guessed you had yet another one. I still haven¡¯t sold the first one you brought, you know? You¡¯re going to destroy my capital at this rate. Or maybe I can afford to hold an auction here instead of running my contacts in Nashville. Three Artifacts in less than two months¡­¡± She shrugged in apology. At least they had kept one for Laura this time. ¡°Can I do that this afternoon instead, because there¡¯s no way I can sort through all this while trying to figure out what you brought me?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Miles replied for her. The basic loot was to be divided equally, and it was almost $1400 per person. The contract specified an equal split, so Johanna and Tom pocketed their $2800 quickly. It was a lot less than the previous expedition, but this time, the four of them were not in the pool for Artifact money. ¡°We have to meet,¡± she informed the other team leaders. ¡°We have a real expedition to organize, you mean,¡± Cameron acknowledged. ¡°High and Dry?¡± she suggested. ¡°As usual.¡± The five of them, Miles, Ulrich and both Cameron Scott and Madelyn Nash crammed themselves into the large side room of the High and Dry. The latter wasted no time asking, ¡°So, what¡¯s the plan?¡± ¡°Go in, convert as many books into parchments for ease of transport, and get out,¡± she said. ¡°Basically. Yes, that lacks detail, but that¡¯s what the core of it is. So everybody is on board with the expedition?¡± she asked as a first question. Both Cameron and Madelynn nodded in return. ¡°I checked, and no one¡¯s gotten cold feet. I wouldn¡¯t pressure my team anyway, but they¡¯re all good to go,¡± the Tyrant Fixer confirmed. ¡°Same here,¡± the Swordbringer added. ¡°So we have sixteen Talented, including three Fixers, which, I think, is the most important factor. Miles, you said logistics.¡± The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°A lot of terrain to cross. We can resupply at various towns near the mana zone, but it¡¯s at least 3 weeks to travel through the zone proper, each way. Plus we need to transport what we find. I think we need two wagons. We won¡¯t find much in the way of edibles in that kind of mana zone.¡± ¡°Laura hoped to have a way of dealing with that, but it turns out she can fix you after the fact, not on the food itself,¡± Johanna said. ¡°Not something I wish to inflict on anyone.¡± ¡°Do you have drivers?¡± Cameron asked. ¡°No? Do we need some?¡± ¡°Driving real wagons takes skill. Notably on unknown terrain,¡± he said. ¡°You need professionals.¡± ¡°Most of my team comes from farmland around, but Cameron¡¯s right. It¡¯s one thing to drive the small wagons farmers use, it¡¯s a different thing to drive a big one,¡± Madelynn noted. Johanna scribbled a few notes. ¡°Miles? Ulrich? How long do you think it will take to find teams?¡± ¡°No idea. At least a couple of weeks.¡± ¡°We might luck into teamsters when we go shopping for wagons,¡± she sighed, adding another note. They hashed quickly the difficulties of organizing the teams, and the two salvager team leaders took their leave. Johanna and the two older scavengers found themselves planning the next phase. ¡°Obviously, storing the parchments in your apartment won¡¯t work,¡± Ulrich said. ¡°It¡¯s hard to guess how many we¡¯ll have, but¡­ you¡¯re right. If we fill a wagon with them, that won¡¯t work.¡± ¡°Besides, they¡¯re valuable.¡± ¡°Yes, but who would know to steal them? I mean, apart from the crew, but they have their talents already. You think someone will attempt something?¡± ¡°Maybe until yesterday, only about twenty people know about those Talents. But that was yesterday. Today, that number is almost going to be double already.¡± ¡°How so?¡± The thirster adopted a deliberately theatrical voice, ¡°Honey, you won¡¯t believe what we got this time¡­¡± ¡°They¡¯ve all been told to keep it quiet. Surely their family will also¡­¡± ¡°It takes one, Mrs. Milton. It takes one. It will take time, but it will spread, once you start using all those parchments.¡± ¡°I suppose it does,¡± she admitted. ¡°People at home talked after they found out we had acquired Talents, after all. So, we need some secure storage, you think.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure of it. I mean, right now, you¡¯ve only got something potentially worth a few hundred thousand dollars,¡± Ulrich said. ¡°What???¡± ¡°Told you,¡± Laura injected. ¡°A Talent is not as powerful as an Artifact, and most of the parchments you¡¯ve made are useless on their own. But a full set? That¡¯s at least minor Artifact territory even if you can¡¯t leave it to your heirs or resell it. Say, thirty thousand for all six parchments, five thousand per. You¡¯ve got 4 sets here, and you mentioned a few more you already have.¡± Johanna gasped. ¡°Of course, I have no idea how much people might decide to pay for it. But I can tell you it is worth at least as much as the Artifacts you¡¯ve already sold.¡± Laura laughed at her expression. ¡°Imagine after the East Coast. We¡¯re talking millions.¡± ¡°Which brings me back to my original proposition,¡± Ulrich said. ¡°A business structure.¡± ¡°You need one.¡± He spread the papers on the table. ¡°This is what I propose. A corporation with multiple shares, like those big enterprises you find in Vernon¡­¡± The four were ensconced at a small dinner. No Miles Bertram or Ulrich Sengfield, not even Petra Veldhuis. Just the four of them. ¡°Do we sign?¡± Johanna asked. ¡°It¡¯s an interesting proposition. Four equal shares, one for each of us, with Ulrich, and Miles as advisors but not owners. If we disagree, two versus two, they get called as tie-breakers,¡± Laura noted. ¡°It seems heavily money-oriented,¡± Johanna also noted. ¡°There are two ways of going at it. Political or financial,¡± Laura replied. ¡°We trade Talents for favors, or for money. Or, well, maybe both, depending. We need money in any case.¡± ¡°And that much money going around means politics anyway,¡± Peter noted. ¡°Miles said there are two types of politicians. Those who need money and those who have money.¡± ¡°True. Once we start to be known¡­¡± ¡°Then, of course, the Montana is going to come asking for us,¡± he said. ¡°And money means we do have legal protections,¡± Laura noted. ¡°Guards,¡± Tom noted. ¡°I don¡¯t want to have permanent bodyguards around, like those hated nobles in novels,¡± Johanna replied. ¡°We got enough power of our own for that,¡± Peter shrugged. ¡°So, that¡¯s on one hand, with that corporation. What¡¯s the alternative?¡± Johanna asked. ¡°Small-scale?¡± Tom speculated. ¡°Isn¡¯t it way too late for that to happen? We have twelve people ¡®working¡¯ for us on this already. Petra. Ulrich and Miles. Those two groups,¡± Laura replied. ¡°I assume the expedition needs to happen anyway.¡± ¡°Join Gomez research after?¡± Tom speculated. ¡°Possible. But what can he do for us that we won¡¯t do ourselves? Besides expertise, I mean.¡± ¡°The thing is, what does the Ancient want?¡± Laura finally asked, turning back to the fundamentals. ¡°I don¡¯t fully know. Talking with him was like talking with one of those enigmatic wizards in novels. That dreamscape of ruins and shelves conveyed as much as his words. I¡­¡± she hesitated. ¡°I think he doesn¡¯t have any specific way. He spoke about the result, not the how. That one¡¯s all us.¡± The bank manager stood and greeted them. ¡°Name¡¯s Georgy North. So, what brings you here today, Ulrich?¡± he said, acknowledging immediately the accountant. ¡°Mrs. Milton here has an interesting opportunity. Due to limited opportunity, she needs to set up her operations rather quickly. She¡¯s got capital, but not enough.¡± ¡°And she¡¯s retained you as a financial advisor. So business loan,¡± he said, pulling up sheets and a pencil. ¡°We¡¯ve registered the business this morning,¡± Johanna started. ¡°We¡¯ve pooled about $100,000 in starting capital, but after going over the budget with Ulrich, it¡¯s clearly not enough.¡± North whistled. ¡°Starting capital at a hundred K and you need more? New Sandusky likes people with ambition, but can¡¯t you start smaller and expand later once you¡¯ve proven yourself?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a matter of timing. We are going to acquire¡­ material later this year. And since we don¡¯t know when we¡¯ll get another opportunity, we¡¯ll get as much as we can in the first place.¡± ¡°Sounds like salvage, which somehow doesn¡¯t surprise me seeing you there,¡± the banker noted, eyeing Ulrich. ¡°It is, but not ordinary salvage,¡± she replied. ¡°A company dedicated to salvaging hasn¡¯t been around since, what, 2150? I think that¡¯s when they ¨C the Ancient Steel ¨C dissolved because they didn¡¯t get a new owner when the previous one retired, seeing that large amounts of useable materials were becoming harder to find without risks. Dad liquidated the operation, I think I remember. They had, what, $80,000 in capital assets? And you need more than that right now?¡± ¡°Ulrich says ¨C and I tend to agree now ¨C that we¡¯ll need a secure location to store highly valuable items, which doubles as a headquarters for our organization. And at least two wagons and driver teams,¡± she proceeded to enumerate the expected expenses. ¡°It¡¯s like you¡¯re trying to set up a Union-wide company,¡± North commented after she finished. ¡°That¡¯s going to be the plan, ultimately.¡± ¡°Looks Mrs¡­ Milton? I know people think their business is unique and will be wildly successful, but that doesn¡¯t always pan out.¡± Ulrich laughed lightly, and replied, ¡°By the way, we¡¯re probably interested in the old Clarke¡¯s old building.¡± ¡°Well, that was the example I was going to pick,¡± North replied, adding ¡°A wood maker that tried to make specialty furniture. Ewan Clarke hoped exports would make the bulk of his sales, but his goods were not that popular abroad and he was way too ambitious with his workshop. He went under five years ago, and left New Sandusky with wife, kids, and the shirt on his back after repo took most of what he owned my bank due to outstanding debt and default.¡± ¡°And your bank has been trying to unload his building for five years now, I think,¡± Ulrich noted. ¡°Are you trying to get it on the cheap?¡± The accountant merely shrugged back. ¡°Look, it would be pretty ballsy to loan you money to purchase a bank asset, with the only collateral being what I already had. So, unless you can offer significant collateral or a similar guarantee, I don¡¯t see why NS Bank would open a business loan for¡­ what¡¯s the name?¡± ¡°The Talent House,¡± Johanna said. ¡°The Talent House, right. Sounds even ambitious, like if you¡¯ve got some Talented working for you, but ambition alone doesn¡¯t make your salvage business sound enough to warrant a loan.¡± North spread his arms in apology. ¡°Anything else?¡± Johanna and Ulrich looked at each other. The accountant had suggested being ready to offer a bit more. So, Johanna reached for her bag. ¡°Look, Mr. North. The Talent House isn¡¯t about salvaging itself. It¡¯s about unique¡­ capacities. Talents.¡± ¡°You sound as if you wanted to provide the service of Talented people.¡± ¡°It¡¯s almost that,¡± she said, pulling out a set. Georgy North looked at those with curiosity. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°What we¡¯re going to procure with the expedition we¡¯re raising capital for. It¡¯s what we call parchments of power. This one set should be for a legendary crafter, or Maker.¡± B2.41 - Professional Hour Amateurs talk tactics. Professionals talk logistics. Pre-Fall General ¡°You¡¯re heading out?¡± Johanna asked Madelynn. ¡°You¡¯re saying it yourself, it¡¯s going to take maybe three weeks to finalize the expedition. That means we have some time to scavenge, classic style. And test further how those dynamics between specializations work.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t take risks.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Johanna. We¡¯re going to do some parts of West Cleveland.¡± ¡°We went there with Miles and Ulrich. That¡¯s where we had those original books.¡± ¡°Then you know how it works. That¡¯s not my usual area, but we¡¯re not looking specifically for trouble, and the idea is to see how we work out. How we measure to you¡­ the Ancient Exemplars.¡± Johanna groaned before she spotted Madelynn smirking. ¡°Get used to it. And you need it.¡± ¡°Really? Because that feels like a joke.¡± Cameron Scott had coined the term. Given that they were the original ones, they could show people Talents, and so on. An Ancient power made reality. Ancient Exemplars¡­ ¡°You¡¯re changing the world. That¡¯s even what you said. People need to know you¡¯re the driver of that change. They need to respect you. And titles go a lot that way. I mean, what¡¯s more impressive, Jack Griffith or Burgher of New Sandusky? If you¡¯re just Johanna Milton, how can people mark their respect for you?¡± ¡°We haven¡¯t changed the world yet.¡± ¡°But you have. Right now, your Professor friend says there might be close to as many sorcerous or sorcerous-like Talents, concentrated in New Sandusky as there are spread over the entire Union. That¡¯d be unimaginable in any other circumstances.¡± ¡°Okay. If you say so. Good dive then. But remember to be there!¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t miss it. And besides, it¡¯s easy for me, I mean, with me as the Fixer, I got a Guardian that can handle it, two Shapers, and a Battler. What could possibly happen to us?¡± ¡°Does Cameron¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s probably leaving soon. Same thing, even if their team is smaller. I mean, your own team wasn¡¯t that smaller based on what you said.¡± ¡°True,¡± she answered. Madelynn smiled, before standing and raising her fist. ¡°I go with the grace of the Ancients!¡± Johanna groaned again. The building was large, at the edge of the city. Three floors, and maybe some additional space under the roof. Large double doors under a porch roof, with a single but large side entrance. ¡°That¡¯s the building?¡± Johanna asked. ¡°Correct. Lending you the money to purchase a bank asset is the most asinine thing I¡¯ve ever done, but since nobody has been interested in buying it for more than five years now¡­¡± Georgy North trailed. ¡°It was on the cheap side. Besides, you have other guarantees,¡± Miles said. ¡°Trusting that this Maker set works as advertised and that you really can get more is not a guarantee. It¡¯s a bet. I hate making bets.¡± But you thought you¡¯d get a lot out of it, Johanna replied silently. What counted for her was that they had secured financing. The New Sandusky Bank was willing to open what Ulrich had called a credit line, the capacity to draw upon the bank for additional loans at any time, up to a limit of course. The interest was high, but the possibility was there. That was on the strength of the sets Johanna¡¯s team had made in advance during the expedition. She¡¯d finally shown Georgy North those sets, to prove that the first wasn¡¯t a fluke, and while he¡¯d been unable to light the specialization-based ones, he¡¯d experienced the odd sensation of waiting for authorization that came with some of the individual Talents. What had clinched the deal was the breadth of Talents that Ulrich could show. Johanna was an unknown, but North knew the accountant and having him now exhibit not just one, but multiple Wood Shaper Talents was far more convincing. She¡¯d reluctantly let him have the Maker set, as he wanted to truly test what came out of it. He was surprised that nobody knew exactly what the Talents that came with the set would be, but Johanna trusted the descriptive nature of the names. She had not disclosed how the parchments were made, just telling him they knew how to find them. The Clarke¡¯s building was fine, Johanna had to acknowledge. She wanted to check everything and discuss that with the rest of the team. Tom trusted her implicitly to make the right decisions, but Peter and Laura might point out other potential problems. ¡°So, you have this area as a reception. If this is to be the main office of your organization, it will be busy once you truly expand,¡± Georgy said. ¡°It¡¯s almost as large as the High and Dry, just for a reception?¡± ¡°You¡¯re probably going to have people coming and going at all times, or waiting.¡± ¡°Offices?¡± Miles asked, pointing out some doors. ¡°There are still partitions to adjust. Originally, those were various exposition areas interconnected.¡± ¡°We should check your plans,¡± Johanna said. Georgy went behind the ¡°reception desk¡± and pulled up sheets. ¡°Ground floor could be all work areas. Reception, management, and offices for interviews for customers or whatever you¡¯re calling them. The first floor was workshops, and right now, you can probably use that as the storage area for your¡­ parchments.¡± ¡°How so?¡± Johanna asked. ¡°Harder to get to. Those things are precious. I¡¯d have offered the bank as safe storage, but you tell me the East Coast is going to have way more. So, once your expedition brings what you find, you¡¯ll need a secure area. And guards¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯ll hire some later,¡± Miles said. Georgy turned back to Johanna. ¡°Top floor was a pair of offices and mostly living quarters. You can change it into whatever. Main office, or keep that as a home. Move in.¡± She startled. ¡°Really?¡± Georgy looked surprised at her question. ¡°It¡¯s traditional for businesses. Most people combine their business location with their living quarters. Shop on the ground floor, bedroom on the top.¡± I never expected to open my own, she thought. Laura raised her hand. ¡°If we abandon our current apartments, won¡¯t that interfere with citizenship, since we needed to rent for a year?¡± The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Moving from renting to owning is usually considered a better guarantee for residence.¡± He laughed. ¡°My cousin will probably hate me.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°Cousin Wade. I figured out later you must be those new out-of-state recent tenants he told me about. If he hears about how I suggested you move out of his properties, I¡¯ll never be safe.¡± Johanna snorted. ¡°Let¡¯s see if we trade up, then.¡± They started climbing the stairs to visit those upper floors. ¡°Purchasing draft teams is not how I envisioned spending the day,¡± Johanna half-joked. The banker had suggested limiting their initial expenses by renting the wagons, but that proved hard to achieve. Thanks to being a significant city on a trade road heading to the Marches of the Algonquin, you did have wagon makers and assorted businesses, but trying to rent wagons and draft beasts was impossible. Once the refurbisher who repaired and made wagons discovered they planned a three-month expedition¡­ and where, it was over. She had tried to obfuscate their goal, but month-long expeditions locally did not make sense, and the man was certainly not going to loan them the pair of wagons they needed without a guarantee. ¡°In a way, that¡¯s good,¡± Laura said. ¡°We need to plan not just for one expedition, but the next. Even if there are only one million books left out of nineteen, we¡¯re definitively not processing or hauling all of them at once.¡± ¡°Yes, but we¡¯ll have to figure out what to do with them between expeditions.¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure he might have not wanted to loan the things, but he¡¯ll be happy to have us rent a place,¡± Laura laughed. She was probably right, Johanna thought. The next problem was finding wagoners. As Madelynn Nash had said, the large oxen-driven wagons were a different thing compared to the sort of light wagons farmers and farm kids like her team had experience in. And of course, they couldn¡¯t find such teamsters, at any wage level. Almost all wagoners with experience were already employed by trading companies, following standard trade routes. Finding unemployed ones was hard, and once the prospective candidates heard about the expedition they all unanimously bailed out. Johanna had offered to provide proof of their security, but nobody with wagon-driving experience was willing to go to the Coast. They didn¡¯t even discuss wages, they all metaphorically ran away as soon as they learned where the wagons were headed to. Before long, everyone knew what she was looking for, and more importantly why, as the rumors spread across the city, and no one even bothered to show up. Two weeks in, a surprising figure appeared in town. A tall, horned person, reminiscent of the pair of Changed she¡¯d seen back in Nedalshe. ¡°May I present you Julian Kartmann of Vernon and a member of my old team,¡± Ulrich announced. ¡°Hello¡­¡± she answered. ¡°Don¡¯t be shy. I don¡¯t gore people,¡± the minotaur deadpanned. ¡°I¡¯d thought Sethek-Eshes would have been answered earlier, but the big one came first,¡± Ulrich told Johanna, much to her confusion. ¡°And if you hope for Keegan, you¡¯ll be waiting for long. He¡¯s in the Rockies¡­ somewhere. You know, dwarf country. Mail doesn¡¯t even go there,¡± Kartmann answered. ¡°As for Sethek-Eshes, they have a family going on these days.¡± ¡°You too.¡± ¡°Bah, the kids can deal with their mother. And she can handle the business. Kartmann¡¯s All Medicals can work even without me.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s Keegan? A dwarf?¡± she asked. ¡°Keegan Vakanson, yes. You can find minotaurs like me everywhere, but for most Changed if you want more than a girlfriend, you tend to go home.¡± She was reminded of that dwarf in Valetta, a year ago. Changed were different species, even if they were people. ¡°Until a year ago, I had never seen a Changed,¡± she admitted. ¡°We used to joke that our team was every single species in the North Americas. We stopped at taking in a Troll, not that we¡¯ve ever seen one around,¡± Kartmann said. ¡°They¡¯re from the islands, not the continent,¡± Ulrich countered, smiling. ¡°Okay. Point conceded. So, you promised me a team of powerful Talented to go where Cartaigh fell and beyond. I come and find that team now includes you.¡± Ulrich shrugged, spreading his arms. ¡°Wait until you see Miles in action. That¡¯s what you get for being late to the party.¡± ¡°Hey, Vernon¡¯s not next door.¡± ¡°But Johanna can fix that, can¡¯t you.¡± ¡°I¡¯d need a few Ancient books. Or, we can test the stored parchments. Up to you,¡± she replied. They had not moved the handful of parchments they owned yet to their brand-new headquarters, so they invited Kartmann home. ¡°Looks like you can get Explorer. Or Duelist,¡± Johanna noted. The minotaur squinted, looking at the two specialization sheets set aside, then at the partial parchments. ¡°Or Specialist Battler. Like Tom,¡± she added. ¡°But you don¡¯t have skills for that one,¡± Kartmann noted. ¡°No. There might be Talents in there that work for that specialization, but we have no way of knowing which. You can qualify for a Talent, but without a match with the specialization, it¡¯s a very, very unpowered version.¡± Kartmann looked at Tom. ¡°You know, you¡¯re almost as good as being a minotaur. A small one. All you need is a pair of good horns.¡± Tom snorted, then deliberately scratched his head. On the left, then the right side. ¡°And I admit the hammer stuff sounds awesome. I never understood why everyone says we Minotaurs have to use axes. Sure, to cut wood in winter, but otherwise, a good spear is enough for everyone¡­¡± ¡°You should have seen the flaming axe we got from Cleveland,¡± Ulrich said. ¡°Really? But if I want to contribute to that expedition, I need some Talents early. Or would it be better off waiting until Washington and seeing what your patron has to say about a minotaur?¡± ¡°Ulrich got an interesting set¡­¡± Johanna trailed as Kartmann put his hand on the Duelist scroll, which immediately activated again. ¡°May I?¡± ¡°We pulled them out for you now that you¡¯re joining us,¡± she simply said, and the parchment spewed sparks as it burned away. Curiously, not every Talent parchment lit up when the minotaur tested them. He could use Interrupt with Strength, and Gauge Endurance with Perception in addition to Block and Dexterity. The weird part was that Optimal Strike and Empathy lit up only after the first three had been used. The only Talent parchment that remained obstinately inactive was Disarm associated with Authority. Johanna and Gomez had both noted early on that all six parchments generated for the various ¡°spare¡± specializations featured one of each quality that the Talents apparently needed, but Gomez also could not activate all of them for the specialization he qualified for. She assumed that other factors dictated what was available. After all, Catherine¡¯s Guardian did not have difficulties with Disarm back last year. She took notes for Gomez¡¯s future studies. ¡°Five Talents is good,¡± Ulrich said. ¡°How many?¡± ¡°Okay, six. And yes, Miles has seven.¡± The minotaur groaned. ¡°But I¡¯m sure Johanna¡¯s patron can fix you up with more once we get there. That¡¯s just¡­ a teaser?¡± ¡°And what does this make me?¡± ¡°Some kind of defender-fighter? The names suggest a lot of self-protection, and focused offense on a single enemy?¡± Johanna suggested. ¡°That¡¯s why I picked it. Do you guys know a place where one can check how all of this works?¡±
Julian Kartmann Male minotaur, 40 years, 2 months
Duelist Level: 7 (21,000 XP needed) Stamina: 1/199 (+17 per hour) 2 unallocated skill points XP: 20,229
STR: 17 (2000 XP needed) Interrupt (41) AUT: 15 (2000 XP needed)
AGI: 17 (2000 XP needed) Deflect (41) PER: 16 (3000 XP needed) Gauge Stamina (39)
DEX: 16 (2000 XP needed) Block (39) EMP: 16 (2000 XP needed) Optimal Strike (39)
+8.0 Strength for skill checks Unshakable grip on a weapon under 41 pounds Perceive levels up to 13
Not what I¡¯d have allocated if I had to shape his build, but that works out, if a bit weak. Authority is a pain for that specialization unless you get to add loads of stats first, Moore noted when the minotaur shook both Johanna and Tom¡¯s hands. Duelist is weird. Money was flowing out, as Johanna realized that ten tons of food were not easy to get, pack, or store. And that was with the credit provided by Georgy North¡¯s bank. She wished the Skeleton would call back in her dreams, to explain further how she was supposed to control the distribution of the parchments he made through them, but for now, the Skeleton remained silent. Bit by bit, the expedition came together. Tons of packed flour, grains, salted meats, dried milk ¨C the hardest to get ¨C and other foodstuffs stacked in the little corner of a warehouse they¡¯d rented. The mixed Scott-North team came back early, in good spirits. They¡¯d encountered no Changed beasts actually, but they¡¯d taken care of a pair of mountain lions that had been prowling the ruins they were visiting. Madelynn came back looking satisfied as well. ¡°I wish we had one Earth Shaper along, but we hold our weight without her. Of course, a single Canid doesn¡¯t count for much, and I wish my team was immune to my Falter like yours, but we¡¯re learning.¡± ¡°Fire and Water do mix then?¡± Johanna joked. ¡°Not that much, and I wish Jackson had your projectile stuff.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll have more possibilities when we arrive in Washington DC,¡± she replied. ¡°Jackson¡¯s counting on it.¡± Miles called out among the scavenger teams for people with at least some experience as a teamster and found three. By then, the rumors of the power obtained by the expedition had started to spread among the salvager community, and two of them were willing to go for a chance at power. She offered a pass at the stored specialization sets, but unfortunately, neither qualified for Explorer, Fixer, or Sentinel. The Monger specialization definitively did not seem to be very combat-oriented and nobody was interested. The last scavenger, curiously enough, was willing to go, but for pay only. ¡°Power is nice, but I feel like it comes along with an obligation. I know, you say it¡¯s not in any contract¡­ but I guess that if you accept those powers, then you need to use them. I know I¡¯m doing this for fun and money, but I can stop at any time. Can I lose those powers?¡± Johanna thought about Petra¡¯s removal of Frostbite. ¡°It¡¯s possible. But it requires¡­¡± The salvager raised his hand to interrupt her. ¡°It¡¯s rhetorical. Of course, you¡¯re not going to waste powers on me if it¡¯s only to remove them later.¡± He smiled. ¡°But I hear you can find Artifacts. That means there is good money to be made, right?¡± B2.42 - No Laughing Matter A week is a long time in politics. Pre-Fall statesman Dispatch from [redacted] to [redacted]
Follow-up to the previous report, dated June 12th, 2173. Item 1, high-priority. Pertaining to previous instructions on potential out-of-state saboteurs and agitators, I confirm the presence of out-of-state elements in New Sandusky. However, I have seen little to no attempts at any political or criminal activity. Instead, the five immigrants, four of which have already confirmed residency locally (copies of registration forms for all five attached), seem to be setting up a major salvage-oriented corporation. At least two teams of the salvager¡¯s haunt (ref. ¡°High and Dry¡±) and a number of independents seem to have signed onboard (see tentative list attached). They already did a large expedition to the Marches of the Lake with significant success; they also sold at least three Artifacts (see attached note for commercial evaluation by the local salvage wholesaler) and seem to have obtained loans from the local bank based on the strength of their skills. As usual, getting information out of the local bank is hard. Their company is now preparing for an even bigger expedition to the East Coast death zone. I have no detailed information on why such a risky endeavor, and it does not match the profile of expected agitators. They also have secured the services of a scholar from Nashville¡¯s Academy of Post-Fall Physics, and additional help in the form of a minotaur, presumably as specialists of some sort. Current local analysis: Pure commercial venture, possibly owing to Artifact detection abilities. Barring instructions to the contrary, this will be demoted to middle/low priority. No other out-of-state unknown visitors to report so far. Item 2, low priority. The local pastor is investigating miracles. There is a local merchant (see attached bio) that was wheelchair-bound for more than a decade that has been spotted walking with a walking stick. The merchant dismissed rumors of divine intercession and attributed her partial recovery to¡­ Next report is scheduled no later than July 15th, 2173. Unsigned
Harold Wexler, Executive of the State of Independence, was looking forward to the weekend. Even the Executive, the top position of the foremost, richest, and most populated State of the Union, even he deserved to kick his feet up on a recliner, get some real good booze from his private stock, and unwind by listening to his wife gleefully tell him of all the weird fashion crazes that came around every year during summer. But until that weekend, shit regularly crawled up to his desk, and thus, there were meetings to be had. The buck stops here, as the Ancients said, Wexler grimaced internally while keeping a straight face as his secretary announced the next item on the agenda. ¡°Bi-monthly Report from Internal Affairs next.¡± ¡°Usual staffer or direct?¡± ¡°Undersecretary Michaelson is there. Again.¡± ¡°Well, show her in. What¡¯s after her?¡± ¡°Finance bill prep¡­¡± ¡°I can¡¯t cancel it, can I?¡± The smile of his secretary told him the sad truth. ¡°At least Katia is more entertaining.¡± ¡°Take a seat,¡± he said. ¡°Drink?¡± ¡°Brown Moonshine,¡± she replied. ¡°It¡¯s much better here than the stuff at the office.¡± ¡°Well, you know the address.¡± ¡°Yea, but can my minions remember it? It looks like the answer is no.¡± Harold poured two ¨C small ¨C drinks. He always did that himself, it smoothed out the relations with the various people he relied upon to keep the mechanics of the State of Independence running efficiently. Then he relaxed in his chair as his Internal Affairs Undersecretary opened her notes folder. ¡°So, you¡¯ve taken to giving these reports personally these days, Katia?¡± ¡°I might as well. After all, you started that fire under my desk with this talk of potential sabotages from the Marches of the Montana. Speaking of which, I still have no idea why the Marches, and why now?¡± He smiled back at her inquiring looks. ¡°Need-to-know, I¡¯m afraid. It¡¯s very, very serious.¡± ¡°More than Franchisees?¡± she asked. The usual agitators for the universal franchise were bad enough, Wexler admitted. Like most politicians in Independence, he was of the opinion that letting everyone vote without a modicum of qualification was a recipe for disaster. He¡¯d read enough stories of the pre-Fall politics to have a strong opinion on anyone who¡¯d let that happen. People would vote for anyone who promised them impossible things, just because they didn¡¯t even realize it was impossible. Various ¡°Democratic¡± organizations agitated for that one issue, some a bit violently. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°It¡¯s an external matter, not one of those things. I have Robert¡¯s spy network fully mobilized, his budget expanded, and the army working out scenarios, but it¡¯s not easy.¡± ¡°Do I hear fourth war?¡± Katia Michaelson was smart, of course, Harold had to admit. Show her two pieces, and she¡¯d draw most of the puzzle if they were the right ones. The prospect of a Fourth War of Unification was what made Harold Wexler very, very nervous. And looking forward to a weekend without too many hassles. ¡°It¡¯s not quite that bad. Well, okay, not yet. Robert expects we¡¯ll see signs if, let¡¯s say, Maistry gets what he wants ¨C what he needs ¨C to get that kind of capacity.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re not expecting trouble. Not yet.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know how, when. Or, well, even if. It might be a non-starter, and he might fail to get¡­ that working. But it does not hurt to keep watch on potential¡­ distractions at home.¡± Katia nodded, then shrugged. ¡°So, do you want Nashville and our esteemed visitor first, or the basic boring stuff first?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s skim over the basic stuff.¡± Katia started going over her notes. All in all, it looked like the usual shenanigans were going on across the State, with more cities adopting a laissez-faire policy after the Assembly had upheld the repeal of the palisade laws. ¡°Very little activity on the Franchisee front, actually,¡± she reported. ¡°If Maistry wants to stir shit here, that¡¯s probably who he¡¯d use as stooges.¡± There was a special report on the Nashville Sky Watchers. It was one of the conspiracy cults that managed to survive since the Fall, convinced of knowing a secret truth about it. They believed in Ancients in space that could still use Ancient technology, and might even have caused the Fall. The Watchers kept watching for a legendary place in the sky, rumored to have been moving on its own long after the Fall made such a thing impossible. Katia knew that the cult was always of interest to Harold, seeing as his son was still nominally a member, although an outer member, not privy to the mysteries of the inner believers. Harold, of course, had complete summaries of the beliefs transmitted under oath by that inner circle. And an analysis by the Academy of Post-Fall Physics astronomers about the probable fate of said station in the sky. If the Sky Watchers expected to see signs of their fabled five, they would have to watch forever. ¡°We¡¯ve been checking all sorts of people from all over, not just the Northwest since last year, as you requested. Most of the latter appear to be simple refugees running away from an ongoing war.¡± ¡°I suspect the Warden calling for a general mobilization will not help,¡± Harold said. ¡°True. Most have settled, taken jobs, the usual. If you really think they might be trouble later, then I¡¯ll recommend my agents keep them under close watch, even without signs.¡± ¡°Please do so. Any special group of them?¡± ¡°Nothing matching an agitator profile. The most unusual is a group of five that have taken up scavenging near the Lake Marches, and¡­¡± She consulted her notes. ¡°Apparently, they want to do an expedition into the East Coast zones. They have roped in a few of the local salvagers to help.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not quite the sabotage I¡¯d expect,¡± Harold laughed. ¡°Not quite. You always get people thinking that, with the slow reduction in mana zones, maybe the coast will become accessible. Most survive the experience. So, for the main and important part¡­¡± ¡°The Warden¡¯s Adjutant in Nashville,¡± Harold said, straightening. ¡°So, he tried to recruit Ernesto Gomez,¡± the Executive said. ¡°The so-called Talent scholar, yes. I got reports from the University that the Montana had specifically inquired about him. Unfortunately for Agnello, the Professor was away on some kind of trip when he arrived in town. Why?¡± Harold Wexler hesitated. ¡°That¡¯s linked to what we¡¯re investigating. That¡¯s both a good sign and a worrisome sign.¡± ¡°How so? You¡¯re still going to tell me need-to-know, aren¡¯t you?¡± Harold sighed. ¡°Well, I¡¯m the one who decides that, after all. You probably need some context¡­ So, yes. Our intel from the Northwest says that the Warden might be in possession of¡­ an Artifact that can be used to confer Talents. Multiple ones, and permanently, not like the usual.¡± Katia whistled. ¡°If he can raise an army of Burning Walkers, I can see why this would be a problem. How easy is it?¡± she asked. ¡°We don¡¯t know, but we¡¯re assuming it¡¯s not trivial. If he¡¯s trying to recruit an expert on the nature of Talents, then he¡¯s definitively not cracked it. Yet.¡± ¡°What makes you think it¡¯s doable then?¡± ¡°There were some that got multiple Talents from it. They ran away, and we got possible reports about how they maybe went to Yellowstone, based on some deserters there.¡± He tried to remember the reports. For those, he didn¡¯t just skim the summaries, but details still blurred after a while. ¡°Someone called Coby something told his family about four Talented deserters who might show up. Or maybe they got to the eastern frontier since Robert¡¯s people got rumors about Talented or Artifacts from there. I guess they¡¯re in hiding.¡± ¡°Talents? Powerful?¡± ¡°Like magical fire artillery. With perfect aim.¡± Katia whistled again. ¡°And the occurrence of those Talents is not natural?¡± ¡°Zero chance of a random occurrence. Or we are being snookered, but I doubt it. Robert says there is enough independent confirmation. The Warden himself went to some random city of no particular importance away from the front, for quote-some reason-unquote. The Adjutant was also staying there before and left for Nashville only when Maistry replaced him. That kind of distraction in the middle of a war does not happen for no reason.¡± ¡°Well, his Adjutant is definitively active now that he¡¯s here, and not just on the political front. Besides his inquiries to the Academy in Nashville, there¡¯s a more than usual activity at the Montana embassy.¡± ¡°Agents being activated?¡± ¡°Certainly.¡± ¡°What about Gomez?¡± ¡°I got copies of the rejection letters once his interest in him was made obvious. He¡¯s taken a leave of absence¡­¡± Harold straightened, but Katia waved him down. ¡°No, he didn¡¯t. As I mentioned, he was away before the Adjutant arrived, on some research trip north.¡± She consulted notes again. ¡°Apparently negotiating the purchase of some kind of Artifact? Or expertise on its effects, maybe. His letter to the Academy says he expects to be back by October, with, I quote, ¡®lots of ancient books¡¯.¡± Harold frowned again, and Katia shrugged. ¡°He is a Professor, after all. Not just of Talents, but of physics and engineering.¡± ¡°Keep watch on him anyway. Anything Talent-related is making me nervous these days,¡± Wexler said. ¡°Will do.¡± Letter from Ernesto Gomez to the Nashville Academy of Post-Fall Physics
Mrs. Nathalie Viggins, Nath, I¡¯m sorry, but that little outing of mine will be a mite longer than I expected initially. Like, probably October. I know, first semester and all. Yvon can cover for me. I¡¯m sure the students will appreciate it. As long as he prepares them for my inevitable return. I did not expect to find what I found here, and that has changed my plans. This is an opportunity of a lifetime. If the Dean starts grumbling, tell him to wait until I return, and he¡¯ll be more than happy to see the results. I know he has little time for my side studies, but it will be worth it in the end, I promise. I thank you for notifying me of that delegation from Montana¡¯s embassy. I suspect my second rejection did not sit well with them. My position hasn¡¯t changed. Unless they tell me what they want my expertise for, my current research subjects are, let¡¯s say, far more interesting than what they offer right now. Besides, the Marches are far away, and a bit more dangerous these days, so I need something more than some nebulous ¡°world-shaking¡± matters. When it comes to world-shaking, I am quite blas¨¦ these days. If they come back and pester you again, you can tell them I¡¯ll be back in three months or so. Meanwhile, regarding my research expedition, I have a few things I could use. If you can get Estrella to find me copies of everything we have on Washington, the Ancient city on the East Coast, and more importantly the Library of Congress there, it would be very useful. Yes, you can show this letter to her, and yes, it is what she thinks it is. I will negotiate room in the wagons to bring whatever we find. In fact, if she has a list of what Ancient books or copies of we have in the library, it will be perfect. It wouldn¡¯t do to bring back only copies of what she already has. Attached is where you should send me that. Be quick, I¡¯ll be moving soon. See you in October. Maybe early November, at worst. Prof. Ernesto Gomez
END OF ACT 2 B2.43 - Journey to the East If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it? Pre-Fall Scientist The town of Cheat was heavily fortified. The tallest walls Johanna had ever seen were made of what looked like alternating concrete and stone masonry, even on the lake on which it was located. All the local farm complexes they¡¯d seen while traveling there were surrounded by massive palisades¡­ some of which had obvious traces of recent repairs. Cheat was the last town they would pass through. East of it began the recognized East Coast Mana zone. From now on, it would be all wilderness and ruins¡­ and of course, Changed predators. The big reason they went through there was that, at least, there was a reputedly semi-intact Ancient road leading eastward. Johanna learned quickly it had a nickname: ¡°Beast Alley¡±. ¡°That¡¯s usually where you get random Changed beasts coming in,¡± she got told. ¡°Town keeps guards stationed east, watching it. When they spot beasts, they either dispatch it if it¡¯s just one that seems okay to engage or run away to warn the town if it¡¯s a large migration. Back in my grandpa¡¯s day, some tough guys thought they could tackle one Aquila, and the only survivor was badly burned.¡± They wanted to refill their food stocks and found the prices surprisingly high. At least until Peter, sneaking behind the backs of one of the two large stores in the town learned the exact reason. ¡°Since they know we¡¯re going eastward, they see no reason not to gouge the maximum from us. We¡¯re mad or too stupid, we¡¯re not going to live long, or we won¡¯t ever come back once we run away. Why not get as much money they can while we still have money in our pockets,¡± he summarized. ¡°Why am I not surprised,¡± Miles said. ¡°Notice there were no price lists on display, although it¡¯s normally done everywhere in Independence? I bet they took those down as soon as they learned about us.¡± ¡°I still would like to get a week of additional food,¡± Johanna replied. ¡°Let me negotiate for it,¡± Ulrich said, and he went back inside the store. Rather than use the smallish inn that the town had, the expedition had opted for a camp, just inside the town walls, with the usual cook working its everyday miracles. One of them was a bit more of a miracle, as he worked Frostbite into making something rather more wonderful than the usual dried fruit desserts. Ice cream. The dessert was not that uncommon in Johanna¡¯s home State, although it was still horribly expensive in summer, owning to requiring deep ice rooms for storage. The Central States like Independence had more problems getting the ice. As Professor Gomez said, some of the modern fluid physics did preclude the methods that the Ancients used to freeze things. But with a Water Shaper cook? Frozen recipes were trivial. ¡°Mind you, it takes too long for this on the road, and you need cream anyway. So, enjoy while it lasts. Thankfully, I had a book of recipes, so I knew I could do it. But I¡¯m not spending 30 minutes making this every day.¡± As for her contributions, she held off. It had taken her almost a week and a half of experiments to find that she had indeed a new Talent, as Laura had guessed. She could project flame now, in the form of a floating globe of flames. She was still surprised by how many of her Talents could be used in both combat and some sort of utility. Of course, since they were staying within the town, she had not projected her ¡°floating lantern¡±, as she¡¯d called it at one point. Talents like using Frostbite for ice cream or her flame hand to cook were discreet enough that you could use it anywhere. But a floating ball of fire to light the camp in the evening? That was an entirely different thing. Better keep it for when they were out on the road, or in the coming mana zone. Once set up, it didn¡¯t take any effort or concentration to keep up, as it did not move at all once projected. One day, she knew, this might not be surprising. People would notice and then ignore it, instead of wondering what insanely awesome sorcerer was passing through. But until that day¡­ she wanted them to keep a smaller profile. ¡°Got the packages at the town hall, where the post office is,¡± Gomez told Johanna. ¡°Which packages?¡± ¡°I had the Academy send me everything they have on Washington and your Library. I wasn¡¯t sure it would get to New Sandusky in time, so I got them to send it here. I implied lots of books for Estrella, after all. I do wonder if she¡¯s going to make the link. I want to see her face if I can find more Cambridge Press stuff,¡± he said smiling. ¡°Myself, I compared our maps with the local ones for accuracy,¡± Peter said. ¡°They say it¡¯s all good to within thirty miles east, but nobody¡¯s gotten further in more than two decades. The Ancient road is not entirely gone, but it¡¯s more of a question of finding its remnants rather than simply following it. Anything is probably a matter of beasts still using it as a path.¡± ¡°As long as the two wagons make it, that¡¯s good. Worst case? We have two Fire Shapers to clear the way,¡± Johanna replied. ¡°As long as you don¡¯t both burn the entire forest,¡± he laughed. The guard tower marked the limit of modern civilization. Beyond that point, there was nothing until the Atlantic. Johanna, when studying her target¡¯s Ancient and modern history, had learned that more than a few ships had navigated the east coast and that no sign of human occupation was seen from the coast. A few brave souls had landed over the decades, but no one had seen any person, at least before spotting huge Changed beasts and running away. Given the number of people that were supposed to have died during the decade following the Fall, it was not hard to guess no one had survived. And their expedition was going to make history, in more ways than one. For the moment, their path was an easy one. Large tracts of Ancient pavement were still around, with plants poking around here and there. The oxen teams had no problem at all on that easy way. The three guards stationed at the tower couldn¡¯t believe their eyes. She imagined how astounded they would have been if they knew why the expedition was so confident of their chances. The expedition made a few miles out before camping for the day, the top of the watchtower still visible far in the distance. ¡°I¡¯ve been working on models. Of course, any real model needs to be checked with practical experiments based on predictions, but that¡¯s the part that will always be complicated with Talents,¡± Gomez said. ¡°Even if you shower us with possibilities.¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°So?¡± Johanna asked. ¡°Your earning-spending theory is a sound one. But it does not account for everything. Notably, Mrs. Veldhuis¡¯s last Talent.¡± ¡°She needed a Dexterity parchment first, you mean.¡± ¡°Mathematically speaking, if it was a matter of spending some form of accumulated energy to pay for the various parts of a parchment, then it wouldn¡¯t make sense she could spend for a single Dexterity, but not for Dexterity plus whatever it was ¨C Popping Rocks? ¨C yet once she¡¯d used it, the combo would then become available. Which is why I have two different models instead.¡± ¡°Which ones?¡± she asked, fascinated by the researcher¡¯s analysis. ¡°Intermediate pools of sorts. Mrs. Veldhuis needed two of Dexterity whatever since a single one did not work. So, either she needed to spend that Dexterity to obtain Popping Rocks, or she need a minimum of accumulated Dexterity to qualify for it. I don¡¯t know which, not yet.¡± ¡°That sounds plausible. Both, I mean.¡± ¡°There are four potential parts in your parchments, but they don¡¯t all have to follow the same rules.¡± ¡°Level, qualities, specializations, and Talents, you mean. Well, it looks like both Level and qualities draw on the same sort of currency.¡± ¡°Energy. That¡¯s probably a better term.¡± ¡°Even if Talents are something that reflects Ancients?¡± she countered. ¡°Whatever. So yes, if spending for a Level locks you out of doing the same for one quality, it must draw from the same stores as those.¡± ¡°Sounds reasonable.¡± ¡°Which leaves us with the specialization and Talents,¡± Gomez said. ¡°If we need qualities for a Talent, maybe Level is for specializations? Jackson got a Level with Fire Shaper to jump up in power¡­ Hmm, no. We have at least three persons who got their specialization that way, then a Level with just a Talent.¡± ¡°Which means that you have both Level and quality on one side, and possibly both specialization and Talent on the other,¡± Gomez said, taking a few notes. ¡°It¡¯s a bit weird,¡± she acknowledged. ¡°There is probably a logic underpinning it, and once you find it, it becomes obvious. That¡¯s often the case in science. Find the right model, and everything falls in place. You can even explain it to a student.¡± ¡°It must not be easy.¡± ¡°No, Mrs. Milton. That¡¯s what makes a scientist famous ¨C finding a simple model no one suspected was there. In modern times, there might not be many simple models, but that doesn¡¯t mean we stop looking.¡± ¡°Well, that one¡¯s complex.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s why the more people we have to track what happens, the more chances we have to spot the basis of whatever rules Talents. Notably diverse people.¡± ¡°Well, I originally thought you needed additional Levels to go over three Talents. But Miles and Ulrich proved me wrong anyway.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Miles needed only one Level and got seven Talents total. Ulrich got two, yet only six Talents.¡± ¡°And?¡± Johanna frowned. ¡°Not everyone needs Levels to get Talents?¡± she said. ¡°Well, people don¡¯t absolutely need parchments to get Talents, and if specialization is a separate thing, yet needed to get better use of Talents, then they don¡¯t need a parchment to jump from adept to sorcerer or specialist. So why would people need them to gain Levels or Dexterity or Authority or anything else related.¡± Johanna suddenly felt like she should facepalm. ¡°I sometimes get that look from my students,¡± Gomez laughed. ¡°Although usually they were supposed to know better before I point incorrect assumptions. Here, we all are guessing still.¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably easier to get than Talents if almost everyone has them,¡± she realized. ¡°That explains it. Why Levels seemed so inconsistent. Makes sense if Miles had two more than his friend already¡­¡± she trailed, stopping mid-sentence. ¡°I realize something. Let me ask him¡­¡± ¡°Who?¡± Gomez asked. ¡°You¡¯re right. I didn¡¯t check immediately, but Jackson definitively increased slightly in power after he used that Fire Shaper parchment,¡± the Guardian with Gauge Stamina said. The professor was fascinated. ¡°So, you get that feeling of a power scale from every person.¡± ¡°And Changed beasts too.¡± ¡°And how many expedition members have that same feeling now as that Fire Shaper? Do they have more Talents?¡± ¡°Six people? I think. My wife has four too and she gives off the same power as Jackson. Which she already had after getting that Level and Quick Battler parchment. The others have five, yes.¡± ¡°So, people with that same feeling have four or five Talents? Nobody with six?¡± ¡°No, Ulrich¡­ or well, the two high Exemplars are all more powerful than any of the ones with five. The people with five Talents seem to be in two slightly different categories, a smaller and a bigger one. And, well, actually, you belong in the upper one.¡± Ernesto Gomez laughed at that. ¡°I imagine it means I might qualify for five Talents already. And maybe more, with additional Levels. Given that I can use that one.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve been keeping track for us, by the way. The parchments for Agility and Perception started lighting again after we returned from Grand Rapids, and Laura can activate Dexterity again. Both Tom and Peter can still use all six but not Level.¡± ¡°And they are slightly under you, according to that Gauge Stamina.¡± Before long, Gomez had everyone at camp lined to record which parchments they could light. The results were mixed, to say the least. Almost everyone could light all six qualities without activating Level. The only exceptions to that Level limit were Gomez himself, the three non-Talented recruits¡­ and Kartmann the minotaur Duelist. ¡°Uh?¡± ¡°You got a basic set, not a customized one,¡± Johanna reminded him. ¡°You probably could have gotten a second Level back then, if there had been one on those parchments. The only one with any was the first.¡± ¡°Would it allow me to get that sixth Talent?¡± ¡°Well, given that Foster says your power level seems on par with Ulrich¡¯s or mine right now¡­¡± ¡°So, six Talents already?¡± ¡°Who knows?¡± Another set of exceptions that made Gomez very interested was Jackson, the Fire Shaper, and Miles Bertram. Both Shapers could light all of the qualities¡­ save Authority. ¡°It¡¯s interesting,¡± Gomez noted. ¡°The costs are different for everyone?¡± ¡°You noticed. The ¡®cost¡¯ to obtain something seems to vary from person to person. I wonder if it is not progressive.¡± ¡°The more you bought, the more it costs?¡± ¡°Stated that way, it looks logical. It¡¯s like athletes¡¯ training, the higher your ability, the harder it is to get something out of training.¡± Gomez went back to scribbling notes furiously, as the scavengers got back to eating. Jo? Looks like a small pack of Canids, the voice of Peter came. Johanna wished she could reply, but Telepathy went only one way. Thankfully, more details came. Two larger, and two smaller ones. Possibly a couple with grown pups hunting along the Ancient way. ¡°Okay, everyone, Peter¡¯s spotted four Canids, not too far away. We¡¯re probably going to meet them soon.¡± ¡°Should be easy,¡± Miles said. She turned to the two Earth Shapers. ¡°I say we lock the two big ones and take them at range. The other two should be easy.¡± ¡°It hardly seems fair,¡± Petra said. ¡°Consider this a pre-Monster wave cleanup,¡± she countered. ¡°The less it¡¯s fair, the better it will be for that town later.¡± The dozen Talented that took point did not have long to wait until they spotted a group of furred shapes in the distance. The Canids had not noticed them at first, but they quickly stopped, briefly considering the approaching bipeds, before starting to trot toward the expedition. The incoming troop crossed the invisible limit and the two larger beasts almost stumbled as their movement was invisibly stopped. Johanna ignored the two smaller ones and focused on the leftmost Changed, launching a fireball at it. The Ranger, now a bit better trained, shot at the rightmost. It took two fireballs to finish the beast, and while their cook had pelted the smaller Canids with Ice Darts, the pair had reached closer range. Both Battlers, Tom and Caroline Foster darted at nearly the same speeds, batting at the beasts with hammer and sword. In a second the two were dispatched, and the melee line relaxed as the last beast fell. ¡°And done,¡± Johanna announced. ¡°Let¡¯s keep going.¡± ¡°That¡¯s impressive to see,¡± Professor Gomez said as she ambled next to the wagon on which he rode. ¡°We could probably take them with just three or four people, but that¡¯s not worth risking to take some damage. Patching clothes is hard.¡± ¡°Patching clothes,¡± he snorted. ¡°That¡¯s what matters to you.¡± ¡°Well, a large set of Talents changes your priorities.¡± She suddenly realized something. ¡°You know¡­ it¡¯s almost the end of July. In five days, it will be a year since we met the Ancient. A year since we became Talented.¡± ¡°Well, I guess that should call for a celebration. I wonder if you can persuade the cook to make some ice cream again.¡± B2.44 - The Day of the Dead Natura non habet arcana. Written on the blackboard at the start of the year, Nashville Academy While the pathway wasn¡¯t always marked with Ancient road covering, the way into the Eastern mana zones remained well-defined. It followed a slightly winding path almost straight eastward, sneaking through low hills covered with trees and a few clearings. The wagons with wilderness wheels and their draft teams had no difficulty progressing, even if it was slower than a real road. The expedition spotted colonies of Lepuses at least once a day, but the beasts remained mostly content with their grazing pastures, paying little attention to the caravan. On the fourth day, they had to contend with a lone Ursid that came out of nowhere on the flank of the expedition but was almost immediately dispatched, with the wagons not even pausing. Gomez kept tracking every member of the expedition, each camp bringing surprises. The evening after the Ursid, Kartmann discovered that Tom¡¯s power feeling had changed. Both Gauge Stamina users had learned not to pay too much attention to the feelings of power, so nobody had noticed exactly when that happened. ¡°So, it¡¯s really drawing on the same energy,¡± he noted. ¡°Looks like,¡± Tom replied, shrugging. None of the quality parchments were lighting anymore under his touch. ¡°So you¡¯re finally at my level. Took your time,¡± Johanna teased. ¡°Still beat Peter.¡± The small Improviser groaned in mock pain. ¡°I wonder what new Talent you¡¯ve got?¡± she added. ¡°If he has,¡± Gomez corrected her. Both Miltons looked at him surprised. ¡°Remember that qualities seem to be needed for Talents. If you follow the same rules as everyone else, you must also acquire the appropriate ones.¡± More changes surprised everyone at that camp. First, Carolyn Foster, the Quick Battler, had the Level parchment also lighting, while at the same time, their second Fire Shaper¡¯s Authority activated. There was some cheering, as people took it to mean that both Talented could earn a new Talent, or at least for Jackson, a more diverse choice. Another small test came a week in when Peter warned them of a troop of Canids ¨C again ¨C moving around. The expedition had to have been spotted because Tom became quickly aware of the incoming eight dog-like Changed that burst out of the woods running. Despite being calf-sized, both Kartmann and the Guardian immediately called them of being low power. Johanna could guess that none of the creatures would have any significant Talent to use, and she wasn¡¯t surprised as neither Sorceresses nor Heroes could spot the activation of any. The expedition quickly dispatched the Changed beasts. One tried to run away as its packmates were decimated, but Petra locked it in place, and Johanna and the Ranger pelted it, ending the fight conclusively. And then, when Peter came out of the wilds later, ending his advance scouting, Kartmann, once again, noticed the difference in power. ¡°No more quality activation either,¡± Gomez remarked as he wrote in his big notebook. ¡°I was just two days behind Tom,¡± Peter answered. ¡°And now it¡¯s our turn to have all parchments active while you wait,¡± Laura replied. ¡°Enjoy the run. It takes time,¡± he countered. ¡°Not that long. We get all the advantages.¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± Gomez went back to his favorite seat on the wagon, waiting for the food to be done as he wrote more notes. Johanna joined him there. ¡°So, we¡¯re now all¡­ around 8th step in power?¡± she asked. ¡°Based on the scale Gauge Stamina provides? That¡¯s what both Talented confirm. It¡¯s nice to have confirmation from two independent observers. Although they are both using the same Talent. It would still be useful to track the difference with, say, the use of parchments.¡± He fell silent and plunged again into his notebook, reading older notes. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°I think it¡¯s still a coincidence. Until proven otherwise,¡± he finally said cryptically. ¡°What coincidence?¡± ¡°After the previous fight, you probably noticed. Your husband gains power ¨C which I assume is done immediately by your patron ¨C and two expedition members also gain some or at least potential for some. I was wondering if it was meaningful.¡± ¡°Everyone gains that energy all the time?¡± she replied, baffled. ¡°So it seems. But my mind kept insisting that triple growth had to be significant. Yet today, Mr. Donnall didn¡¯t get involved in the fight, and yet he¡¯s the only one to show significant growth.¡± ¡°About everyone save Miles can now light all qualities.¡± ¡°I was expecting maybe one Level? But without a measure of the scales involved, it¡¯s hard to figure out how probable it is. It would be like numerology, massaging numbers until they tell you what you want to hear.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re expecting what? Fighting Changed beasts to provide energy somehow?¡± ¡°Who knows? Maybe the beasts also have that energy you accumulate, and fighting them allows you to draw upon theirs. I mean, they do gain Talents, don¡¯t they? We need more examples to compare how fast it is with and without fighting.¡± Ernesto Gomez immediately noticed Johanna starting to pale. ¡°Something?¡± ¡°I¡­ I remember some of my improvements. Last year¡­ we were fighting an invasion of Lepuses, back at my home farmplex. And in the middle of the battle, after we¡¯d dispatched several of the beasts¡­ that¡¯s when I lighted my spear with flame.¡± ¡°Flaming Blade, like the other Fire Shaper, right?¡± ¡°Right. And when we fought the smaller colony on the way, Laura discovered she could instantly heal deeper wounds.¡± ¡°Although she might have had it before, and just figured it out, since it requires one of you to have just been heavily wounded.¡± ¡°True.¡± ¡°So, maybe I¡¯m correct. Did you obtain extra energy when fighting Changed beasts? Still can be a coincidence.¡± She gulped audibly, drawing an odd look from the Professor. ¡°Then¡­ there was the battle at Kootenai¡­¡± ¡°So, thrice, you gained power in the middle of fighting? Or you just discovered you had those Talents all along, maybe,¡± Gomez said. ¡°Maybe. But then, I wonder. If we still obey the general rules associated with Talents, why do we have so much so young? People tend to have more power, as reported, the older they are. We have as much power as thirty-plus old people. As much as Ulrich, who is nearly forty. But we¡¯ve fought loads of beasts.¡± ¡°That¡¯s an interesting picture you paint.¡± ¡°Mark ¨C Mark Kunst, a Ranger back in the Dakotas ¨C was slightly younger than Petra, but had slightly more power. Maybe because he¡¯s a guard, and he went regularly to clear the area of any beast that strayed from mana zones.¡± ¡°You do make a good possible case. But again, it might be a coincidence.¡± ¡°We must not talk of this to anyone else.¡± ¡°Uh? Why?¡± Gomez said. ¡°Because¡­ because, when I got that fireball¡­ we were not fighting beasts. We were fighting a tribal army.¡± ¡°Oh. Oh¡­¡± ¡°If that energy gain theory of yours¡­ then people are a valid source of energy.¡± Gomez looked at her gravely. ¡°I can see the problem. There are a lot more people around than Changed beasts.¡± ¡°Unless you go in the wilds.¡± He hesitated, and she frowned. ¡°Okay then. I¡¯ll keep this quiet,¡± he said. Natura non habet arcana, Nature has no secrets. Johanna Milton needed to believe that keeping a secret like that would work, but Ernesto Gomez knew better, of course. The more Talented, the more test parchments like those, the more likely someone else could notice such a pattern ¨C if it truly existed, and they were not deluding themselves with pareidolia. The only way to keep it potentially secret would be to abandon the expedition, to turn back, never, ever convert another parchment and let everyone die of old age, returning the Americas to their old picture of rare and random Talents, without a reliable way of gaining any. Well, he wasn¡¯t about to suggest that. Besides trying to explain to the entire expedition that they needed to abort, now, without telling them why and defeating the whole purpose, and possibly angering an Ancient or whatever that entity Johanna insisted was behind their Talents, Ernesto Gomez wasn¡¯t na?ve enough to believe people needed an extra excuse to kill each other for gain. As he drifted into sleep, he wondered if the California Ghost had known. But the legendary stealth assassin hadn¡¯t engaged in serial slaughter, beyond what might be construed as targeted assassinations. And the Ghost probably couldn¡¯t obtain Talents at will anyway. The circus of nightmares kept waking Johanna up. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the same scenes. She ran across streets, and every time she met someone, she somehow killed them by accident, and each time, she gained a Talent, until she was a Burning Walker, lighting the entire town in fire, and blue smoke came out of houses to enter her, offering more and more power. Or she was at camp, and people got shoved in as the entire expedition gleefully slashed and hammered and tortured them until they expired or she simply ended their agonies, blue lights like during parchment making drawing power every time to dance across the killers, and her, as she looked and did nothing. Or when she walked across the Kootenai Gap, killing everyone, tribals and soldiers alike. The Warden, falling as she gleefully breathed steam in his face, Elena, her mists dispersed by a streak of fireballs. The captain ¨C whose name she no longer really remembered now ¨C was back from the dead, and being speared in flames. Even Ulrich and Miles, somehow trying to stop her. She knew the others were there, but all she could see were soldiers, trying to come at her and feeding her more power. ¡°¡¯ts okay,¡± Tom whispered to her, as she startled once again. ¡°It¡¯s not.¡± ¡°Tell me tomorrow,¡± he answered, holding and caressing her. If we stayed¡­ if we fought with the army? How powerful would we be now? she thought briefly, as she fell again into slumber. She woke up tired and resigned. She couldn¡¯t change anything, any of the rules that governed the Talents. She had to follow them. And hope the Ancient could guide her, all four of them across the treacherous seas of the possible. Then, as she fiddled with her breakfast, she realized it was that day. Exactly one year ago, on July 30th, in the late morning, they had found a room spliced in two, with a chair that should have fallen apart long ago and a skeleton that should not have been there. And on that day, they lost their innocence. I wonder what they¡¯re thinking, Moore told himself. She seems depressed. Well, reflecting on one year of abrupt and unexpected, unwanted changes could do that, he had to admit. Will that cook make a cake? Or ice cream? She sure seems to need ice cream, he estimated, looking at her from her husband¡¯s perspective. He mentally shrugged and looked at his 20k XP. Soon. We¡¯re getting closer to Washington. B2.45 - Perilous Valleys Not all those who wander are lost. Pre-Fall writer George Silvers rose slightly on his mount¡¯s back, looking down the low depression. The troop below was slowly advancing along the remnants of the Ancient pathways, negotiating a hollow. He squinted under his large black sunglasses. Monica Silvers ¨C a second cousin of a side line ¨C came along on her own mount. The two pair were on far scout duty when he spotted the unknown intruders. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Tallers,¡± he replied, adding ¡°Many.¡± ¡°What?¡± She tried to look, but even with her own glasses, the daylight was too bad. Her mount, sensitive to her mood, emitted a small whine, and she patted the furred head. ¡°Quiet, Mists.¡± ¡°How can there be Tallers?¡± she asked next. ¡°No one¡¯s seen any outsiders since after the End.¡± ¡°Obviously, they still exist. The elders say there is no way Unchanged would have gone extinct, even with the zone covering the world. Look at the Four Families.¡± ¡°They are gone extinct,¡± Monica replied. ¡°After Anna¡­¡± George winced. The Mooneyed had always guarded the Four Families, the Unchanged at the Camp. There had never been enough of them, just a handful of people who did not become Changed fifteen decades ago when the old world ended. Barely enough, until one generation got completely unlucky with a dozen boys born for a single girl. Anna refused to bear the burden of the next generation and nearly managed to take out her life. They saved her, but she¡¯d achieved her wish, and never bore children for the rest of her short life. The Mooneyed would live on, but the Four Families were dead. ¡°They must not fear the wildlife much,¡± he noted. ¡°It¡¯s not the big season, but yes. And they must have traveled from afar, or we¡¯d have seen traces of them a long time ago.¡± ¡°I want to see what they can do.¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t,¡± she replied. ¡°Let¡¯s head back and report to the elders.¡± ¡°Playing safe.¡± ¡°We always lose a couple of hunters every year when the Greater Beasts start roaming around. You don¡¯t want to add to that just because you decided to muck with unknown Tallers. Who knows what they want?¡± The two diminutive three-foot figures turned their riding Canids and started moving away from the low valley where the expedition had stopped and was starting to make a camp. The Ancient map copies that Johanna had obtained had suggested heading southeast at one point, and the pathway the expedition was following obliged. That was also when Petra spotted a mana plume while Johanna was not paying attention. As soon as it was called, she had little difficulty noticing it. ¡°Think you can handle it?¡± Miles asked. ¡°Sure. Us four, Petra, and a couple of others. Peter¡¯s going to scout, and if it¡¯s dangerous, then he¡¯ll call you via Telepathy, you can stop the caravan and reinforce us.¡± Despite the map showing towns and cities, they had not seen much in the way of ruins while following the paths. But the Artifact sign was an indication that there might be actual ruins, just away from the Ancient road track. The seven scavengers moved cautiously toward the plume. They quickly crossed over the hillock that separated the highway from the location of the plume and Johanna immediately spotted a series of rectangular shapes covered in greenery that had to be ruins. The manalight connected to the side of one. ¡°No sign of predators?¡± Petra asked. ¡°Peter would have notified us,¡± Johanna answered. ¡°Indeed,¡± the small man said, making all of them startle as usual. ¡°Ruins?¡± she asked. ¡°Mostly intact, at least from the outside. I didn¡¯t go inside, there is absolutely zero light from what I could see. Which one has the Artifact?¡± ¡°The second in the row.¡± ¡°Two doors, both wide open now. They all look like some commercial district.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go grab that Artifact and leave. No time to scavenge anyway.¡± The second opening into the target building still had old metallic doors attached to hinges, but they were rusted and wide open inward, revealing the dark entrance. Johanna projected immediately a flame globe as far as she could inside, getting a quick peek before extinguishing it to avoid setting the building on fire. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°Looks like partitions, with a wide-open ceiling,¡± she informed the rest. The mana plume came into the opening, swirling further in. She wondered a bit. Sometimes, the mana went through walls or rather, the corners, where walls and ceilings connected. Sometimes, it followed the path of least resistance and flowed across openings. She went in and placed a flame globe above the partitions. She looked up to confirm it was far enough to avoid heating the ceiling and looked into reflections of light. Eight of them. She did not have time before the monstrosity that was just next to the flaming orb dropped toward her. ¡°Fuuuuck,¡± Laura screamed as the shape of the Changed beast got revealed. An Aranea. Like the one Miles encountered, Johanna thought as she threw a fireball upward. The ball scorched the prickly fur that covered the gigantic spider-shaped monster, and in response, the beast shot a streak of silk at her. She had no warning as the white substance glued itself to her face and jerked her forward. Thankfully, she had an answer, opening her mouth and breathing out hot steam. That almost instantly dissolved most of the silk, and she lighted her hand, burning out the rest of the strand and letting her go free. The Ranger shot an arrow. He¡¯d improved a lot since he¡¯d picked the bow during the Grand Rapids expedition, and the arrow struck the head. The Changed beast ignored him and dropped to the ground. ¡°Gotcha,¡± Petra said. The spider tried to lift one of its legs, straining. The dark globes that marked its eyes let no impression come, but Johanna thought the beast had difficulty understanding its predicament. Being glued to something was not a common experience for a spider. Tom reached the spider just as it raised itself, shooting silk up and then tearing itself from the ground. His hammer struck the ends of one of the legs as the spider shot toward the ceiling. ¡°That¡¯s cheating!¡± Petra said, frustrated. ¡°Draw it out of the building,¡± Cameron Scott yelled. Johanna launched another fireball at the monster, backing away. As soon as she got into the door¡¯s opening she turned and ran, getting range, while the rest of the team spread out. Will it come? ¡°Gotch¡­ no, fuck!¡± Petra yelled again. The Aranea had come out. But rather than crawl and be locked on the ground, it seemed to float several inches over the ground, its leg tips bathed in manalight. She launched another fireball at the same time that the Ranger sent another arrow. The fireball barely singed the monster, which kept ignoring the arrow pelting it despite the enhanced strikes. It turned toward Cameron who was readying his sword for the attack. Mandibles opened and another streak of silk shot out. The Swordbringer avoided his sword getting stuck, but his arm didn¡¯t escape. The Aranea immediately jerked the silk, but before it could cause Cameron to stumble, another figure rushed him. The hammer strike from Tom caused enough of a disruption that Cameron could slice himself free with his off-hand. Johanna launched another fireball at the rear of the spider, but she was now quite certain the enemy had at least some form of fire resistance. The Aranea started backing toward the building¡¯s gaping entrance, but both Cameron and Petra were now advancing, Petra with her stone slicers and Cameron with his sword back in his main hand, and they both cut, aiming for the legs. Tom moved between those legs, aiming for the head. The Aranea struck him on the face, drawing blood, but he ignored the attack, swinging his hammers upward. An arrow, aimed at the right time, struck the eye, distracting it briefly, and the hammer struck. The spider fell on the ground, its magical concentration disrupted enough, and Petra backed, switching to Earthbind rather than melee. Cameron cut into one leg, while Tom hammered again. This time, the front of the giant spider¡¯s head broke, splashing black gore on the two men, and the spider subsided. A fraction of a second later, Laura appeared next to Tom, already reaching for the open slash. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s find this Artifact and run back. I hope there¡¯s no other ruin dweller in there,¡± Johanna immediately said. That was a fearsome fucker, Moore noted as the Level 14 Peak Aranea¡¯s corpse twitched. Experience had been already added according to death, not a simple defeat, so he guessed those were just post-mortem movements. The silk-based attacks did not look like they were skills, but rather simple biology-based abilities, which was not out of the realm of possibility for such a gigantic spider. Although spiders are not supposed to be viable at that size. But then neither was that buffalo-sized albino scorpion back last year.
Investiture of the Heavens Requires: Authority 22/Strength 21/Level 14
Effective: N ¡Á Strength + Level (adds mana) Passive: All kinetic transfers are reduced by (Eff)% Active: Hover up to (Eff) inches above the ground, while reducing all fire effects by (Eff¡Á15) ¡ãF. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds
Metal Shaper AUT 17/STR 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=1
The three hunters kept their distance. The elders had immediately ordered scouts to follow the unknown Tallers, see what they did, where they went, and above all, stay hidden. There had to be a serious reason why such an expedition crossed the dangerous forests, and it wasn¡¯t because they knew about the Mooneyed. This is how George Silvers, Monica Silvers, and Hank Marek got in the falling evening near the camp. Monica stayed away to keep the three mounts quiet while the two men slowly crawled through the undergrowth to get close enough to listen, hoping the strangers would speak normally. They might have not learned much about their actual goals the first time they did it, but they quickly realized why that expedition seemed at ease in the wilds. George had nearly lost it when he saw one woman light her hand on fire to start the campfire. Or later project a ball of fire as a kind of lamp up in the air, suspended on nothing. The man who manifested a length of chain that burned and started practicing using it as a whip, or the white-haired elder who vanished into a tree were additional eye-openers. ¡°They have mount-skills,¡± Hank whispered, only to be silenced by George¡¯s imperious sign. They watched a bit more, and while most of the two dozen Tallers did not show any overt sign of further mount-skills, the fact that one man was showing another how to use a sword that flickered from hand to hand without moving in between showed the truth. Finally, they crawled back, rejoining Monica. ¡°That¡¯s how they¡¯re here. I wondered how Tallers could go around without protection,¡± George said. ¡°Not all of them are Tallers. Did you see the one with horns growing out of his head?¡± Hank said. ¡°No one has ever had mount-skills,¡± Monica countered. ¡°They look like Tallers, but they might not be. Do you think they are all Changed?¡± ¡°We were Changed after the End, but we never got skills like our mounts. We need to know more. Where they come from, and particularly what brought them here now.¡± B2.46 - Ancient Ruins Washington DC is 12 square miles bordered by reality. Pre-Fall President During the next week and a half, the pathway the expedition followed became more and more sinuous. If it were not for the Ancient road remains, finding their way across the woods might have been harder. Even then, they had to cross broad depressions, with traces of cross-road marking where Ancient fallen bridges had allowed the two ways to cross. But the oxen teams placidly obeyed their drivers, and they were still making good time. The weather helped too. Fall rains would have made the trip far worse, but August stayed mostly sunny, and the handful of cloudy days did nothing to hamper the wagons¡¯ progress. There were more beast attacks though, at least once every two or three days, as roaming packs of Canids noticed the intruders on their territories, or a solitary Felid thought of their oxen as being tasty prey before he realized belatedly his error. Their biggest fight was when a trio of gigantic thirty-foot wingspan birds decided to grab people. Miles tried and managed to kill one of the three with his lightning. It was hard, as he could only ¡°aim¡± at the ground, and try to get the lightning strike to cross the flight path of the birds. And expensive, as he informed Johanna after the fight. ¡°Five strikes and I was almost out and couldn¡¯t do another. Each strike was costing almost as much as an hour of using the Ember Chains.¡± ¡°Same for me. Instant, powerful attacks at a range like that drain mana faster. I can do a lot of fireballs, sure, but if I were to chain throw them, I¡¯d run dry within a few minutes,¡± she informed. ¡°You tried?¡± ¡°Not recently. Launching as many as I can in as short as I can is immensely destructive. Peter joked about burning the forest, I could probably do it. And besides, I try not to be noticeable.¡± ¡°Well, in my case, it¡¯s those damned summer clouds. The higher they are, the more it drains me.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°Yes. More notes for the prof. Or that Society of Sorcerers of yours.¡± ¡°Technically, we¡¯re both members. They don¡¯t have dues, all you need is having a real sorcerous Talent.¡± ¡°I see lots of sorcerers these days. Do they know?¡± Miles asked, a smirk showing. ¡°I doubt it. You¡¯re right, I¡¯m the registered sorceress here,¡± she laughed, adding, ¡°Do you want me to denounce you? Metal Shaper Miles Bertram, the highest number of Talents in the world today, needs to be on the front of the next edition¡­¡± Miles laughed. That evening, after Professor Gomez had dutifully recorded that Miles had finally lighted the Authority parchment, and Cameron Scott also activated the Level version, she sat with the scholar. ¡°That was a big fight today. More coincidences or?¡± she asked. ¡°Who knows? I warned you not to derive too quick conclusions. Although there is something with the progression. It does not make sense to gain, say, six Levels in fifteen years, and get a new one in three months. It could be having Talents speeds it up. Or your presence, or rather your patron¡¯s influence. For now, what¡¯s more interesting is how different your husband is from Peter Donnall, though.¡± Tom still could not light any of the quality parchments. Peter, however, had almost immediately started to activate qualities again, beginning with Authority, Perception, and Empathy, despite having gained power later than Tom. Agility came quickly afterward, leaving only two inactive qualities. ¡°Tom still needed qualities for a Talent, you mean?¡± ¡°It fits the idea. And I think it means that my model of cumulative quality rather than expendable qualities is more accurate since Mr. Donnall did not seem to need any after gaining a Level.¡± ¡°We still haven¡¯t figured out what their new Talents are. If Tom has gotten his new one yet, that is.¡± ¡°That must be a bit frustrating. For everyone else, you get to read the name of what they¡¯re about to obtain, just before they use their parchment and get it. But for you, you need to guess.¡± This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Yes. At least we¡¯ve got some ideas on names. Flaming Blade is an obvious part of my skill set, ditto for Mana Sight. Laura¡¯s got even more names in common with the other Fixers, and that makes it easier to compare effects. But otherwise¡­ it¡¯s try anything and keep trying until you figure it out, and that¡¯s way harder for Heroes than Sorcerers.¡± She looked at the silhouette of the minotaur talking with Miles and sighed. ¡°At least now, we¡¯re aware of when we gain power. Having Gauge Stamina to tell us when we change.¡± ¡°I agree. That one Talent does not seem that useful at a glance, but from an informational standpoint, it¡¯s priceless. Outside of clocking the duration of an effect, it¡¯s the only accurate ¨C as weird as it is ¨C measurement method we have.¡± The three hunters kept their distance, following the expedition despite the discomfort of keeping up with them during the day. The fights the Tallers got into with beasts, even once a trio of Greater Beasts, only served to demonstrate how powerful those foreigners were with their dizzying array of multiple mount-skills. George guessed that they had to have lots of them, like the mythic Blaze. Although the legendary mount of his ancestor had four skills, more than any since then, he was betting that some might have as many or more. The biggest threat was their forward scout. They lucked early in spotting him as he was only starting to use one of his skills, and Monica noticed she was the only one keeping track of him as he moved ahead of the expedition, while both George and Hank couldn¡¯t spot him. She had looked at them incredulously and then couldn¡¯t find him again, even though she¡¯d looked away for a mere second. After that, they became even more careful where they made their own camp and only spied close when they were sure he was there at the Taller¡¯s camp and not prowling around unseen. The last thing they wanted was for him to find out about them. The elders had been very insistent. They should not learn of the Mooneyed presence until their intentions could be properly assessed. ¡°Washington?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what those three were talking about,¡± Hank said. ¡°Why?¡± Monica asked back. ¡°They¡¯re looking for ¡®power¡¯. Like if they expect to get more power there. They were not specific about how.¡± ¡°Is this like the valleys of awakening? Maybe they know the Ancient city to be like those,¡± George mused. ¡°Powerful enough to awaken even a person? No one¡¯s been there since the End. It¡¯s far away from the Camp and way too risky to go there.¡± ¡°Less so with that expedition clearing the way. I still don¡¯t believe how powerful they are. Even for those with what looks like known mount-skills, theirs are so much more¡­¡± Mists whined as if he understood he was belittled by George, and Monica petted him. ¡°You¡¯re good enough,¡± she whispered to him. ¡°So we follow them?¡± Hank asked. ¡°That¡¯s what we¡¯re here for. The elders will want to find out how they got the ability to get mount-skills,¡± George said. ¡°They are in for a surprise once we report on that one. Maybe it¡¯s got something to do with Washington if they are looking for ¡®power¡¯ there.¡± As they moved southeast, more and more ruins started to appear close to the path the expedition followed. One also had a mana plume visible from the highway, but Johanna¡¯s group couldn¡¯t get to the Artifact. The mana trace went straight into a small hole, going underground and they could not find access anywhere in the nearly gone building nearby. Leaving the Artifact pained Johanna, but they probably couldn¡¯t justify the time to dig. It would probably taunt them back when they came back, but she couldn¡¯t do anything. Maybe there was some Talent that could be used to open up the ground, but their two Earth Shapers, Petra and Jorieke, didn¡¯t have any applicable one, and while Swordcutter did cut anything, it wasn¡¯t ¡°Earthcutter¡±. Far too shallow. Most of their Talents seemed geared for fighting, she¡¯d noticed, although some could be construed as useful both outside and in combat situations, like her orbs which were both obstacles and traps, forcing enemies to change their path, and light for the camp¡¯s evening, at least until she went to sleep and the orb stopped naturally anyway. She wondered if it was a specific decision by the Skeleton, or if Talents naturally were mostly combat-oriented. There were enough examples like Detect Lies or Telepathy, or some of the ones listed in the Mages of America compendium to know that not every Talent was directly applicable to combat. After all, you gained power without even fighting. Ulrich had lighted the Level parchment after a rare day without any fights. There were also more beasts, even if they did not always attack. If she had doubted this was truly the deepest mana zone they had visited, the sheer number of Changed beasts moving around was a stark reminder of that despite the normal look of the vegetation along the Ancient highways. No wonder the wilderness close to the coast was still a source of beast waves. ¡°Our ancestors survived that?¡± she asked Miles once. ¡°From all accounts, they almost did not. Places like Cheat or New Sandusky were founded more than two generations after the Fall, by people coming from safer areas.¡± ¡°If historical accounts are to be believed, less than one person in a hundred made it. The ones who didn¡¯t learn to protect themselves died quickly once the Changed beasts started coming out,¡± Gomez added. Moore had never been to Washington DC, even if he once lived north a few hundred miles away. Not that he expected to recognize anything after 150 years. All he had to orient himself was the faded copies of ancient paper maps that the expedition used. And of course, no GPS. Getting to the Potomac and following its course was a good idea on the part of Johanna. The traces of the ancient interstates were good, but not ideal, especially that close to their destination where they started to intersect in all kinds of confusing ways. What surprised him was the abrupt transition. One moment, they were making their way across flat terrain, the concrete interstate pavement still almost intact between grasses, and the next, actual, obvious ruins. Ancient buildings, fallen but still visible, blocs of houses like the ones in the old ruins where the four had found his displaced home. They had entered the Washington suburbs. B2.47 - The Congress The only thing that you absolutely have to know is the location of the library. Pre-Fall scientist Johanna stopped when she looked to the side and spotted the tall pointed monument visible over the overgrown area. ¡°This is it,¡± she half-whispered. ¡°I recognize this.¡± ¡°Your vision?¡± Miles asked. ¡°It even has that crack on one side,¡± she pointed in the distance. ¡°So, it was not a vision of the Ancient times,¡± Gomez asked, squinting. ¡°No. The Library of Congress must be¡­ is in that direction.¡± Although there were small trees all over the area, the pathway was relatively clear. They followed elongated and obviously artificial ponds. On the sides, silhouettes of ruined buildings showed in places between the woods that had grown over the ancient park. Once they passed the pointed obelisk, a partially collapsed dome dominated the perspective. Johanna realized it looked strange to her because she was seeing it illuminated by the sun from the front. She had not realized it at the time, but the vision¡¯s building shapes had been lighted from every direction somehow, while they were in the early afternoon now, and shadows were visible. ¡°The library should be behind that dome shape.¡± ¡°The Congress itself,¡± Gomez noted from up the wagon, checking the map he held. ¡°It is weird. To realize I¡¯ve seen this, yet probably no one has actually been here since the Fall.¡± The ground cover was sparse now, and the expedition and its wagons finally broke onto Ancient road pavement, intact save for a few holes where roots of absent trees had ripped it open a long time ago before vanishing. They made their way around the domed ruin, and Johanna finally spotted the building she was ¨C no, they were ¨C there for. Although its surroundings were overgrown, the stairs were there toward the opening, and the same half-crumbled side she recognized did not look any different from the winter¡¯s vision, although she was seeing it from the ground rather than the overhead perspective the model-map had offered. ¡°It¡¯s still there. Unchanged.¡± She felt a wave of emotion come. Satisfaction, vindication, and relief, all mixed together. ¡°Sorry for doubting you, even if I never said it,¡± she whispered to the Ancient, and Tom squeezed her from behind, dropping a small kiss on her head. The entrance to the building was locked or stuck. The doors were a mixture of metal grids and glass panes, and Johanna wanted very much to keep the building as intact as possible for future expeditions, so they carefully worked until the slightly rusted door groaned and opened enough to let them in. Shadows greeted them. There were windows high above, but full of grime and dust, and barely enough light came in. She estimated the size, and brought up a flame orb, bringing more light ¨C and deeper shadows ¨C to the entrance. A marble hall was revealed, with staircases going up on both sides. Despite fifteen decades, the building itself had relatively little damage inside. What was inside was different. Wood tables were overturned, sometimes with deep scratches, and broken bits of unknown things were strewn all around, torn cloth drapes haphazardly wrapped over places where they had fallen. Something must have happened here. Some of the ruins Johanna had seen were almost undisturbed while others showed people had come and left. ¡°It looks like there was some fighting?¡± she wondered. ¡°No idea. After all, the door was closed,¡± Miles said from behind her. A few more expedition members had been squeezing themselves through the opening, casting glances. ¡°Based on the maps I got from Nashville, there is a main reading room, and adjacent bookshelves on the first floor,¡± Gomez said. ¡°But then, there should be lots of bookshelves all around. I think there should be a basement too.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see if it¡¯s better,¡± she said. The room they entered was full of darkness, vague hints of light up where you could make out the shape of window panes, but she brought an orb again, and it was revealed in its glory. Large reading desks in circles, with chairs still there. Alcoves in which she could dimly see shelves, and presumably, books. Unlike the entrance, this place did not look like it had been ransacked. ¡°Wow,¡± she whispered. The professor looked at her oddly. ¡°Sorry. It feels like we should respect this place. It feels like the Fall never happened here.¡± ¡°Libraries do that to you,¡± Gomez said. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Kartmann and a few others had followed, and they brought out torches. They would have to be careful, but using oil lamps would have meant carrying oil, and they did not have enough room in the wagons. Seeing how hard it had been to recruit teamsters, Johanna was happy she did not have to buy an extra and older wagon for even more supplies. Torches were easier to make on the spot. She peeked into one of the side alcoves, flaming hand active, and was greeted by the sight she hoped to see. Book spines. The shelves looked intact, even if more cobwebs had been deposited over the decades, and the books looked antique. A brass plaque stated ¡°Biographies¡±, meaning she could expect to find stories of famous Ancients. Sorry for your legacies, but we have another use for you, she apologized mentally. Cameron Scott ducked into the alcove and started pulling some of the books, checking them. ¡°Let¡¯s see what you can get,¡± she said to him. ¡°Uh?¡± ¡°You qualify for a Level, after all. And probably a new Talent.¡± The man smiled back and started piling books on his arm. She¡¯d relocated the floating orb a bit closer and taken over one of the reading desks. It held no books whatsoever, but it was handy to put a stack of the ones they¡¯d already pulled. The rest of the team gathered around her, and she turned to the hopeful scavengers. Jackson, the other Fire Shaper, was first. A simple Agility parchment popped, making him worry, but when Tom¡¯s touch brought Agility and Ember Hand out of the book, he relaxed and accepted both parchments. ¡°And the Gauge Stamina does not change after accepting a Talent. It¡¯s just Level that does it,¡± Gomez noted. One by one, all the scavengers made their way into the Library to check their progress. Only a handful, all of those who¡¯d activated Level previously, got parchments. For the rest, the book conversion did not start. Ulrich smiled when, after two Strength parchments, he got Immutable Wood. The parchment refused to light, but he stored it anyway for when it would. ¡°Catching up to you, Miles.¡± ¡°I got the superior Talents.¡± The two drivers got also their promised specialization and Talents. A Ranger and a Deadeye, whatever that specialization was. From the Talent names, that looked like some form of Heroic close-and-range combat type. After all the expedition members, Johanna hesitated briefly. There were books still stacked on the reader¡¯s desk. ¡°Well, let¡¯s start making parchments for the future,¡± she announced loudly for the benefit of the Ancient. The new parchment was a classic one. Level, Authority, Shaper. Another sorcerer starter specialization. She slid the parchment aside and passed the book to Tom while picking another. Level, Authority, Flame Handling. Looks like we¡¯re starting with a set for another fire sorcerer, she mentally noted. Perception, Mana Sight. Ah, another of those. It is due time someone else got it. Level, Dexterity, Flaming Blade. Level, Agility, Earthbind. Uh? What does this have to do with fire? It doesn¡¯t fit¡­ Level, Fire Shaper¡­ Okay, that¡¯s five. Then she converted another book and froze, looking at the new paper. Dexterity, Fireball¡­ and a struck-out Earthbind. Gomez looked at her, noting her hesitation. He looked then at the parchment. ¡°What is it? Two talents, one with a bar?¡± ¡°That¡¯s how you remove Talents. Petra got her Frostbite removed like that. But¡­ that¡¯s what happened to me.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Those parchments¡­ they¡¯re recapitulating what happened. I started as a Shaper, with my flaming hand¡­ Flame Handling. And the Mana Sight. Then I got the blade. Then Earthbind.¡± ¡°Then you became a Fire Shaper¡­¡± he continued. ¡°And then later, I lost Earthbind, which was replaced by¡­ Fireball.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what happened to you?¡± ¡°Yes. Then¡­ the next one should be the breath¡­¡± She picked a book and watched the conversion occur. ¡°Empathy ¨C curious ¨C and Steam Breath, along with Level. It does look like you¡¯re correct,¡± Gomez noted. Level, Strength, and Flaming Orb were next. Johanna exhaled slowly. All of her skills finally laid bare. ¡°Thank you,¡± she whispered, drawing an odd look from Gomez before he realized who she was talking to. ¡°It¡¯s interesting, I agree.¡± Level. Agility. Cinder Circle. She stopped again. ¡°Looks like it¡¯s the sixth quality Talent,¡± Gomez noted. ¡°The one that will replace your Earthbind.¡± ¡°Wait a second¡­¡± she replied. Spotting Kartmann, she immediately came to him. ¡°Has my¡­ power level changed?¡± The minotaur was startled by the question and gauged her. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Nope, you still feel as before.¡± She came back, as the rest of the team looked at her. ¡°I was wondering why that parchment. I shouldn¡¯t have that Talent yet.¡± ¡°Not yet, maybe. But I am assuming that¡¯s what¡¯s next for you,¡± Gomez answered. ¡°In advance?¡± ¡°Why not? You made a parchment for Ulrich Sengfield that he has to activate yet, after all. If you can pick what qualities you get, then your Talent progression can be somewhat predicted.¡± ¡°Tom? What about you?¡± she asked. She looked. Tom¡¯s parchments were Level, Battler, followed by Level, Strength, Slam, then Agility, Intercept. The parchments followed the same type of progression, with the last two indicating Blind Fighting and then Grapple. Counting the Levels, the latter was the eighth as well. She looked, spotting Gomez noting down the parchments Laura had produced. She immediately realized the Combat Fixer had had First Aid all along, probably before they encountered the Lepus colony where that Talent had probably saved her life. Falter had come later¡­ and at the same time as her Flaming Blade. During the Lepus attack on Anasta, she realized. He knew what was important. Gomez finished taking notes. ¡°Looks like all of you got an advance notice of your next Talent.¡± ¡°That¡¯s handy. But I seem to lack¡­ one,¡± Peter noted. ¡°Your current Level seems empty. And you do not have any associated with either Authority or Empathy, interestingly. However¡­¡± Gomez started muttering inaudibly. ¡°However?¡± Peter asked before Johana could. After a longer pause, Gomez finally said just, ¡°interesting.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°Later. It seems there are more parchments to produce,¡± he replied, pointing to the large pile of books. ¡°Let¡¯s see what sets we get then,¡± she replied, smiling. Johanna picked one book and started again. The parchment that popped was a simple one. And it lighted under her touch. Fire Master. At that moment, she felt suddenly faint, and the light hanging above extinguished itself, plunging the library room into darkness. B2.48 - Shapes of Power Things don¡¯t turn up in this world until somebody turns them up. Pre-Fall politician Moore found himself in a quandary. After producing the complete build and history for his Four, his plan was a data dump. Everything he knew about the System¡¯s skills and specializations. He even had a good idea of how to structure these lists so it would be obvious what they represented. But such a dump could only include skills up to his view horizon. He had a handful of high-tier skills spotted ¡°in the wild¡±, but nothing significant. And he already had three persons going around at level 8, which was that horizon right now. Level 9 was probably in the cards somewhere soon, given he¡¯d seen some people with 10 at one point. Not everyone would qualify for a new skill at level 9, given how he allocated things, but even then¡­ He contemplated his stash of personal XP. He was now over 25500, thanks to a stray Felid next to one of the bridges over the Potomac and the few books he¡¯d just converted into Setting Scrolls. Yet, he had no new personal ability in view¡­ so the ¡Á3 multiplier was a miss¡­ but given that the Library of Congress seemed to be reasonably intact, he could expect a flood of personal XP soon. If they just converted a thousand books per day, he could count on tens of thousands of XP in a single day. Much more efficient ¨C for him, at least ¨C than any single fight would be. Then he focused again on Johanna¡¯s full descriptor, as he often did when checking what was possible.
Johanna Marcia Milton Female human, 20 years, 3 months
Fire Shaper Level: 7 (21000 XP needed) 221/253 mana (+29 per hour) 0 unallocated skill points XP: 11548 + 25563
STR: 16 (2490 XP needed) Blazing Orb (39) AUT: 20 (1578 XP needed) Fire Handling (67)
AGI: 16 (1879 XP needed) PER: 15 (988 XP needed) Mana Sight (37)
DEX: 18 (2699 XP needed) Flaming Blade (43) Fireball (43) EMP: 17 (2118 XP needed) Steam Breath (24)
Bodily immunity to fire, up to 970¡ãF (521¡ãC) Detect mana flows & pools of 27.0 size or greater Require 24% less oxygen 39% better sight
I can spend some XP. Open the horizons, just a little, he told himself. He¡¯d been hoarding combat XP like a miser after all. So, either Johanna or Laura to level 8, then +1 to the ones with the highest of each stat, that would increase his horizon and add dozens of new skills. He set out on a spending spree, starting with Johanna¡¯s level and Authority. Each would get an infusion of their primary stat, even the expensive one for Peter¡¯s already 21 Dexterity. Then Tom for Agility ¨C as he had the highest ¨C and Peter for Perception, as he not only had the highest tied with Tom but the cheapest too. Then he decided to throw in a second increase on that lower stat, to bring it up a bit higher and round off the horizon. Perception was lower than the rest, but he had enough XP for the spending spree. That¡¯s going to refill quickly, he persuaded himself as he contemplated the few thousand points that were left. So, what did I get? Sorting skills by level gave him a handful of level 9 new unlocks, notably the elemental domains that he¡¯d gotten a taste of before from a beast¡­
Domain of the Inferno Requires: Authority 21/Dexterity 19/Level 9
Effective: N ¡Á Dexterity + Level (adds mana) Passive: Grant bodily immunity to fire, up to (300 + 10¡ÁEff) ¡ãF Active: Surround yourself in swirling flames at (Eff/10) inches from the skin. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds
Fire Master AUT 20/DEX 18/Lvl 8 N=3
Fire Shaper AUT 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Steam Shaper AUT 21/DEX 17/EMP 17/Lvl 8 N=2
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Wait, what? A quick peek showed two new magical specializations, both requiring level 8. You¡¯re supposed to be at level 10! That¡¯s what makes sense! Level 1, 5, 10, 15, or maybe 20¡­ He contemplated his remaining XP and then ticked up Johanna¡¯s Agility. He would have to anyway, to grant the Cinder Circle he¡¯d just informed her that she would get ¡°soon¡±. Sure enough, Magma Shaper and Mud Shaper immediately appeared as available specializations. The new specializations were relatively lackluster, he decided quickly after looking through the list of associated skills. Whatever had pushed them down to level 8 ¨C Level 8??? ¨C at least explained the lack of the significant upgrades that had characterized the level 5 specializations. Bullshit design. Fire Master did increase some skills¡¯ multipliers, but he quickly realized it only increased the pure Fire skills. Any of the hybrid elemental spells like Cinder Circle didn¡¯t get any upgrade whatsoever compared to their Fire Shaper multiplier. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. The hybrid specializations like Steam Shaper just restored the ability to use water skills that had been locked out for fire, or for some skills like Steam Breath where the multipliers between Fire and Water were different, simply used the higher of the two. There were no improved multipliers, just a greater breadth of choice. The temptation of adding back Earthbind via the Magma Shaper was strong. But ultimately there were three reasons against it. First, Johanna did have some Earth Shaper help now. Either Veldhuis or Wichers could provide support while teaming with her. Second, he just told her she¡¯d get Cinder Circle. It would be very, very confusing to have Earthbind added, removed, and re-added. Third¡­ well, she did have three pure fire skills, which would get a significant boost on both energy and efficiency from the Fire Master. Bigger, hotter fireballs were a thing. Mana Sight was a neutral pick, all level 8 specs equally increased its multiplier. And, okay, four out of three, if he decided to hybridize later when the System threw him another surprise specialization step that actually improved things, it would be free of charge, rather than cost XP to change specialization tracks. This time, I¡¯m going to warn you just before I do it. Since your skills shut down.
Johanna Marcia Milton Female human, 20 years, 3 months
Fire Master Level: 8 (34000 XP needed) 53/376 mana (+29 per hour) 0 unallocated skill points XP: 11 + 7113
STR: 16 (2490 XP needed) Blazing Orb (40) AUT: 21 (7989 XP needed) Fire Handling (92)
AGI: 17 (3000 XP needed) Cinder Circle (42) PER: 15 (988 XP needed) Mana Sight (53)
DEX: 18 (2699 XP needed) Flaming Blade (62) Fireball (62) EMP: 17 (2118 XP needed) Steam Breath (25)
Bodily immunity to fire up to 1220¡ãF (660¡ãC) Detect mana flows & pools of 18.9 size or greater Require 25% less oxygen 40% better sight Sweatless
Yells came as Johanna found herself plunged into the darkness of the Library. She took a deep breath and reached again for the fire. The ball of fire popped again up where she¡¯d put it before, and she breathed more freely. Then she realized that while the ball did not look larger, it was now slightly brighter. ¡°What happened,¡± Gomez asked. She looked down at the Fire Master parchment, which was now inert in her hand. She turned the paper to show him. ¡°Fire¡­ master?¡± ¡°It was active just before I lost control of the orb.¡± ¡°But now it is not lighted. Does this mean¡­¡± ¡°I must have it now. And it¡¯s not the first time this happened. Back when I was training to use Flaming Blade when I switched from Shaper to Fire Shaper my Talents briefly stopped working.¡± ¡°So you just, what, changed specializations?¡± Gomez asked. She raised her hand to check for confirmation. ¡°Bigger,¡± Tom said as he looked at the flame in her hand. ¡°Yes,¡± she noted. Then she realized what the change further meant. ¡°And I probably lost most of my mana reserve.¡± ¡°So much for the nice mana-powered lamps,¡± Peter said. ¡°Yes, we need to leave. I can probably sustain the light for some time still, but not as long as if I had all my reserves.¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably better if we set shop outside anyway,¡± Gomez noted. Johanna didn¡¯t even have time to stand up when Kartmann who¡¯d come back when the light turned off startled. ¡°Wait? You feel higher in power now? How does that happen?¡± ¡°I just leveled? You¡¯re sure?¡± ¡°You knew you would? Is that why you asked just a few moments ago?¡± ¡°No. But it happened anyway. The Ancient¡¯s plans are mysterious,¡± she shrugged. ¡°And apparently, she got a new specialization in the bargain,¡± Gomez explained to the minotaur. A pair of expedition members were carefully enlarging the opening of the doors as Johanna and the rest walked down the stairs from the reading room. She noticed a few others stacking chairs and furniture but stopped when she saw Ulrich checking the overturned tables. ¡°Wait, Ulrich? Did¡­ you get an Artifact?¡± It was the thirster¡¯s turn to look confused. ¡°Not that I know. Why?¡± ¡°There is a kind of mana cloud. Very faint, but definitively there. It doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯s when you cast, but more like an Artifact. A very low-powered one,¡± she said, remembering the small stone in Elena¡¯s room. ¡°And if I use a Talent?¡± Ulrich said, his skin turning bark-brown. ¡°I can¡¯t see your Talents except for the Dark Flame¡­¡± She stopped, realizing she was seeing the skill activated this time, as a shine over his skin. But the mana ¡°smoke¡± was also there, but also changing. She¡¯d noticed it slowly cycling, moving in and out around the Wood Shaper. But now it flowed in, more like a proper Artifact than the swirling faint cloud she¡¯d been seeing. ¡°¡­ but now I can see the Barkskin somehow. And it¡¯s distinct.¡± ¡°Fire Master seems more than just about fire,¡± Gomez, who had been watching the interaction, noted. Ulrich let his skin return to normal and frowned. ¡°Fire Master?¡± ¡°I just improved my specialization after you had left. Kartmann says I leveled right now.¡± ¡°And here I was starting to think you operated under the same rules as we did,¡± Ulrich said, looking pointedly at Gomez. The scholar raised his hands in mock defense. ¡°So, you¡¯re not just better at fire, but also better at seeing mana is my guess,¡± the professor said instead. ¡°It seems that way and¡­¡± Johanna stopped as the mana infall subsided, returning to the slow swirl she¡¯d seen initially. ¡°What?¡± she blurted, once again. They¡¯d come out of the Library and did some experiments while the expedition was making a work area for the team, while others were setting up camp next to the library. The two wagons were put next to the building, and the draft teams set to graze on the high grass next to the ancient roadway. ¡°If you use more Talents in parallel, it takes longer to subside,¡± she finally realized. ¡°I¡¯m seeing your mana coming back, that¡¯s what I think.¡± ¡°So, you can tell when I¡¯m regenerating mana and when I¡¯m full?¡± ¡°At least for you. I can¡¯t see that mana cloud for anyone else. And we have quite several sorcerers and saints.¡± Gomez had his notebook open and was writing notes like crazy. ¡°And it¡¯s very faint, you say.¡± ¡°It reminds me of a very low-powered Artifact I saw in the Montana. But Ulrich is much larger than a small stone, so it¡¯s easier to spot him,¡± she added, smirking. The thirster snorted back in answer. ¡°I¡¯m a Wood Shaper, not an Earth Shaper, I¡¯ll have you know.¡± ¡°Mr. Sengfield? Can you empty your mana, say tomorrow? I want to see how long it takes you to be exactly full,¡± Gomez said. ¡°Got nothing better to do. I can run most of my Talents in parallel, but even then, it takes some time.¡± ¡°You normally take most of the night to regenerate. If you do it early in the morning, then we might clock it out accurately. You may be the only one we can measure for now¡­ but here¡¯s to hoping Mrs. Milton improves further. By the way, we have to measure the range at which you can see Mr. Sengfield¡¯s mana flow.¡± Johanna then spotted Cameron coming for them. ¡°All set up. You¡¯re still going to convert books?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a lot easier to transport parchments rather than books. Less volume. And we¡¯re going to work outside. Unless the weather turns, it¡¯s better lighted anyway. Not to mention nicer.¡± The expedition had set up the work area at the bottom of the front stairs. The reading desks had been too unwieldy to move, but they¡¯d brought down some of the turned-over tables from the main room. She looked up at the sun, gauging the hour, while two scavengers started bringing out books from the main reading room, making piles. Ernesto Gomez looked carefully at each tome. ¡°Nothing interesting?¡± ¡°Everything in the library is interesting. But those seem to be novels.¡± He flipped a few pages. ¡°Mid-Twentieth century crime mystery stuff. You can find interested collectors at times, but¡­¡± ¡°But parchments are more important.¡± ¡°There are probably copies of those already in circulation. Let¡¯s focus.¡± She smiled, sat at her chair, and pulled the first book on the pile next to her, and lines of blue sprang. Level, Battler, Dexterity, Passes. Here we go. ¡°What are they doing?¡± Hank and Monica had snuck close to the Ancient ruins. There were enough spots with crumbled masonry and overgrown plants that they could see the Tallers setting camp. It did look like they were going to stay a bit longer. None of the Mooneyed could be sure, but it did look like this was truly Washington as they¡¯d talked about. ¡°Some work area? They¡¯re¡­¡± Monica stopped. Even from the distance, she could see blue lines rising over the books that other Tallers had brought out of the building. ¡°Another mount-skill? What for?¡± Hank whispered. ¡°No idea?¡± She saw the paper appear from the strange blue light swirl, as the man she was watching passed the book he had to the woman next to him. Tom. And Laura, she remembered from spying at camp. She tried to remember who was who. Ulrich and Gomez the elders. Miles the expedition leader. Uther the cook ¨C who apparently used ice mount-skills. She¡¯d spotted him making ice blocks for drinks. The four Tallers were bringing out the lights repeatedly, under the supervision of the elder. Whatever they were doing, it was even more bizarre than anything they¡¯d seen before. ¡°The books seem broken?¡± Hank noted. She squinted. The shadows were not at the best angle, and she wished it was a bit darker so she could see without day protection glasses, but the other Mooneyed was right. The book that the man had discarded had a bent spine and too few pages. ¡°They are changing the book pages,¡± she whispered back. The entire expedition, she realized, seemed to be organized around the activity. A few Tallers were helping set up a campsite, but many were helping with whatever the four were doing. Books were brought out of the building and stacked on the tables, the seated Tallers made the blue lines dance, and ruined books were discarded to the side as others picked the results. Monica was pained. There were a lot of books at the Camp, but never enough. She probably had read all that had interested her, and she realized that she was seeing more books coming out and being discarded than in her entire life. ¡°They came to do that?¡± Hank asked. ¡°It must be important. They¡¯re storing the paper they extract.¡± They watched the people working for almost an hour until they stopped. The sheets had been stacked and then brought back to the wagons of the expedition after the elder Gomez took notes. They cleared the work area, leaving the remaining books stacked under the tables. Seeing the Tallers gathering for dinner, the two Mooneyed slowly disengaged and moved back toward where George Silvers kept the mounts. ¡°It looks like they knew exactly why and where they were coming,¡± Monica told George as they did a recap of what they¡¯d seen so far. ¡°And they went straight here. They must have been there before,¡± Hank added. ¡°Looks like we lucked into spotting them near the camp, then. But they must not have been doing it often.¡± ¡°The question is, what are they exactly doing?¡± Monica asked. ¡°They spoke of getting power. Is that related?¡± The three kept on brainstorming about the mysterious Taller activity. ¡°We need to figure out what those sheets they¡¯re extracting are about.¡± ¡°They made a lot of them,¡± Hank said. ¡°What are you suggesting? Stealing some?¡± Monica asked. ¡°Why not? They probably got several hundred of those already. We can get one or two and they¡¯re not going to miss them.¡± Monica and George looked at each other. ¡°The wagons are to the side. And none of them should see any better than normal Tallers in the dark. Unless they have someone guarding right on top¡­¡± Hank smiled. B2.49 - Journey of Discovery I need volunteers to test. Names and requirements mean so little compared to effects. Quality levels matter? Levels matter? How much? Ernesto Gomez, notes (recovered) Yesterday¡¯s production had been all sorts of specialization sets, as Johanna had expected. She¡¯d seen a lot of different, newer specializations with lots of names, but the parchments all followed the same model, a four-fold Level, quality, specialization, and Talent, followed by five combinations of talents and qualities. The starting quality was not always the same, even for the same specialization, but each set covered the same six-quality spread. A pair of scavengers had helped put those sets in one of the wagons. They already had a few crates of food that were empty, and they were intended to store the parchments or whatever books Gomez wanted for his Academic library if there was room. The activity was not tiresome ¨C the strange cold sensation was not painful nor tiring ¨C but she could already see how it would be boring. Based on the time to get to Washington and the expected slightly faster return, they had around two weeks of that, unless they filled the wagons before. She doubted it ¨C the parchments were thinner than their strength suggested, and they had lots of room. Petra and about half of the expedition had gone out immediately after breakfast. They intended to scout the ruins of Washington, find if there were dangers, and more importantly, check for Artifacts, starting with the mana plume Johanna had spotted and ignored yesterday. As no one else had Mana Sight, Petra would be the one leading them to the potential riches of the ruined Ancient capital. It was a bit strange to see the former bartender turned Earth Shaper go at it solo ¨C well, not entirely solo ¨C but the four of them were needed at the Library of Congress, and that was not something they could delegate. She sighed and picked the first book. She expected a new build, but, once again, the Ancient surprised her. The parchment was just a single Talent, called Abomination. She put it aside, passed the book to Tom, and got an almost-destroyed one handed by Laura and converted another single Talent, Accelerated. Then Acting Up. Active Armor. She was going to pick a new book when she stopped, realizing what the names looked like. She looked up at Gomez who was watching carefully. ¡°It¡¯s a catalog,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯re sure?¡± He pointed to her set. ¡°You¡¯re making ¡®A¡¯ Talents. In alphabetical order. Mr. Milton has already four ¡®B¡¯. Ballistic Curve, Base Mass, Base Size, Batter. Mr. Donnal is making ¡®C¡¯s. And Mrs. Donnal is doing the ¡®D¡¯ list.¡± ¡°All the Talents that exist,¡± she realized. ¡°Probably. That one¡¯s going to be so good¡­¡± There was a lull in conversion. For almost a minute, none of the four could convert more books into parchments, and Johanna wondered if the Ancient did suffer from mana limitations too, and had exhausted his capacity for the day. If that were the case, then conversion would take a longer time, and they would probably have to carry more books and fewer parchments back. Although they¡¯d made a good start yesterday. But then cold seeped, and blue lines sprang again above the book under her hand, and she realized the Ancient was simply marking time. Zoom had been the last Talent of the catalog. The sets of parchments that came out were more varied. Tom and Peter produced ¡°beginner sets¡±, as Johanna quickly called them. A Level plus specialization, then each parchment included a Level, quality, and Talent, culminating with a Level, a different specialization, and the cycle started again. The big difference was that they were making about ten Talents per set instead of the usual six. Whereas she and Laura were producing qualities and Talents without associated Levels and started with what sounded like more advanced specializations, with no last specialization. Whenever the books were too thin, a simple Level or quality ¨C or usually both ¨C dropped instead, and that was it for that book. Unsure if these were merely filler or associated with the Talents that came next, those parchments were carefully placed along the rest of each set. Seeing as there were no notable set of parchments produced, Ernesto Gomez retreated to a reading table moved out of the Library, with strong instructions to call him immediately if it looked like the pattern changed. The slow conversion of books into parchments continued. Miles stopped by to check on them. ¡°How is it going?¡± ¡°Honestly? Boring. I mean, okay, we¡¯re making all kinds of weird-sounding Talents. Like this one,¡± she said, pointing to the Succor parchment she¡¯d just made for a Fast Fixer set. ¡°What it¡¯s for?¡± ¡°It¡¯s one of Laura¡¯s. Based on the name, it¡¯s what she uses to teleport to someone wounded.¡± ¡°It must be a bit frustrating to see all those Talents.¡± ¡°Most of them, we don¡¯t even know what they do. Something like Split Stone sounds obvious. But Domain of the Forest? What does that even mean?¡± ¡°Sounds like it¡¯s for Ulrich one day,¡± Miles smiled. ¡°You¡¯re right, I made it as part of a Wood Shaper set.¡± At that moment, the cook came over, asking if they were ready for lunch, and Johanna realized she was getting tired of sitting there. She looked at the rest, and all nodded in unison. The last three hours had flown like the wind. The afternoon session began differently. She did not start with the usual specialization, making directly a Talent triptych instead. Level, Strength, Slam. Tom, she checked, had produced a Level/Close Wounds/Empathy/Fixer similar to what he¡¯d done before. Johanna shrugged as she picked up the book handed by Peter. Level, Mana Sight. Then, Level and Gauge Stamina. Then another simple skill. She looked curiously at Tom, but it looked like he was still making a set of Fixer Talents similar to the one they¡¯d done this morning. Both Laura and Peter¡¯s pile were also similar, a Water Shaper set and a Battler. ¡°Weird? No specialization? And mixing Mana and Stamina?¡± Gomez noted. Level, Empathy, Bestowal. ¡°It¡¯s a mix of whatever? What it¡¯s for?¡± she wondered. Then surprisingly, Level, Authority, and nothing else. Gomez looked at the book¡¯s spine, and she gauged its thickness. ¡°Seems plenty. No Talent?¡± The next scroll was Level, Authority, and Flame Handing, she noted. Then she got another simple Level, Authority, and then a Level, Agility, Tremor. A few parchments later, she had to wait for two basics until she got a parchment with a Talent. Level/Authority, Level/Perception, Empathy/Slow Poison increased her confusion. ¡°I think I know,¡± Gomez said. ¡°Know what?¡± she asked. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°Requirements. We just got a full list of all Talents this morning. Your patron is now listing levels and qualities that you probably need with those Talents.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not in alphabetical order¡­ the number of requirements?¡± she wondered. ¡°Yes. That¡¯s why you got Flame Handling and Mana Sight first as Talents. They required one or two Levels only¡­¡± She looked in wonder at her latest. ¡°And he¡¯s considerate. The rest seem to make some basic sets, but he only dumps the information through you. That makes it easier to take notes.¡± He nodded politely, and she realized he was thanking the Ancient, not her. ¡°Thanks a lot.¡± Moore might have had a memory that worked a lot better than before he died, but keeping track of four distinct lists was hard. Using letter-based lists proved complicated enough. Thankfully, with the slowdown, he could peek at what he¡¯d just done before building a new Settings scroll. He suspected if he still had an organic brain, he¡¯d probably have gotten a headache juggling four tracks in parallel. Doing it just through Johanna made it a lot easier to keep track of what he was doing. At least, the interface was consistent in its ordering when sorted by rank, even if it wasn¡¯t alphabetical within the same one. ¡°It¡¯s getting impressive,¡± Gomez said as Johanna kept churning out more and more basic parchments. ¡°Thankfully, I took lots of pencils.¡± Johanna looked up at the slowly setting sun and realized several hours had gone by. It was easy, at least for a while, to set into a rhythm of taking a book, waiting until the parchment dropped from its formation space, and moving to the next, but it was also horribly boring at the same time. She sighed, stood, and stretched. ¡°Time out.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t overdo it,¡± Miles said from the edge of the stairs where he¡¯d taken watch. ¡°We have around 12 more days before we need to leave or ration.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s stop here?¡± The other three nodded back, and she looked at Gomez. ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll have time to finish this list of prerequisites today. You¡¯re making, what, a hundred thirty parchments an hour. That¡¯s big, but I counted¡­¡± He checked. ¡°¡­ 411 Talent names in the catalog. With more and more time spent on each pre-requirement.¡± ¡°Okay. I may have overestimated how easy this would be.¡± ¡°Hard for you, but impossible for everyone else,¡± Gomez said. ¡°True.¡± Moore finally focused on Laura as they broke down for dinner. As he¡¯d expected, XP flowed in massively. He¡¯d gotten close to 29k XP for the day, although it had been far longer from his perspective than from theirs, thanks to the acceleration that occurred while he was designing each Settings Scroll. Not sleeping had its uses. Laura was the obvious target for that next level 8, as Fixer specializations were closer to sorcery. So, he raised her Level, Empathy, and Dexterity for good measure. Bingo. Combat Minister is a thing. He spotted also Deep Minister for the Agility-based specialization, but there were no hybrid specializations visible, even with 21 Empathy. Well, duh. Specialist Fixers keep some access to their other domains, so they don¡¯t really need to get those back. Combat Minister seemed to boost only skills that used Dexterity and/or Empathy. There were a few skills that originally got boosted by Combat Fixer, albeit with a different or third stat, and those did not increase their multipliers. Maybe there would be a hybrid of sorts later? Given how stupidly inconsistent the System was, it would not surprise Moore if that happened at level 13. Or 12. Or whatever that stupid design called for. For now, it was going to be only two of them upgraded, since he intended to keep Field Resilience as her new skill, as announced, despite it requiring 16 in Perception. But First Aid was getting upgraded, and that¡¯s what mattered the most. Peter and Tom would have to wait until tomorrow, he noted. Based on the XP per day, he should be able to raise both. If the 8/20/18 scheme stayed true, then he would be able to open both specializations, if not the potential hybrids he suspected would not be there as well.
Laura Anna Donnall (Vogel) Female human, 19 years, 9 months
Combat Minister Level: 8 (34000 XP needed) 44/331 mana (+33 per hour) 0 unallocated skill points XP: 0 + 17414
STR: 16 (2078 XP needed) Succor (40) AUT: 17 (2590 XP needed) Falter (42)
AGI: 18 (4428 XP needed) Cleanse Toxins (26) PER: 17 (4976 XP needed) Regrow (25) (ENTER TREE: 119)
DEX: 18 (3000 XP needed) First Aid (62) Field Resilience (44) EMP: 21 (8000 XP needed) Close Wounds (92) (WATER WALKING: 76) (FROZEN BODY: 76)
Reduce the extent of wounds by 92% Wounds clot 124% faster +8.6 Authority for skill checks LD50 increased by 260% Instinctive knowledge of the gravity of a wound (Water needs per day lowers by 95% - capped) (Bodily immunity to cold, down to -280¡ãF / -173¡ãC)
¡°Gotcha,¡± Hank muttered as he crawled along the edge of the building. This time, he had a clear path skirting the sentinels, who were a bit further away from the camp. The Tallers watched for Beasts trying to attack, not someone trying to get into their wagons. They did not expect the Mooneyed to be there. The rest all slept in tents, clustered next to the large building they were using as a source of those books. They¡¯d taken turns watching and sleeping during the day, having found a good place to tuck in not too far from the Tallers¡¯ camp, hidden in the heavy overgrown wood to the south of the rectangular stretch. Right now, he was going to infiltrate the camp, get some of those papers that were extracted from the books, and avoid detection. Monica was keeping watch, while George made sure the mounts were not too bothered. He wished he could get mount-skills, like the one that their scout had. This would make everything easier. Because in addition to the sentries keeping watch over the camp, it turned out there was one person sleeping just on top of the carriage, in front of the entrance. The contraption was much bigger than what the Mooneyed used to carry food from the handful of orchards and fields surrounding the Camp, and it was obviously large enough for someone to do that. His joke about sleeping over the papers was a bit less funny now that he was trying to get in. He snuck to the side of the wagon that faced away from the camp, a foot away from the wall. For a Taller, that would be impossible, but for a Mooneyed, it was just a tight fit. Peering in, he was relieved to see no additional guard inside the wagon itself. He moved in carefully, making sure no noise would betray him. The interior of the wagon might be pitch black for a Taller, but he saw well enough with the starlight coming in from the front to get around. Of course, the first crate he¡¯d looked into was full of bags of what he thought was food stock. This painfully reminded him that they needed to hunt and scavenge because their own stocks were dwindling fast, and if they stayed longer, they might run out. The three mounts, in particular, needed to hunt some critters because the meat was becoming scarce, and they liked fresh stuff. He finally found stacks of paper squares. He quickly grabbed a dozen of those, before carefully putting the crate top back in place and retreating. The lone guard hadn¡¯t moved, and nobody had spotted him, so he made his way across the darkness until he was far enough that he could cross the ancient road and circle back to their own camp. ¡°This is it?¡± George asked as Hank dropped the stack. ¡°Yes.¡± The hunter pulled the first, square, noting that the blue ink was still visible even in the night. Even with their night vision, colors were hard to distinguish. He looked at the four corners drawn. Level, Authority, WaterShaper, FrozenBody. The last two had no spaces between the words. ¡°It¡¯s bizarre. What is it for?¡± he asked. None of the other two seemed to have any better idea. Hank picked the Agility, Split Stone that was next. ¡°That one¡¯s different. Only two sides.¡± ¡°This¡­¡± Monica said, then stopped as both men turned to look at the light. The square she¡¯d picked, labeled Level and Strength, had strange lights playing across the ink. A pair of lights crawled over the blue-ink circle around which the two words were written. ¡°It looks¡­ a bit like the lights those four were making,¡± George said. ¡°You can¡¯t have their mount-skills, do you?¡± Hank whispered. ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ but it feels weird,¡± she replied. ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°Like¡­ it¡¯s waiting for me somehow.¡± ¡°It? The paper?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She handed him the square. The light vanished briefly, then reappeared as George held it. ¡°I¡­ see what you mean.¡± Hank lighted it as well, making all three hunters metaphorically scratch their heads. ¡°Do we try? I feel like I can accept. Whatever it is I¡¯m accepting,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s your choice. It might be risky.¡± Sparks jumped, and the paper suddenly turned into a fine ash that vanished almost instantly. ¡°Whoa.¡± ¡°Anything, Hank?¡± Monica asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°It seemed to suggest getting Strength. Do you feel stronger?¡± ¡°Not particularly,¡± he replied. ¡°I still have no idea what they want them for?¡± He looked again at the papers he¡¯d grabbed with the next one being Strength and Water Walking. Then he turned it back for another Level and Strength, but this one did not light up in his hand. George held his hand, and Hank gave it. It lit up in his hand. ¡°It¡¯s not broken?¡± ¡°No. Looks like you can use only one, maybe?¡± Monica noted. ¡°Do I?¡± George asked. ¡°I don¡¯t think we should,¡± she replied. ¡°I think we should keep them and discuss them with the Elders first. You¡¯re sure they won¡¯t notice?¡± she asked Hank. ¡°They already had hundreds in there. And I¡¯m guessing they¡¯ll make more tomorrow? They might have an inventory, but they won¡¯t notice it until they¡¯re back wherever they came from, I¡¯m betting. They won¡¯t miss those.¡± ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s store these. And maybe they¡¯ll say more about what they are.¡± She turned to her half-asleep mount and whispered ¡°sorry to disturb you,¡± as she patted the Canid to find the best place to slip the paper in since the sheet was too large to fit in the bags. The paper square flashed brightly and spewed ash, as Mists jumped fully awake. ¡°What???¡± both men exploded, before turning fearful glances toward the Taller camp. ¡°It vanished without warning. Are you okay?¡± she asked Mists. The Canid whiffed a little, seemingly startled. ¡°You¡¯re good. Yes?¡± Monica¡¯s mount opened his mouth and breathed. But instead of cold, dense mist as he could do, she instantly felt the immense heat coming from the Canid¡¯s maw and backed up precipitously. ¡°Holy Shit!¡± B2.50 - Growing Pains Where there is a monster, there is a miracle. Pre-Fall Poet Moore¡¯s original plan had been to dump everything in a single shot. All the skills first, with their pre-requisite, then all the specializations, and then skill lists sorted by the multiplier for each. Provided they understood the context, it would give them a complete list of what was available from the System, as far as he knew. Once you¡¯d have that, all you would need was a way to measure your stats, and you could, in theory, design your build without his help. And then, of course, said System had given him a curveball with the level 8 specializations. Because, of course, the System hated him somehow, he was sure of that. The Master and now Minister sets of specializations were throwing all of his carefully planned data dumps in disarray. He had been happy to plug his last hole into the set of all thirty possible level 5 specialization mixes with Vanguard Battler, the Strength and Authority mix that he had lacked until now. And now, he faced having to raise all sorts of stats if he wanted to complete all those 20+18 or even 21+17¡Á2 hybrid combos. He could certainly do it, given how fast the XP was flowing and expected to be flowing in the next few days. But he would have to take a break from his data dump schedule. Today, he¡¯d wait until he could raise Tom and Peter to level 8, but unless he¡¯d misjudged, he wouldn¡¯t be able to do both before he finished the skill data dump from Johanna, probably around or just after lunch. And, of course, he needed even more for the other non-primary specializations. Agility-based Explorer variants were going to be easy, given that he¡¯d given Tom 20 before he knew about that one. But then he needed at least 20 in Perception for the Sentinel set. And of course, that meant raising Peter¡¯s Perception once again since he was the cheapest, and then raising the currently useless Authority and Empathy for completion. More XP was needed, and more delays waiting for books to be converted into Settings Scrolls. And fuck. I¡¯m sure I¡¯m getting additional skills unlocked with a wider horizon, and they¡¯re not listed in the first dump. I am so taunted by the System. Wait a minute, if I raise Perception first before Levels, then I can add those skills to the dump¡­ But if Tom needs 21 for some hybrids¡­ or another specialization track¡­ Fuck cleanliness. I do the current batch and nothing more. If ¨C no, once ¨C I get more skills later, I¡¯ll do a partial dump, and hope they recognize it. It¡¯s Gomez¡¯s job, after all. Okay, maybe I¡¯ll raise Johanna¡¯s stats to 18, so that I get all five Masters but that¡¯s it, the rest can wait until next time. How much XP am I going to need for that next ability of mine? No, really? Fuck unplanned events. Where is my wiki??? ¡°So, what did you get?¡± Johanna asked Petra. ¡°Three.¡± ¡°Three Artifacts? I couldn¡¯t tell from your pack, the way the mana plumes mix, but it did look thick¡­¡± ¡°Yes, three. I was seeing additional spots as soon as we got close to the previous one. And there is another, further away, but we didn¡¯t have time yesterday. We¡¯ll check it today, I think.¡± ¡°These ruins are a treasure trove.¡± ¡°Heavy mana zone, you mean?¡± Petra asked. ¡°That¡¯s my guess. The more mana, the more likely you have to have Artifacts around.¡± ¡°And beasts.¡± ¡°You spotted some?¡± ¡°We found a few. We saw a pack of Canids, but they didn¡¯t come at us. We fought two Felids, though. One nasty earth-based version. It did have Tremor.¡± ¡°Ouch.¡± ¡°Not as strong as mine, but I was pretty much the only one to keep stability against it. I kept it locked away, and we got her with arrows from a distance, where she couldn¡¯t get at us.¡± ¡°She?¡± ¡°Who knows? But the other did have visible equipment, and she did not, sooo¡­¡± Johanna laughed and almost remarked ¡°you probably got a level from that¡± before shutting down. ¡°No trousers? Or skirt? A hat?¡± ¡°A pair of glasses, and two pairs of gloves. The glasses are easy to figure out, you see like you got one of those binocular things. Everything is much closer. A bit disturbing, too. No idea about the gloves yet. I suggest testing like your friend Ulrich did, that¡¯d be easier.¡± ¡°We¡¯re getting one pair, then. The rest goes into the common pot for expedition pay bonus, I guess.¡± ¡°Can I pick the pair?¡± ¡°Hey! It¡¯s high time to equip Tom anyway since he¡¯s always on the frontline. After getting that Hammer from the spider thing, it¡¯s a good start. If we can find the Talent they have, it¡¯d be even better. We¡¯ll have to make sure they do not disable one of his.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not one of mine. Except for Tremor, that is. I should probably do it somewhere safe. I¡¯ll start doing more tests.¡± ¡°It¡¯s likely not to be a known one. Gomez says there are 411 Talents, apparently.¡± This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Petra whistled. ¡°Ready to work?¡± Gomez asked as they headed to the work area. ¡°Let¡¯s finish that inventory,¡± Johanna replied. The conversion restarted and once again, she produced a series of pre-requisite parchments before making a Talent. She recognized briefly Regrow, which was the latest Talent for Laura. ¡°How high do you think this goes?¡± she asked Gomez. ¡°Pretty high. The Level seems to be the main driver individually, but if you cumulate the qualities, then you get quite a lot.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve noticed.¡± ¡°You all seem to have gotten your Talents in order of Level by the way. It¡¯s less marked in others¡¯ case¡­¡± ¡°Possibly because they already had multiple Levels? While we got new Talents as soon as we got Levels.¡± ¡°That¡¯s my hypothesis. Your patron seems to have focused on Talents that needed fewer qualities regardless of Level for others.¡± ¡°Presumably to avoid needing to make too many parchments without Talents.¡± ¡°Seems quite right,¡± Gomez replied. ¡°So, you deduced new things?¡± ¡°Uh uh,¡± he replied. ¡°Meaning?¡± ¡°I¡¯m quite certain that Talents require a base amount of Levels and qualities. That¡¯s the only thing that makes sense, given some of the would-be costs. I haven¡¯t had time to study multiple sets, but¡­ The thing is, Level seems to be a limiter too.¡± ¡°Meaning?¡± she asked again. ¡°It¡¯s obvious that you do need enough Levels to get any Talent. You don¡¯t spend them, or the Gauge Stamina would report a loss, I¡¯m guessing. But the amount of Level is unrelated to the amount I¡¯m seeing here,¡± he pointed at the latest parchment. Johanna realized that one had seven Levels until you got to the actual Talent. ¡°So?¡± ¡°It does make sense in a way. Level is marked as a requirement, and that matches your respective progressions. I checked, by the way, and yes, the first Talent you made required two Levels. Mana Sight did not, but you presumably had already two Levels by then anyway. And the third, which you got later, does require three. In your cases, you never got a Talent with a higher Level requirement than the one you were supposed to have at the time. So Level both limits which Talent you can pick, and how many you can.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why it is separate from the qualities,¡± she realized. ¡°It makes sense that way.¡± She fell silent, keeping with the near-automatic conversion. She could even ignore the cold seeping under her fingertips. It was a sensation that lasted as long as the conversion was ongoing, without any lasting consequences. She wondered if having one of the cold-resistant Talents would make it disappear. Not that she was likely to have any. Not being a Fire Shaper¡­ no, a Fire Master now. I wonder why Miles wasn¡¯t a Metal Master. Does it require lots of qualities, which he did not have enough of? ¡°We¡¯re getting close,¡± Gomez finally said. ¡°Uh?¡± ¡°I counted, compared to the first catalog.¡± The basic parchments came more and more numerous. She thought the nine preliminary mixed parchments for a Domain of the Skies were a lot, but the current one was at 18 already. She was finally putting aside the Agility and Shadow Wings when Gomez announced ¡°that¡¯s the last.¡± As a confirmation, she failed to convert the book immediately. She looked at the sun and realized that several hours had gone by. She stood and stretched. ¡°Lunch time?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll check with the cook if it is,¡± Gomez said, before muttering ¡°that last Talent was a bit weird¡±. ¡°I wonder what¡¯s next,¡± she said as she slurped the last of the plate¡¯s content. The food was not that varied, but compared to the usual fare of scavengers, it was worthy of a city inn. And besides, they¡¯d pulled tables and chairs from inside the Library. If it had been better lighted, they¡¯d have used it as an inside campsite, but the mid-August weather was holding good, so, they camped outside. ¡°Presumably specializations. It would make sense,¡± Gomez said from across the table. ¡°More work. That¡¯s not what I signed for,¡± she joked. Monica Silvers was keeping watch, while the two men were sleeping. They¡¯d spent most of the night hunting game to make sure the mounts would stay fed, while she kept company for her Canid. Her much-changed mount. They¡¯d applied the various sheets they¡¯d stolen, even the simpler ones. The ones with simple quality names had failed, but almost all of the rest had taken, except for the first four-way, and one Authority with Fog Cloud. She had thought the name matched her mount¡¯s original mount-skill, the ones that gave him his name. It made sense that if Mists already had that particular ability, it wouldn¡¯t work. George had tried the latter on Runner, and the paper had immediately sparked, causing his mount to suddenly breathe the familiar fog, causing Mists to startle and growl. Monica thought it so cute that her mount seemed jealous of another gaining his original skill. The four-way still refused to work on any of the three mounts, so they finally stashed it. Hank was definitively going to sneak in again for more. It did not look like his earlier foray had been detected, and he¡¯d be even more careful, but she guessed that the opportunities for stealing between the Tallers were more limited. The Camp had started by stealing supplies from unsuspecting Tallers during the End, after all, even before they became Mooneyed. ¡°That must be how they gain mount-skills. They make those sheets, with all kinds of abilities labeled on them. And then they pick which ones they need,¡± George had said. ¡°But then, why can¡¯t we? Because we¡¯re Mooneyed and they¡¯re Tallers?¡± Hank had asked. ¡°Has the horned one mount-skills?¡± Monica had asked back. ¡°I think he has. At least he trains with that spear of his, and his moves seem weird,¡± Hank had replied. ¡°Then it does not make sense. There must be a different thing.¡± ¡°So. We must try more tests.¡± She¡¯d given it more thought while the other two were getting rest. If they could gain mount-skills, it was going to change everything. Even having the ability to increase their mounts¡¯ basic skills would be huge. One of the risks of coming here was that returning without the expedition could be very dangerous. But Mists¡­ well, Mists was now larger. She always had to hoist herself on top of him. But each mount-skill had also increased somehow his size, just as the initial foray into the valleys of awakening where she¡¯d brought him as he was close to adulthood, where she¡¯d found his name-skill. And why not? Mists now had Steam Breath. A Frostbite. Water Walking, apparently. Ice Darts ¨C which she had no idea how translated into something for a mount. Some kind of Domain of the Ice. Split Stone. Lastly, Evaporate, which might be anything. And she now needed him to flatten himself on the ground if she wanted to be able to climb. The weirdest part was that the saddle and bags had¡­ also increased in size, somehow. She barely fit on the saddle. Although the rations in the bags hadn¡¯t expanded the same way. That would have been handy to get extras. She was contemplating the ways the three could use that particular madness when a huge sound came from the wood that covered the space between the ruins. A Greater Beast is hunting, she realized, as the two men stirred, awakening at the alarm.
¡°Mists¡± Male Canid, 6 years, 9 months
Ultimate Steam Canid Level: 9 394/430 mana (+29 per hour) 1 unallocated skill point XP: 31,539
STR: 16 Ice Dart (57) AUT: 19 Frostbite (85) Split Stone (28)
AGI: 17 PER: 15
DEX: 17 Evaporate (43) EMP: 21 Fog Cloud (93) Steam Breath (51) Water Walking (30) Domain of the Ice (30)
Bodily immunity to cold, down to -365¡ãF (-220¡ãC) Requires 51% less oxygen Requires 30% less water 57% better sight Bodily immunity to fire, up to 730¡ãF (388¡ãC)
B2.51 - The Fall Comes to the Mall The only difference between death and taxes is that death doesn¡¯t get worse every time Congress meets. Pre-Fall commentator A booming noise rose in the distance, causing Johanna to drop her fork. Everyone left at the camp straightened. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Some Changed Beasts, I bet,¡± she replied as she stood up. Everyone followed suit, looking at the woods and ruins surrounding their camp at the Library, waiting to see. Suddenly, one scavenger pointed out toward the north. ¡°What the¡­?!?¡± A pair of 12-foot tall figures came out from the side of the domed Capitol ruins. The pair stopped and looked at the camp before pawing and starting to rush at them at an insane speed. Johanna had never seen the like of those. They looked as if something had taken vultures, shaved their wings, and stretched them with enormous legs and necks. Both sported manalights running over their bodies, warning her of the enhanced nature of the Changed birds. Johanna immediately launched a fireball. She hadn¡¯t tested it yet, but she was not surprised to see the ball go a lot farther away than it used to, thanks to Fire Master. However, she misjudged the direction, and the two barely had to dodge the ball which dissipated just behind them. ¡°Locked,¡± the Earth Shaper ¨C Jorieke Witchers ¨C suddenly announced as one of the flightless birds stumbled, stopping abruptly. The other bird ignored his distressed companion and bore down on them at a fast speed. Johanna launched another fireball, as the two Rangers started firing their arrows. This closer, the bird had less time to maneuver and she was more accurate, but the fire splashing only drew a massive honk of anger and the Changed beast became suddenly covered in stone as if it had changed into a very fast-moving statue. Then a pair of blurs came, as Tom and the other Battler jointly rushed. The Quick Battler¡¯s sword failed to scratch the rocky covering, but Tom¡¯s hammer shoved the stony form aside. Johanna switched to the other bird, letting the melee deal with the earth-based enemy. Without tricks to remove himself from the sticky ground like the spider, the hapless bird was an easier target and honked loudly twice as fireballs slammed into the static target, but finally fell to the ground, plumage burning. Then she felt pain behind her and almost fell. She twisted and faced a flat beak, inches from her face. Ambush, she belatedly realized, before she breathed out steam. The bird honked angrily, jerking back in surprise. Johanna stepped out, and reflexively reached for fire¡­ for protection. Angry sparks rose, making a circle around her. The small grasses that had managed to take hold on the cracked pavement started to smoke. The circle looked more like the ash of a long-burned-out fire, but it did irradiate a massive heat as if the fire was still going on. The bird backed away, almost comically stumbling in its haste. Cinder Circle. Aptly named, Johanna realized. Then a sword came out of nowhere and Peter sliced at the side of the Changed bird attacking her. A spray of blood came, droplets sizzling where they came close to the hot ash. With a proper angle, she launched a fireball at the bird¡¯s body. At this close range, her aim couldn¡¯t be off, and a splash of fire engulfed the bird who shrieked, in loud contrast to its previous honk, before falling to the ground. She thought it did smell like over-burned barbecue rather than chicken. ¡°Eh. Can¡¯t leave all the fun to Petra,¡± her friend said, returning the Swordcutter to its scabbard. ¡°Speak for yourself. I¡¯m sure this has ruined my jacket. I felt it.¡± ¡°Surface wound only,¡± Laura announced as she came close. Johanna belatedly realized she¡¯d kept the cinder circle present, even though she¡¯d stepped out of it. The pavement even started to crack as the relentless heat of the unnatural cinders heated everything. She relaxed and the ash evaporated. ¡°Thanks. It¡¯s getting hotter.¡± ¡°Every aspect of fire has increased since I got that Fire Master,¡± she noted. ¡°Congratulations,¡± she heard from the side and noted Kartmann approaching. ¡°For what?¡± she asked back. ¡°For him,¡± he replied, pointing to Peter. ¡°First time I see it¡­ live. Without a parchment, that is. His power level just rose, like ten seconds ago.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± the short man replied. ¡°Not fair. I just got a level yesterday and you already get one?¡± Laura jokingly complained. ¡°Eh. Must be the Washington air,¡± he replied, adding, ¡°Sorry Tom, better luck next time?¡± ¡°Watch out,¡± he replied. Two Level 8 and one 9 Supreme Struthios. Somehow, Moore was not surprised to see ostriches turned into Changed monsters. There had been farms around, he guessed, and not everyone had eaten them before they turned into mutated monsters. The scene even reminded him of that dinosaur park movie and its packs of three predators. After all, birds were distant relatives of dinosaurs. Extra XP for everyone, he thought. Then he noticed that said XP had just jumped Peter¡¯s available pool ¨C and his own as well ¨C to the point where he could increase him to level 8. He half expected not to see a physical specialization, as proof of the System messing with him, but he got a Deviser to appear, which he wasted no time in allocating to Peter, along with his new skill. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Peter Malik Donnall Male human, 19 years, 9 months
Deviser Level: 8 (34000 XP needed) 41/398 stamina (+33 per hour) 0 unallocated skill points XP: 0 + 1460
STR: 16 (4520 XP needed) Forced Attack (56) (EVERSHARP: 133) AUT: 14
AGI: 18 (1790 XP needed) Deflect (62) Return Strike (62) PER: 20 (7952 XP needed) Accurate Pierce (48)
DEX: 22 (12722 XP needed) Reconnaissance (96) Ambidextrous (74) EMP: 14
+9.6 Perception for skill checks +6.2 Dexterity for skill checks Accuracy, strength, and grip 74% better with off-hand +5.6 Strength for skill checks 15.5% less wound depth (Cannot lose your grip on a weapon up to 133 pounds)
A quick check showed no hybrid versions unlocked, so he now had to assume that, of course, the presence of hybrid specs was a Shaper-only thing. Unless, of course, Tom proved him wrong this evening. It was possible, but he would still raise his Strength to 21 to check. In any case, he was not ready to dump specialization lists. He needed a lot of XP. Tons more if he wanted a complete list for all level 8 variants. But Pr. Gomez was ready with his pencil, like some anime version of a mad scientist. Well, I can give some more skill dumps. Categories and pool types. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the book conversion did not give you Talent energy,¡± Gomez noted as they were heading to the work area. ¡°How so?¡± ¡°Just a guess. Interacting with Talents themselves might be a source of the energy you¡¯re accumulating. Because it¡¯s clearly way too fast, compared to what looks like a common accumulation rate for everyone else, including yours prior to the expedition. Speculation about combat or not.¡± ¡°And there¡¯s nothing more significant than creating Talent parchments,¡± she continued. ¡°Quite so. So, let¡¯s see what the afternoon brings,¡± he said, as the four stretched, then took their seats. ¡°No specializations yet,¡± Gomez noted. This time, Agility and Deflect had popped under Johanna¡¯s touch. She quickly checked the rest, but they seemed to produce the usual specialization sets. After that, she kept producing Talents, but every time associated with Agility, at least until she produced an Authority Talent, which was followed by another. ¡°Looks like some categorization,¡± Gomez told her. ¡°How?¡± ¡°A lot of the Talents need multiple qualities, but I¡¯m guessing that one of these matters more than the rest.¡± ¡°A lot of the early sets we made seemed to run around each quality.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll wait until I get all the categories, but I¡¯m fairly certain of what I¡¯m going to find.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not speaking too early. Can you guess? I¡¯m going you a hint, it¡¯s the difference between you and your friend Donnall. Peter Donnall.¡± Johanna frowned, then tried to figure it out. She¡¯d spotted her Cinder Circle early under Agility, and Authority, so far, had also her Flame Handling. She tried to remember what skills of Peter¡¯s were there already. She stopped and riffled through the pile of Agility still there. Gomez laughed and fished out a note on which Johanna recognized their Talent lists from the first day. ¡°You can find it there. I¡¯m just waiting for confirmation that your original list matches what categories we have there. Cheating is allowed on this exam,¡± he said, chuckling again. ¡°Got it,¡± she said as they adjourned for the evening. ¡°So?¡± ¡°Me, Laura, and Tom, we all get seven Talents for our level 8. Peter got only six. And even complained about this.¡± ¡°And why is that?¡± ¡°Because he has two Agility and two Dexterity Talents. And none in Authority or Empathy. The second Talent in the same category requires having more Levels available.¡± ¡°And you have confirmation on this?¡± Gomez asked. Feeling like she was under Mistress Vanu, back in Anasta, Johanna replied. ¡°I skipped my level 5. Because Fireball is a Dexterity talent and I had one already?¡± ¡°And when Mrs. Donnall skipped level 6?¡± he asked back. She scrambled to remember why. Then she smiled. ¡°Because Regrowth and Field Resilience both require a level 7?¡± ¡°Good. If I ever open up classes for picking Talents, I¡¯ll get you as a guest lecturer, maybe,¡± Gomez said, smiling. ¡°So, what you got?¡± Monica whispered as Hank crossed the small bare expanse that separated the side of the building from their hidden camp. ¡°Took all I could without obviously disturbing the stock,¡± he replied, as he dumped the thick stack of papers on the ground. ¡°How much do they have already?¡± she asked. ¡°That crate is filling up. Thousands, I think. Maybe ten thousand already. As long as I don¡¯t wake the guardian¡­ that¡¯s why they didn¡¯t notice.¡± ¡°And they¡¯re all¡­ mount-skills?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see.¡± The paper square on top was similar to the ones that Mists or the other two mounts had not been able to use. She picked the Level, Strength, Discreet, and Reconnaissance sheet. And light formed and started slowly turning as she held the paper. Startled, she let it drop, and Hank grabbed it. ¡°You can light it, but I can¡¯t?¡± he realized. George picked it up, but the square refused to light in his hand as well. He handed it back to Monica, and the lights returned. ¡°It¡¯s only you, then.¡± ¡°But that answers the question. Mooneyed can get those mount-skills, just like you got Strength,¡± Monica said. ¡°It¡¯s just that not every skill can be gotten,¡± Hank noted. ¡°This leaves us with a question. Do you want to try?¡± George asked Monica. ¡°They are making those by the thousands,¡± Hank added. The paper flashed, sparks flying and vanishing. ¡°The big question is¡­ what does Discreet do? Or Reconnaissance?¡± Most of the mount-skills that came after did not light under Monica¡¯s touch. Precise Hand and Fast Draw were the only ones whose blue lights sprang when she held them. When she spotted another four-way, which none of the three hunters could use, she guessed she¡¯d exhausted the possibilities. The next one was also a four-way, with Earth Shaper and Stoneskin, which again none of the three Mooneyed could use. They skimmed the skills, whose names were evocative like Popping Rocks or Earthbind until they got to a four-way which immediately lighted under Hank¡¯s hands. Seeing as George couldn¡¯t use it, the hunter used that Spotter, but none of the skills that followed went active. George finally got lucky with an Explorer paper, and two additional skills. ¡°Maybe I shouldn¡¯t have used the Level and Strength last time,¡± Hank said when they finished the stack. ¡°What do we do with the unusable mount-skills¡­¡± George asked before he realized what he¡¯d just said. ¡°They¡¯re not mount-skills. They¡¯re just skills,¡± Monica said. ¡°But mounts can use them.¡± ¡°And all of them?¡± Monica thought. ¡°That¡¯s why they can gain mount¡­ skills as they come of age, and we do not. It¡¯s a lot easier for them than it is for us.¡± The three hunters fell silent, pondering the meaning of that. ¡°Now what?¡± Hank finally asked. ¡°At this point, we know what they¡¯re here for. Why they came, and probably come back regularly. That¡¯s what the elders wanted to know.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think the elders knew what madness it was for,¡± Hank joked. ¡°We have something like twenty more skills. We can strengthen our mounts, and report back now. We don¡¯t have to use the Tallers as an escort through the wilds.¡± ¡°We should keep a few to demonstrate their use,¡± George immediately said. ¡°We need enough to be able to find people at the Camp who can use them.¡± Hank looked back toward where the Taller¡¯s camp was.
Monica Silvers Female Mooneyed, 20 years, 8 months
Discreet Level: 6 (8000 XP needed) 103/103 stamina (+29 per hour) 3 unallocated skill points XP: 925
STR: 15 (2000 XP needed) AUT: 13
AGI: 17 Fast Draw (40) PER: 15
DEX: 17 (2000 XP needed) Reconnaissance (40) EMP: 17 (2000 XP needed) Precise Hand (23)
+4.0 Perception for skill checks Unshakable grip on a weapon under 40 pounds +2.3 Dexterity for skill checks
B2.52 - Grind Boredom always precedes a period of great creativity. Pre-Fall writer The days started to stretch and merge into each other. Gomez and Johanna had expected more dumps, but after the categorizations, she¡¯d seen a weird dump of a small set of simple Talents that seemed to follow no specific order. Gomez was, of course, the one to figure out that the Talents had come in the order in the last edition of the Mages of America. Now, they had real names to match all of the various sorcerous abilities that had ever been officially recorded or studied so far. The last categories had been prefaced by Mana Sight, then over 200 Talents, followed by Gauge Stamina, and what looked like the other half of the Talent catalog. She was the one to recognize that meaning and informed Gomez that the Talent that started the list was the one who could see the rest in action. Most of the time, that is. After that, she¡¯d simply started converting specialization sets again, and Gomez had retreated to his desk to try to make a better sense of what he¡¯d learned so far, analyzing his notes. So, it was a surprise when, after three days, the morning finally started with a surprising Adept Picket, Adept Sentinel, followed by Alchemist. Arcane Guardian and Armorsmith, then Ash Shaper. And so on, once again in simple alphabetical order. It was immediately followed by the same names, but in a different order and this time associated with Levels and qualities, similar to the Talent dump. ¡°I did not need three days to study the Talent lists,¡± Gomez said. ¡°Or I¡¯ll need three years for a full study.¡± ¡°Uh?¡± ¡°Informing your patron, of course. I¡¯m taking notes, not doing a full-fledged analysis. Not yet. Having that list earlier would have been fine.¡± ¡°He probably has a reason.¡± ¡°And one I will not attempt to guess why. The list is¡­ interesting.¡± ¡°I noted other Shapers,¡± she smiled. ¡°Not just five Chinese ones.¡± ¡°Those are obvious though. Ash means Wood and Fire. Mud is simply Earth and Water. It looks like we get the ten possible combinations if I assume that Unnatural is, well, Wood and Metal.¡± ¡°Which does sound unnatural indeed,¡± Johanna noted. ¡°Only five Masters, though?¡± Gomez consulted his list. ¡°It¡¯s fascinating though because there are obvious similarities and then odd ones. Like Guardian, with only three variations. I would have expected five. Or maybe four only, since it uses two qualities as its base. But there is nothing with Agility added.¡± ¡°Or Keeper being a specialization, not a Talent,¡± Johanna said. ¡°I wondered why it wasn¡¯t in the Talent catalog. Well, the Dexterity one that Mr. Donnall has got both name variations and specific names. You go from Discreet to either Improviser as he has, or Sharp Discreet which is the same type, only with a different secondary quality.¡± ¡°A lot of Talent names seem bizarre too. All of this repository of names seems odd,¡± she wondered. Gomez retreated to his desk, leaving Johanna to convert sets of specializations once again for the rest of the afternoon. The one thing she quickly noted was that what she¡¯d termed advanced specialization originally now ended their run with a new higher specialization. Like when she made Fire Shapers sets that ended in Ash Shapers or Fire Masters, or when a Quick Battler set led to a Fast Skirmisher final parchment. At the end of the day, as the returning expedition came with a single Artifact ¨C a large brimmed hat, which looked slightly odd on Laura, but finally fit the defensive purpose ¨C Gomez finally stood up. ¡°I want to experiment.¡± ¡°How so,¡± Johanna asked. ¡°Mr. Bertram?¡± ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Yes. It should work out.¡± ¡°Sure, why not. What is it about then?¡± Miles accepted. ¡°Currently, you¡¯re a Metal Shaper. And based on what your Talents require, you should be at 4 Authority and 2 Strength. Mr. Kartmann and Mr. Foster both agree on what I assume is a Level 8.¡± ¡°Okay?¡± ¡°Based on what I see, you might qualify for Metal Master, but to do so, you need 5 and 3 respectively. So, what I propose is that you use one of each parchment, and then attempt to use this stand-alone specialization parchment that got made earlier.¡± Gomez handed three parchments to Miles. ¡°You think it works?¡± ¡°There is no reason. You should take Authority first, it seemed to be the most expensive in your case. Then if Strength still works¡­ Metal Master should become useable immediately.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± he answered, looking dubious. ¡°We have plenty of those basic parchments, don¡¯t worry. The worst case is that you lack enough Talent energy for all this.¡± The first, then the second parchment lighted up and Miles consumed them. Then he picked the final Metal Master¡­ and light sprang and converged to the central circle. Gomez smiled widely. Then the entire camp erupted in cheers as the parchment vanished. ¡°Congratulations on becoming Metal Master, Mr. Bertram. I was correct.¡± ¡°So¡­ you don¡¯t need the Ancient¡¯s guidance?¡± the newest Master asked. ¡°Not really. Once you have a list of requirements, it becomes easy. Or at least easier, I¡¯m still working out how to systematically determine your current values. It¡¯s a bit wonky.¡± ¡°In which way?¡± ¡°Well, things like Battler, for example, require only 1 Strength and just Level 1. So, you¡¯d expect someone with 1 or more already to be able to activate the simple parchment, and those with zero to require a Strength plus Battler combo so they can activate it.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°Mr. Collins, our driver and my other test subject since he did not want a Talent set, can use the latter combination, so he¡¯s got zero. But me? I can activate Level plus Strength fine, but not Level plus Strength plus Battler. It is as if I¡¯m at minus 1 in Strength¡­¡± Gomez¡¯s voice trailed. ¡°Or there is another explanation.¡± Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Or there is. Like it¡¯s not starting at zero. I need more data and experiments.¡± Another expedition member asked, ¡°Can you find out whether or not other people qualify for a higher specialization?¡± ¡°It is mostly limited to those already at Level 8. All other specializations seem to be at 5. Except for those at 4. Or those at 6, or 7 but those don¡¯t seem to match the expedition, they suggest different sets.¡± ¡°So me, Ulrich, Kartmann?¡± Miles asked. ¡°I assume that the four ¡®Exemplars¡¯ have already received theirs, not just Mrs. Milton.¡± ¡°Oh shit, that¡¯s what it was?¡± Laura said suddenly. ¡°What?¡± ¡°The second day, at the end of the day¡­ I made a Level, Empathy, Combat Fixer parchment, then I got a simple Combat Minister one. I didn¡¯t know what it meant, especially since it did not activate after I made it.¡± ¡°Well, you already had your Level. Mr. Milton?¡± Gomez asked. ¡°Same thing, the day I leveled. Said Battler Ace,¡± Tom replied. ¡°Me too,¡± Peter said. ¡°Improviser, then Deviser. But that was at the end of the day, yet I got the level during the fight?¡± Gomez scrolled in his notes. ¡°Direct increase in all requirements for all three of you, just like Mrs. Milton¡¯s. That sounds correct.¡± ¡°So, what do I need for an improved specialization,¡± Kartmann asked. ¡°Let me see¡­ looks like it should be Contender after Duelist¡­ Need at least 1 if not 2 Agility, and 1 Empathy¡­¡± Gomez¡¯s voice trailed as they headed toward the designated parchment wagon, and Johanna relaxed, putting down her plate. It was a weird feeling, seeing people suddenly growing their specialization without having to provide a direct link to the Ancient¡¯s guidance. Gomez is a godsend, she realized. The next day was another massive dump of information, but bizarre. It was a simple specialization parchment, then a long series of Talents, then another, with a different series. Gomez immediately noticed the common theme of some of those series. ¡°I think we¡¯re being shown which Talents go with which specialization,¡± Gomez said. ¡°The order is bizarre. It looks like it¡¯s in alphabetical order, but then it restarts,¡± Johanna noted. ¡°They¡¯re probably lumped together in various sub-categories for some reason.¡± She dutifully converted until the conversion stopped again, to mark the end of the list. The following day changed the way they produced parchments. Rather than have specialization sets, as they¡¯d made so far, they converted all kinds of combinations, seemingly at random. Talents, with or without Levels and qualities. Specializations, ditto. The one thing that was missing was the four-way combination that had usually started a set. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re optimizing the books¡¯ usage,¡± Gomez finally noted. ¡°How? Oh.¡± ¡°There are hardly any pages left on those today. Those random ones along with simple Levels and qualities exhaust the entire book.¡± ¡°But how¡­¡± ¡°We have all the data we need to pick what goes with what. I think that we had trainer wheels sets initially, sets you can pick through without knowing any better, and now, we get a common pool of options to select from.¡± ¡°The wagon is filling up.¡± ¡°The cook says we still have enough food for a week here, maybe. I estimate you¡¯re making eleven thousand parchments a day, altogether.¡± She suddenly had vertigo. ¡°Probably close to 140k when we¡¯re done. There is still room for my books¡­¡± One of the Library explorers had finally uncovered an engineering section. Gomez had spent an entire day sorting through the collection and forbade anyone from touching the rest. Not that it was necessary, even with nearly 2500 books a day, they had barely touched the reserves of ¡°fluff¡± books. And Gomez had informed the expedition that the Library covered three individual buildings. They had not checked inside, but the other two were also reasonably intact and probably held even more books. ¡°That¡¯s absolutely unimaginable. You could raise something like ten thousand people to full Talents, maybe more, just with this. And we can come back after winter,¡± Johanna realized. ¡°Or even before. Picking the right expedition composition, you can probably set up a permanent base, with regular wagon escorts for resupply and transport back of the ¡®finished product¡¯. If just five million books are still there, you can spend the next half-decade permanently stationed here. If you do this once a year, you¡¯ll never see the end of it.¡± Johanna stopped and pondered. ¡°What will happen when we¡¯re old? Once we die? Who will convert books?¡± ¡°Well, that is a question that you will have to answer for yourself. I hope your patron has an answer ready because it¡¯s not sustainable.¡± The new window popped almost by surprise. Moore finally had the ability he had expected. And although his space beyond reality was not entirely euclidean in his perception, he noted that this one filled the fourth side of Johanna''s rectangular descriptor. Descriptors, scroll settings making, ¡°Pull¡± and what looked like the last possibility. No more sides to open up. Unless the interface is as screwy as the rest. Then he looked at the cost calculations and almost immediately released the window. Not only does it take 150k, plus 10k per level, but it also consumes XP per level per second? WTF. He was tempted to test, as it lacked any help function, and all he had was the name, just like Pull. And a kind of UI that suggested trickery with skills. But the costs were truly insane. For that amount, Moore could give them multiple levels, boost stats, and everything that could help them thrive. For the 230k base, he could give one level to everyone, and the 10th level to half of them. Technically, it was his experience to use, as he saw fit. But the difference was that his experience was entirely for consumables. He used it, and it was gone. For the four, each XP improved things and would stay with them pretty much forever, until the day they died. Moore had looked at the planning. In a couple of days, the expedition would have to leave. If he tried to use it now to see how it truly worked, he would have not enough left to do it again if he found a better occasion. Given the costs, he would have to wait for the next expedition for a second opportunity. Okay. I can try to Pull again. Even if the communication was not obvious, to him that is, he knew Johanna would pick something of his intent. She had to be ready for a new ¡°chat¡±. And 9k XP is cheap, he laughed internally at the conceit. Eight thousand XP had seemed such a big deal last December. You get a different perspective when in DC, they say. Johanna stepped into the Library''s reading room, with its reading desks and alcoves. This time, it was well-lighted, although she realized the windows were still stained to opacity. The light... came from nowhere. As she looked, she realized that four drapes of bright blue hung at the four cardinal directions of the room, over each door. But instead of some heraldic city symbol or the eagle of the Ancients, the drapes had four dark squares. Actually, three and a half. On one she could see and hear the distant laughter of Kartmann around a campfire with a building and stone stair not far behind the minotaur. Tom, she knew. She was sleeping in the main expedition wagon. She looked around, but He was not difficult to find. In the middle of the room, behind the librarian¡¯s central desk, there was a bizarre chair made of metal rods and wires and on it, a skeleton made of darkened bones sat. Sat, and looked at her, with his strange eyes that were simultaneously empty, and full of blue light. She walked slowly across the room until she stood next to the desk. Looking down, she saw four of the parchments. Where ¡°ordinary¡± parchments had light turning along the ink, those were fully lighted and had the words slowly rotating instead. Reading, she saw that the names slowly changed as they made a turn around the parchment. Ash Master. Investiture of Fire. Plasma Ruler. Shield of Momentum. Fire Sovereign. Anti-Mana Sphere. Cycle Master. You have achieved what was needed, the strange - Telepathic - voice of the Skeleton announced. ¡°You pointed us here.¡± The skeleton did not answer and she looked briefly at another of the four parchments. Like the first, the words rotated rather than the light, and other names came and went. Triple Strike. Unnatural Ace. Twisting Hits. Battlefield Professional. Primal Applied Force. She realized that she was seeing more Talents and specializations. Ones she had not seen before. Fire Sovereign¡­ after Fire Master? Battlefield Professional after Battler Ace? ¡°Is that what we can be later?¡± You have many things to do yet, the Skeleton replied, and she realized he¡¯d been watching the same parchment she had. ¡°You¡­ have not provided those,¡± she asked. ¡°On parchments, I mean.¡± The future is unwritten. You have what you need at the moment, even if you will need more, he replied. Inevitably, he added. The Skeleton stood and started walking. She backed away as he passed through the reception desk¡¯s wood and started going between the reader desks. She turned and hurried, following it to a side door from the Library reading room. As in the previous Dream of the Ancient, what was beyond the door was entirely different from where she had been a moment ago. It was a courtyard, surrounded by tall stone walls, a tower¡­ for a moment, she found herself back in the Warden¡¯s castle in New Benton. The courtyard was uncannily reminiscent of it, even if it lacked the various training gear that she¡¯d grown accustomed to the year before. This version of her old training ground was bare, and clouds turned ominously above, leaving a single eye like a miniature storm. The only thing in the middle of that courtyard was the Skeleton¡¯s chair, the one he¡¯d just left inside the Library. She turned and saw that the stained glass doors she¡¯d crossed were there, although closed, and she was briefly tempted to check if the chair was still there, before looking again. The skeleton was seated, and people started coming out of the tower and battlements, descending stairs toward the courtyard. No, not people she realized. Ghostly versions of people, indistinct figures through which she could see walls, stairs, and the ground. And the ghostly figures were strange. One seemed to be covered in flames, another clad in plate armor, which, combined with the ghostly effect, made it like the silhouette was just an animated armor. Another held a sword and a mace in each hand, their position switching abruptly. The ghosts paired off and started to spar with each other. You have brought power to the world, but only power can control power, the Skeleton said, as the grand melee kept on. ¡°You¡¯re saying only Talented can fight against other Talented,¡± she realized. She sighed. The Skeleton wasn¡¯t wrong, after all. B2.53 - Departures That data paints a bizarre picture. Milton says it¡¯s on purpose, but the behavior of her patron is not consistent. It¡¯s as if¡­ Ernesto Gomez, notes (recovered) Trying to shutter the Library took time. They definitively wanted to make sure the book collection remained intact until it was time to come back. Next year, Johanna anticipated. They would need time. Time to truly sort through the truly monstrous pile of parchments that were now packed in the wagons. Time to digest the lessons learned there, about how they worked. Gomez had designed a clever system of tests to measure one¡¯s pre-existing qualities. Like checking basic specializations, an Authority plus Shaper, then a simple Shaper, then Thorn Fist, then Authority plus Parler, then Parler. With each parchment, you had 1 additional Authority requirement, so you could gauge from 0 to 4 how high your Authority was by checking in order which parchment you could light until it stopped. Level interfered a bit with that, and if you were above 4 in a given quality, the ways to check became truly complicated, requiring much higher Levels and depending on some other qualities¡¯ minimums first. Gomez had used that same method to measure himself, and it did look like he had -1 in Agility, Dexterity, and Strength, but +2 in Authority, Empathy, and Perception. It matched the combinations of specializations he could get, from Stock Fixer to Adept Sentinel, and why even a Strength plus Metal Shaper did not work for him. The lone wagon driver without Talents had let himself be tested, and it sounded a +2 Agility, +1 Dexterity, and -1 Empathy and Perception in his case. Although with what looked like a Level of four, there was no way to check if the Scout specialization was working for him unless he activated a Level parchment, which he obstinately refused to do, even just for the experiment¡¯s sake. The strange part was that, once he¡¯d shown and explained his notes, all four of them, not just Johanna, suddenly started to produce dozens of complete sets of the exact parchments used for the measurements each, before reverting later to the quasi-random production of Talent and specialization parchments. ¡°Looks like the Ancient approves your method.¡± ¡°I feel honored. But then¡­¡± Gomez bent and whispered theatrically, ¡°I think he does not know everything. Don¡¯t tell him.¡± ¡°You know, I had a new vision last night. It even included other Talents and further specializations. But he said that we had what we needed for now.¡± Gomez instantly made a face, and Johanna smirked. ¡°Regardless, I am happy you¡¯re there to make sense of the thing.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to use the traveling time to sort my notes and make some drafts. I need a bit more experiments, but I can derive some methods already. The fundamentals are not complicated.¡± ¡°You¡¯re sure?¡± ¡°The thing that will be hard is figuring out how the Talents themselves work. Getting them is almost a solved problem now. Well, provided you do have access to the necessary parchments. But how do Talents themselves work? How do they interact? And more importantly¡­ what do they do?¡± ¡°There are so many, you mean.¡± Gomez sighed. ¡°And once we¡¯re finished, you say we have more awaiting us.¡± Moore mentally sighed as he saw the work tables being shuttled back into the Library of Congress, the traces of the camp cleaned, and the draft beasts hitched back to their wagons, much to their displeasure after those two weeks of idling. Well, all that XP will be still there next time. The immense amount of XP he got from a day of parchment converting was far more profitable than trying to fight Changed beasts, after all. Not to mention a lot safer. As before, he¡¯d tried to convey what he could to Johanna, apologies for not having access to all of the System. He should have dumped the nine new skills he¡¯d unlocked after raising Peter¡¯s Perception to 20, but he never got around to doing it. He also hoped she¡¯d understood the need to keep a firm hand. She would have to delegate, obviously, but building strong leadership¡­ well, the stakes were higher than when he¡¯d been an HR manager for ultra-high-tech startups. Conveying the abstract concepts around a Guild might be too much for whatever communication channel was when he pulled her. She¡¯d handled the need for parchments well. Worst case, he had a large buffer of XP, useable for another communication. Next year? This winter? Who knows? ¡°The Tallers are there,¡± the scout yelled as he rode across the Camp. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Monica Silvers perked. She¡¯d been trying to explain how weirdly the mount-skills worked to a pair of hunters and welcomed the distraction. The scout stopped beside her and dismounted, almost more breathless than his mount. ¡°Spotted them on that Ancient way,¡± he announced. Monica looked up at the sky. The afternoon was making its way into the evening. The Camp would be waking up soon, but she had no time to waste. ¡°They won¡¯t go much further. They always made camp over an hour before sunset,¡± she noted. Then she started running toward the kennel where Mists was stationed. The elders had given her, and only her, the mission. Once she realized she had a similar stealth ability to their scout, that she could somehow make people and mounts stop noticing her, there was no discussion about who would go. They had reluctantly fed another sheet to Mists, the only Reconnaissance they had. Both she and her mount would have some capacity to become discreet, as the original sheet said. ¡°Your mission is simple,¡± John Silvers ¨C her grand-uncle ¨C had said. ¡°You follow them back to whatever base they come from. You scout. You learn. Who are they, truly? How do they live?¡± ¡°And then?¡± And that was a big shock. ¡°And you have to decide. Given the number of sheets they made, there must be large camps out there that require skills. And¡­ well, we need those sheets. We barely hold on to the Camp. We need them to live¡­ or we need them to move.¡± Monica froze in surprise. ¡°Yes. We get used to it, but it pains me every year when someone falls to a beast pack or a Greater Beast on a rampage. We¡¯ve reinforced the Camp with every generation, for the sake of the Four Families or ourselves, but that¡¯s all we can do. Hold the Camp.¡± ¡°But¡­ decide? Me?¡± ¡°Yes. You will need to figure out how they can help, if they can help. Will they screw us once they learn of our existence? A few scouts have spotted Sciurids north, including at least one Greater. If you find a large colony with empowered dominants like that, it usually means the year or the next will have more Beasts. Way more. And we lose a dozen hunters those years. The fall is coming soon, and delays can cost us the opportunity.¡± ¡°¡­ Leaving the Camp?¡± ¡°It depends on what you find. If you think they can be trusted, secure their help. If not¡­ steal all you can and we¡¯ll endure. As we always did.¡± The three elders that gave her the mission looked at each other. ¡°If they had come or been spotted earlier¡­ the Four Families might still live.¡± And now, the mission was upon her, and her alone. She had the tools, she had the responsibility. Even for an experienced scout, it was heavy. Elders made policy, not hunters barely in the middle of their careers. ¡°Wake up Mists! We ride.¡± The Canid huffed, surprised, then shook himself before dropping to the ground to let her climb his much-increased frame. At least, she had not grown up as he did after consuming those sheets. ¡°Let¡¯s go! We need to find their camp as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Lots of notes,¡± Johanna said as she hoisted up onto the wagon, checking on Gomez. ¡°And more to organize. You know, I¡¯m trying to make sense of the classical tier system used by the Society of Sorcerers.¡± ¡°Which is completely obsolete and irrelevant in almost all cases,¡± Johanna noted. ¡°Don¡¯t dis it. It worked well¡­ well in a world where people mostly have one single Talent, or maybe two at best. I was writing an article based on that. Remember when I spoke about seconds-based endurance?¡± ¡°Square of numbers?¡± she tried to remember the discussion on that same wagon, back when they were traveling the other way. ¡°Well, if you look at single-Talent people, and assume those weird sub-categories are like ranks, then you can see how rank 0 ¨C anything not listed on a specialization ¨C works to around 5, rank 1 seems around 20-25, rank 2 Talents is around 40. We even have one contemporary example of rank 3, which probably revolves around 60.¡± ¡°Who? Oh¡­¡± ¡°Yes. Mrs. Worchester only makes sense if she¡¯s at rank 3 in that Fog Cloud. Meaning she¡¯s not a basic Shaper, she must be a Water Shaper. But not a Water Master. At best, a hybrid Shaper who hasn¡¯t got a second Talent.¡± ¡°Do you think someone like the Burning Walker¡­¡± ¡°Given his legendary endurance, he might have been a Fire Shaper with an additional Talent, or maybe a Fire Master. You know, once you have all the elements available, the model that gave us the idea of the old tiers is simple and elegant.¡± ¡°How so?¡± ¡°You have an amount of mana available that is the sum of all your ranked Talents¡¯ values. And you expend one for every value times one second of the Talent you want to apply. The old fudge factor I needed for my formulas to work is just the regeneration that you see. Not everyone might have the same one, and Mr. Sengfield¡¯s seem a bit extreme, but if you regain one mana around every 4 minutes, for instance, it fits the old data a lot better.¡± ¡°Petra could redo her full rank 0 Frostbite three times an hour.¡± ¡°Yes. All adepts would exhaust themselves before they can get back even a single mana. That¡¯s why they have such a nice square for their endurance, and every ¡®real¡¯ Talented had an additional margin that seemed to depend on the tier. It¡¯s just the duration allowing more regeneration to occur.¡± ¡°There must be other factors, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have time to figure out more. But I can use the basics in a Talent build guide.¡± ¡°A guide?¡± ¡°Given you¡¯re going to provide powers to people without direct design by your patron,¡± he nodded in acknowledgment, ¡°you need a design guide.¡± ¡°The Gomez Guide?¡± ¡°Not a bad title,¡± he laughed. ¡°Do we gift a surprise for the guards?¡± Peter asked as the Cheat guard tower¡¯s top came into view in the distance. ¡°It¡¯s a bit early for that. I tend to agree with Miles on that one,¡± Johanna replied. ¡°Better we finish setting up the Talent House.¡± ¡°Well, at least it¡¯s going to be a surprise coming back. They probably think we¡¯re dead.¡± ¡°If those are the same ones. I assume they rotate them,¡± Ulrich said. She turned toward Gomez, ¡°I think we¡¯re going to be there just before evening.¡± ¡°Good. Not that I begrudge the expedition¡­ it¡¯s been worth it, every minute of it. But my bones still hunger for civilization. And a real bed. With double mattress.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re leaving us,¡± she said, with a small regret. ¡°The first semester has started by now, and the dean is probably asking for my head or something. Especially since I gave not much notice ¨C when I got Mr. Sengfield¡¯s original letter, I did not expect all that trip. But making arrangements for transport back to Nashville from Cheat is not going to be that complicated, and I don¡¯t need a detour through New Sandusky.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re stealing parchments.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you worry. We went over that, and I took only a minimum, just what I¡¯ll need for a few tests. You have an average of 150 copies of each Talent anyway. Plus, they¡¯re going to be safely hidden at the bottom of the book crates, and I am not keeping them out of my sight, or Estrella will make sure I can¡¯t ever retire. By chaining me in her dungeon, even if she has to build one. No, when I need more, I¡¯ll call upon you, and by then, you should be public, and people are not going to wonder what this research of mine is about.¡± ¡°We can use everything you find about them.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll start with more statistics. Then some Talents¡¯ full behavior, given how little Heroic stuff is documented. Detailed formulas, as I explained to you a few days ago. We have just a catalog, nothing more so far. That¡¯s the kind of thing I¡¯m going to research. Probably for years.¡± He smiled. ¡°But I do expect to have some researchers to become finally interested in that.¡± ¡°We agreed you¡¯d keep discreet¡­¡± ¡°¡­ for as long as possible. I¡¯ll limit my test subjects.¡± He laughed, and Johanna raised an eyebrow, but Gomez did not elaborate. B2.54 - Home Run Loyalties define your character. Wisdom of the Ancients, book 2 New Sandusky looked somehow like home, Johanna thought. And why not? Even if she had stayed there for less than a month in cumulative time, it was a promise of home or at least an apartment waiting for her instead of an inn room or a tent. She¡¯d sworn to herself that she would take her time¡­ but she suspected the world would somehow conspire to interfere with her plans. The world, or maybe Georgy North. The banker was literally waiting for them when they reached the gates of the city. With a huge smile plastered on his face. ¡°I knew you could do it.¡± ¡°What makes you think we did it?¡± she had to ask. ¡°Everyone¡¯s there. If you had to turn because it was too hard, you¡¯d be back earlier. If you found nothing, same thing. You¡¯re back just after you should have finished your provisions without resupply, so you stayed as long as possible. Ergo¡­¡± ¡°Checking on your investment, then,¡± she noted. ¡°It¡¯s not an investment. Well, technically not, since I¡¯m loaning you money with interest, instead of relying on returns. But you have found your parchments. How many crates do you have?¡± ¡°How many crates of parchments do you have?¡± ¡°Seven. Almost twenty thousand per crate. And we have one more with nearly three hundred varied books for dedicated conversion,¡± she confirmed. ¡°Conversion of what? Wait, that¡¯s how you made Talents for your salvagers?¡± ¡°Yes. I told you we were getting them¡­ the truth is, we create them out of Ancient books. The books are there if we need a specific set made, but that¡¯s not truly necessary. So, let¡¯s go and secure them.¡± The two wagons got parked next to the Talent House headquarters. The crates weighed less than she¡¯d expected, given the amount of paper they held. Individually, the parchments seemed to be some odd artifact-like paper, but it seemed the paper was in fact not truly paper. The crates still weighed a lot, but the salvagers teamed to move them, and they finally moved the crates upstairs. The much-heavier book crate stayed on the ground floor, though. While Ancient books were expensive after all, those were not as precious as the converted parchments. ¡°We need to hire those guards now,¡± Johanna noted. ¡°There was little point in having some twiddling their thumbs for three months, but now that we¡¯ve brought the parchments back¡­¡± ¡°Do we provide them with Talents?¡± Peter asked. She was startled at the question. Truth was, she still thought of the Talents as something rare and precious, even if she intellectually knew she had hundreds of thousands of parchments available. Empowered guards made sense. If someone wanted to burgle them, they would be much better at dealing with hostile intruders if they had Talents. But it also complicated the recruitment process. Someone with a set of ranged Heroic Talents, or destructive magic fire would be powerful, but ill-suited as an indoor guard. And key abilities, like healing, were good in battle outdoors, but more limited indoors. Come to think of it, would Succor, the teleport-to-wounded Talent work across floors? She made a mental note to check. Laura was still the only one with it, but they probably had a hundred of those available for the right person. ¡°You are right,¡± she finally answered her friend. ¡°We¡¯ll probably find a proper set of Talents. But it all depends on what their baseline is,¡± she added. ¡°Don¡¯t we have a guide now?¡± ¡°For the potential allocation of Talents, yes. And like three hundred fifty of which we know only by name, at least until Gomez finds more about them.¡± Cameron Scott¡¯s team agreed to keep watch on the building for now. That would serve as an intermediate measure until they had time for real guards. Meanwhile, Johanna, Ulrich, and Miles went upstairs to the top floor to hold a meeting. The building was still mostly empty, but she expected that to change soon, now that they were back, and intended to stay in the city for a while. Johanna still wanted to organize an expedition next year for another go at the Library of Congress, but they had time. ¡°Do you realize you¡¯ve brought enough to provide Talents for New Sandusky five times over?¡± Miles noted. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°Probably not that much, probably, but it¡¯s still a significant number. That was the point,¡± she said back. ¡°Your plans are unchanged,¡± he asked. ¡°Yes. The idea is still to set up empowered roving guard units. People with the power the world needs, who¡¯d go and sweep the area around the city and farms, tackle beasts as soon as they¡¯re spotted, make it safer for the people there,¡± she replied. ¡°Then you go from there and organize patrols into the mana zones, cull the Changed beasts before they become problems.¡± ¡°We move beyond salvager teams then.¡± ¡°Them too. Basically, the idea is to allow anyone willing to go into ruins, into mana zones, to obtain the ability to deal with any Changed predator there. In return for clearing them out, whenever they spot any.¡± ¡°Define ¡®allow¡¯,¡± Ulrich said. ¡°I know. I know. We need money for this Talent House to work, and I remember back before the expedition when you said our time was worth more than scavenging,¡± she replied. ¡°And so it is. You need to make a living, after all. We all do, one way or another,¡± the accountant said. ¡°You made a quick estimate of the value of parchments before we left. $5000 per parchment, more or less. Who is going to pay 30k¡­ 40k for a set of Talents that takes us two minutes to make?¡± ¡°Two minutes for you, an eternity for everyone else. You said we had a bit under 140k parchments. If you use that base value, we¡¯re talking nearly two-thirds of a billion dollars. That¡¯s the estimated domestic product of a major city for a year. Maybe not as much as Nashville, but more than New Sandusky.¡± Johanna stopped. She¡¯d thought a bit about it, but the magnitude now hit her. Ulrich looked at her with a small smile. ¡°Unless you maintain a strict rarity, the price would come down anyway,¡± he said. She thought about it. ¡°We have to. We¡¯re the only ones that the Ancient can use to convert parchments, and even with the Library of Congress, it¡¯s still a limited supply, even if it looks unending right now. Gomez said to think about what happens when we die. Unless the Ancient can somehow get the¡­ choice of others, what we make is all there will be.¡± ¡°Gomez!¡± Ernesto Gomez, Professor of Post-Fall Physics ¨C and Talents ¨C at the Academy of Nashville plastered a huge smile as the dean¡¯s figure barreled out of his lair. ¡°Dean Sikorski,¡± he acknowledged. ¡°What the fuck were you doing? You disappear in a ¡®small vacation project¡¯, and then you suddenly drop an absence on us! The semester has started four weeks ago, and you went missing without a warning!¡± ¡°I sent a warning.¡± ¡°Some warning¡­¡± ¡°Was Lucian inadequate to fill for the early courses? I mean, all he has to do is use my lectures from the previous year. I seldom rewrite the beginning of the year anyway.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the point. What were you doing instead of teaching? I swear, if it¡¯s another of your ¡®talent studies¡¯¡­¡± ¡°Fine. I won¡¯t tell you it¡¯s a Talent study, and I even brought gifts enough to forgive me in any case. I mean, I even stopped here before even going home.¡± ¡°Uh?¡± ¡°See those crates?¡± Gomez replied, pointing to the two huge wooden boxes next to the door. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± the dean said, almost no longer yelling. ¡°Books. Originals from before the Fall. Lots. And we shouldn¡¯t even think of touching those before Estrella comes here. She won¡¯t forgive any of us if I open this before she¡¯s there. Yes, even you Nath.¡± The Academy secretary rolled her eyes in reply. ¡°Washington, you say,¡± the Head Librarian of the Nashville Academy said, looking at the array of covers revealed. She lifted the first book to peer under, as if she could not believe that there could be more than what was visible. ¡°The Library of Congress, to be more specific,¡± The look on Estrella Miller¡¯s face was priceless, Gomez thought. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ impossible.¡± ¡°Well, it might be some old cache, carefully collected by some crotchety old geezer without heirs, and I happened to be there when they decided to auction his collection for pennies. But no. Those are straight from the shelves of the Library itself, ones that I picked personally. And I was careful to mark the rest¡­¡± Estrella¡¯s breath intake was pretty audible. ¡°¡­ for later retrieval. Maybe this winter, but I doubt it. Probably early next year.¡± ¡°I might even kiss you¡­ No, I¡¯m not making an exception,¡± she said. She looked at him. ¡°How intact is it?¡± ¡°One ruined wing on the main building. The others look fine but we didn¡¯t check them.¡± The dean raised his hand, interrupting the two. ¡°My main question is¡­ how? Everyone knows the East Coast is crawling with Changed Beasts, and all expeditions face a grim fate as they go into the mana-heavy areas.¡± ¡°It was an almost daily encounter when we were close. And let¡¯s not speak of the giant ostriches that haunt the ruins¡­¡± Gomez stopped as he saw the angry look in the dean¡¯s eyes. ¡°One advantage of being a renowned Talent scholar ¨C yes, that happens ¨C is that Talented people call upon you. Several Talented organized this expedition. That¡¯s how it worked. Get enough Talents together, and things are no longer unachievable.¡± Gomez laughed at the dean¡¯s dismay. ¡°It¡¯s what makes their study so worthwhile.¡± Monica Silvers rode Mists along the remnants of the ancient causeway. She rode fast and hard, knowing she¡¯d screwed up the mission from the elders. The fortified camp had been a shock. The elders had warned her there should be huge camps, but she could estimate this ¡°Cheat¡± to have several thousand Tallers around. She had had to spend several days scouting carefully. Reconnaissance lasted only about an hour and a half, she knew from tests back at the Camp. She would have hidden in small places to listen, but Mists was restless. He could sustain his own stealth for as long, probably longer than she did, but leaving him alone was too dangerous. Unlike her, who remembered seeing the last survivor of the Four Families when she was a little girl, Mists had grown up without any Taller around, and he did not like them. After four days of listening to see if the Tallers could be trusted as she¡¯d been ordered, she¡¯d finally realized what she was missing. No one used mount-skills ¨C sorry, skills. The guards had mentioned Beast attacks, but they did not seem to be particularly ready for them. Cheat, she realized, was almost exactly like the Camp. Well, not exactly, but close. Fortified, brimming with defenses, closed when Beasts prowled¡­ and they did not had mounts and their mount-skills at all. They just faced the Beasts from ramparts and fought them with bow or spears, like the non-scouts back home did when scouts like her failed to cull or break the tide. By then, there was no trace of the expedition she¡¯d followed here. They had departed to ¡°home¡± she¡¯d remembered. She had not spotted any of the expedition elders. Maybe they had left some of the mount-skills for Cheat to use later, maybe they¡¯d taken all with them. She did not know. She thought the Tallers could be trusted somewhat, yet the mission was a failure, because she had no idea how the Mooneyed would get the skills required for exodus. She rode hard and fast home. B2.55 - Guild House If you are a guild, take care of your friends. Pre-Fall artist. At least this time, they could move out of their former home properly and orderly rather than be run away. Pack, and move the handful of furniture that had not come with Rhyland Wade¡¯s apartments. ¡°No refunds,¡± he said, before laughing. ¡°Cousin says you can afford that now.¡± ¡°He¡¯s not entirely wrong,¡± Johanna admitted. The top of the Talent House headquarters was large enough to make separate big apartments. Technically, she and Tom could even have separate toilets and bedrooms, which practically meant they had room for guests if it came to that. ¡°You know what? It is a real business now,¡± Laura noted. ¡°We even live in our own store.¡± ¡°Not quite what I would have guessed when we started scavenging,¡± Johanna had to admit. ¡°At least we¡¯re moving within the same city this time,¡± Peter noted. ¡°Miles thinks that our presence might make it grow,¡± she replied, adding, ¡°Probably expand the headquarters a lot too.¡± ¡°We should have a training ground too, for newly Talented to get their bearings after they get their new ones,¡± Peter added. ¡°Not enough room inside the walls,¡± Tom countered. ¡°Maybe one day they won¡¯t be necessary, like most of the central states. But that¡¯s for the future,¡± Johanna said. ¡°Let¡¯s deal with today first. Who beyond Ulrich has a Talent that lets them carry more?¡± Georgy North came to see them that afternoon, as Johanna and the rest were starting to unpack their meager belongings, and Miles was helping them set up the ground floor. ¡°So, your company is a go now?¡± ¡°Not entirely. But we¡¯re making progress. Don¡¯t worry about your money, it will come in time.¡± ¡°Goody. I tested the set you gave me, by the way.¡± ¡°Maker, if I remember correctly?¡± ¡°Found someone. He could get four of the six Talents. And boy, does it work. Just Smooth Planes on its own is game-changing for an artisan. If he had it, Ewan Clarke wouldn¡¯t have gone under and his work would be widely praised. And, well, you wouldn¡¯t have that fine place.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what it is for?¡± ¡°The names were evocative enough. Smooth Planes is for making perfect planes on metal or wood or stone or basically any non-living material.¡± ¡°Wood?¡± ¡°Needs to be dried and treated. Raw wood doesn¡¯t work or badly so, but cured and aged wood does. Making perfect planes on steel for a spearhead or even just a knife¡­ you get edges that cut through almost anything. Not Artifact-level, but better than anything since Andr¨¦ Goro. Which I would not have been surprised if he had been a Maker now that you know there are those Talents around.¡± ¡°Good to know. We can use all information about each Talent we can get. For most, all we get is a name, and what specialization ¨C like Maker ¨C it fits.¡± ¡°Most?¡± ¡°There are 411 Talents. At least 411 that we know of,¡± she immediately corrected herself, thinking back to her last vision from the Ancient. ¡°How do you know who can get what?¡± ¡°We now have a way.¡± ¡°So, you got a Professor from Nashville to design a method for selecting Talents?¡± Georgy asked as they went through the reception area. ¡°Here¡¯s an example,¡± Miles said, unfolding a single sheet from his pocket.
Miles Bertram
Metal Master Level: ?????????? ??????????
Agility: ?????????? Mirror Empathy: ?????????? Chill Metal
Authority: ?????????? Call Lightning Fusion Perception: ?????????? Detect Metal
Dexterity: ?????????? Ember Chains Strength: ?????????? Metal Skin
¡°Professor Gomez designed these to keep track of what you can expect as Talents and plan for them. We¡¯ll probably have to get a lot of them printed,¡± he said. ¡°So¡­ you fill out those as you use parchments?¡± Georgy asked. ¡°Correct. The trick is that we now have a way of measuring the initial values for most people before they start using any. So, you fill those details in, then update as you gain more qualities or Levels, and pick Talents. For people like us, you work backward based on known minimum requirements. If there¡¯s a discrepancy between what you should have and what you can use, it means you¡¯ve missed something,¡± Johanna said. ¡°You put a checkmark whenever you add one quality or Level. What about those Talents?¡± ¡°One of the things Gomez figured out, and will confirm once he¡¯s done more studies, is that you need to have one Level available per Talent per quality. Miles¡¯s second in Authority requires two. This sheet card lets you check what you can pick at a glance.¡± ¡°Yeah. Like I won¡¯t get a Talent with my next Level, because I¡¯m full right now and I need at least two Levels regardless of the category I pick. And if I wanted to get a third classified as an Authority Talent, I would need to wait for level 11 instead of 10,¡± Miles explained. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡°Clever. So that¡¯s why my friend couldn¡¯t get every Talent from your set?¡± ¡°There are probably other factors going in, but almost everyone got Talents that go in different qualities because that¡¯s what is easy. There were only three in the expedition who got dual Talents, but we think it¡¯s mostly because their initial qualities made picking others too complicated,¡± Miles said. ¡°As for your friend, it¡¯s likely he did not have enough Level or qualities for the last two,¡± Johanna completed. ¡°In fact, you should probably have him come over. We¡¯ll try to figure out what¡¯s missing and maybe trade the two parchments he did not activate for ones he can use. Oh, and fill up one of those. We need to make official ones.¡± ¡°And you probably should keep a copy in the office,¡± Miles added. ¡°Registration forms.¡± ¡°That sounds like¡­ bureaucracy,¡± Georgy said. ¡°As a banker, you should probably like that,¡± Miles replied. ¡°The Society of Mages was doing that kind of thing¡­ is probably still doing that kind of thing,¡± Johanna added. They still lacked a proper office, so they all went upstairs into Johanna¡¯s main room. ¡°I¡¯ve spent months, before and after you left, drafting all forms of scenarios. Depending on how your company wants to go at it, Mrs. Milton,¡± the banker started. ¡°You¡¯re right, we didn¡¯t share our plans.¡± She started to expand on the principles she¡¯d envisioned with the Talent House. How she wanted to provide a Talented guard for all ¡°frontier cities¡± that still had problems with Changed beasts, like New Sandusky, even her home Valetta. ¡°No individuals then? New Sandusky is your first customer?¡± ¡°It¡¯s safer that way. The first person we empowered warned us against people trying to take advantage of that. If we provide powerful parchments to all sorts of individuals, it¡¯s going to be a mess. But if we work with cities for well-defined purposes, they all have the incentive to work with us and keep working with us. If someone wants a monopoly, no one is going to let this stand¡­ and those cities will have Talented to call upon.¡± ¡°That¡¯s also why we want to go fast,¡± Peter added. ¡°Once we have a large number of cities behind us, it¡¯s hard to put pressure on us.¡± The banker looked thoughtful. ¡°Well, at least I can work something with the Burgher of New Sandusky and the City Council. I¡¯m sitting on it, as the bank, and I know everyone.¡± ¡°The sooner, the better.¡± The banker looked toward Johanna¡¯s stack of notes from Gomez. ¡°I know you just said no individuals, but¡­¡± ¡°Not yet,¡± Johanna countered. ¡°Best I can offer is to get your¡­ Talent profile measured.¡± Cameron Scott himself was lounging on the first floor. ¡°No one¡¯s making a run for it,¡± he said. parchment they wanted. They might want to get something made ¨C Cameron wanted his son to get a leg up with the scavenger business, for instance ¨C but they all knew who made the parchments. ¡°You¡¯d sword dance around them if they did. But not many people know yet.¡± The Swordbringer emitted a short bark of laughter. ¡°What worried more is¡­ Have you thought about what someone with your Talent could do?¡± he said, looking at Peter. The small man nodded. ¡°Even guard dogs won¡¯t work. I¡¯m not noticed, regardless of what sense it is, unless I make a fuss. A dog wouldn¡¯t notice my smell. Maybe if I¡¯m unwashed for a couple of weeks. You need¡­ non-sentient devices.¡± ¡°Traps, in other words. A trove of¡­ parchments, like you have there, is damn dangerous to have around.¡± ¡°The way I¡¯ve imagined it is dual doors, with a tiny space between them,¡± a woman¡¯s voice from behind said. ¡°Hey, Jorieke. Already there to relieve me?¡± ¡°You bet, boss. So? How close can you get before someone has to notice you, no matter what?¡± she asked. ¡°Very close. I can stand two feet from you, and unless I poke you or move deliberately in front of you, you usually don¡¯t notice me. That¡¯s how good I am at this Reconnaissance now,¡± Peter smiled. ¡°You should talk with your architect, then,¡± the Earth Shaper replied. ¡°Although, with the right talent, you¡¯d cut through the doors,¡± he noted. ¡°If that comes to that, then it¡¯s not Reconnaissance you¡¯re worried about,¡± Cameron injected. Johanna looked as the three plunged into a discussion about proofing and trapping the parchment room, then exchanged looks with Laura, who simply raised her hands in mock impotence. ¡°Stock Minister is the best specialization we want,¡± Miles noted as he looked at the copies of Gomez¡¯s lists. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Both Detect Lies and Gauge Stamina. That¡¯s what you want for a vetting officer, doing interviews. Just having Detect Lies should be¡­ well, insanely useful, if it works as it sounds. If the guy tells you he doesn¡¯t want to steal Talents, you can check that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a hybrid pair, though,¡± Johanna replied. ¡°Uh?¡± ¡°Detect Lies is a mana-based Talent, like most of the Fixer type. Gauge Stamina¡­ well, it says what it is. Gomez¡¯s model is that each type feeds and improves the others of the same type. That¡¯s why seven-Talents Masters like me or you have such an insane endurance on all of our Talents compared to old-style tiers. Each Talent adds to mana ¨C or stamina ¨C capacity, it seems.¡± ¡°Ah. So, you need more mana Talents just to be able to use Detect Lies continuously¡­¡± ¡°But almost all specializations with Gauge are Heroic-type and their Talents mostly revolve around stamina. While it seems that Gauge works continuously, and probably doesn¡¯t depend too much on having much stamina, you¡¯re also putting two Talents in the same Perception category,¡± she added. ¡°Plus, you need a minimum of level 8, which requires older people, usually.¡± ¡°Not for you.¡± ¡°Well, we are not typical, I¡¯d say,¡± Johanna said. ¡°The other options work out too.¡± ¡°Yes, but they¡¯re also lesser. Gauge drops a category for each lesser specialization. And besides, the specialization is very narrow. You need someone with very high Empathy and Perception to begin with.¡± ¡°It depends,¡± Miles said. ¡°Do you need your interviewing officer to be combat-ready? Why not expend that Talent energy to force those, and pick whatever Talents remaining that boosts the mana?¡± Johanna stopped there to think. She had to remind herself to keep her perspective open. Their stock of parchments probably included more than a hundred copies of Detect Lies. Or ones like Restoration, which Georgy had explained, and she recognized it as the Talent behind the Montana army¡¯s Hammer of Fixing. None of these was applicable to combat. For now, they were focused on getting out the Power the World needs, but who was she to say that people who did not want to fight beasts should be denied having suitable Talents? It was like that oxen driver, who did not want to shoulder the responsibility of having to use his Talents. Of¡­ having to serve. The Ancient had made quite a lot of Armorsmith and similar-sounding specializations after all, and not just enough for the catalog. She supposed that the Talent House was going to open up to those people at one point. ¡°Never thought I¡¯d retire to that kind of job,¡± the man said. ¡°Never say never, Norton,¡± Miles replied. ¡°I did too, once.¡± ¡°We¡¯re looking for management help, general organization, and particularly vetting of prospective Talented,¡± Johanna said. ¡°And you start by recruiting former ¨C or almost former ¨C salvagers?¡± Norton Wooley asked. ¡°And I start by having Miles tell me who I can rely on. Just like I did for those two expeditions, in the Lakes¡­¡± ¡°¡­ and the Coast. I heard about them. Depending on the conditions, you may have to beat them off with a stick. Safety when dealing with ruins?¡± ¡°Right.¡± ¡°So, does this means I get Talents, like Scott¡¯s team?¡± ¡°Probably. But first, we have to figure you out.¡± ¡°You¡¯re okay with him?¡± Miles asked. ¡°Good enough to move to the next recruitment phase,¡± she replied. ¡°The trick part is getting the level.¡± ¡°Ahead of you. Got Cyrus to check, he reports a¡­ level 7.¡± ¡°Not a problem with measurements, then,¡± she replied. The man raised his hand. ¡°Maybe you can tell me what you mean with level 7?¡±
Norton Wooley
Settled Explorer Level: ?????????? ??????????
Agility: ?????????? Jolt of Endurance Empathy: ?????????? -1
Authority: ?????????? Draw Focus Perception: ?????????? Gauge Stamina
Dexterity: ?????????? Sharpen Strength: ??????????
The newest desk manager looked up from the card Johanna had slid to him after finishing filling the copy for the Talent House¡¯s burgeoning registry. Norton Wooley might not have the proper profile for Miles¡¯s idea, but at least he would have one ¡°receptionist¡± Talent. They needed someone with Detect Lies later. ¡°So, half of these, you have no idea what they do?¡± ¡°No. Sharpen, well, it¡¯s anything that needs sharpening, according to Georgy,¡± she replied. ¡°Knives, pens, same thing. We¡¯ll get you more once we know what goes with a desk job. At least you can see who¡¯s powerful, or at least potentially so, and if they try to use a heroic Talent while in here.¡± ¡°Three more Talents, then?¡± ¡°First, we¡¯ll need to raise Agility and Perception and upgrade you to Settled Rover. Then, once you can raise that Strength or double Empathy. Too bad you didn¡¯t seem to be able to do any of that now. But that talent energy seems to come faster, at least once you¡¯re Talented. At least I can say that you¡¯re the first level 9 we¡¯ve seen. Even Miles hasn¡¯t unlocked that one.¡± ¡°Age, right?¡± ¡°Presumably. Next, the recruitment of guards for the Talent House. Scott¡¯s team isn¡¯t going to stand watch forever¡­¡± B2.56 - No Good Deed The line between disorder and order lies in logistics. Pre-Fall general. ¡°The city will pay a regular use fee,¡± the mayor finally said, as they all sat in a meeting room at the city hall. Georgy had organized the meeting immediately. Johanna had been astounded to learn that the mayor had not known anything about talents or what the Talent House stood for until she came in. She had assumed he¡¯d started selling parchment options before they¡¯d even met Burgher Griffith, but apparently, no. Once the mayor realized what they were offering, and saw parchments light under his touch, it was a foregone conclusion that the city would want that power available. He did not even feel the need to consult his council, and the haggling had started immediately. She¡¯d brought in Ulrich for negotiations. ¡°A sliding scale, based on the number of Talents per city guard,¡± the thirster said. ¡°Not all Talents are equally useful, I am sure,¡± the mayor immediately countered. ¡°They all work together. Even a lesser talent provides more endurance for the others.¡± ¡°So, you would be foisting off lesser Talents?¡± ¡°They all cost the same to make, so why would we pick lesser?¡± Johanna knew that not every parchment used the same number of pages from the Ancient books, but Ulrich was not wrong ¨C all required the same time to form, whether they had just Level or one of the big Talents that consumed an entire thick book in a single conversion. The haggling over details went on, as the mayor asked what would happen if a guard resigned. ¡°Your problem. The five-year fee remains due from the day the guards receive his or her last Talent, no matter when that happens.¡± The final plan was a $250 monthly fee for the specialization and first Talent, plus $25 per additional Talent, for a minimum of five years of guard duty, switching to a flat $300 monthly fee after five years. That did not look much, but it almost added 40% to the guard¡¯s budgeted wages and benefits, which made the mayor wince. ¡°At least I get back some taxes,¡± he joked after doing the calculations. ¡°For the price, I hope we can get the exact Talents we want.¡± ¡°Not everyone qualifies for all Talents. We will propose two possible ¡®builds¡¯, and your guards¡¯ office will have three days to pick what fits better your needs.¡± ¡°So, a five-guard trial run, and they can cancel? What¡¯s to prevent them from saying no, once they got their Talented guards? It¡¯s not as if we could forcefully remove their Talents. Even if we get a barred parchment from the Ancient to remove one, the person has to accept the parchment.¡± ¡°The fact that once their guards retire, they won¡¯t get the same deal?¡± Ulrich said with a straight face. ¡°True,¡± she admitted. ¡°So that¡¯s, what¡­ $1600 per month? If I assume four Talents per guard. Doesn¡¯t sound much. We¡¯re still hemorrhaging money with those Talent House people now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s still almost $4000 per separate Talent over five years, close to what we estimated the price at first. And that¡¯s for the first phase in New Sandusky before they add more to the roster. Passive income is the best way to deal with any organization like the city anyway. Once you expand, the money flow will reverse. Speaking of which, you haven¡¯t decided on how you want to approach the salvagers¡¯ case,¡± he noted. ¡°I¡¯m waiting for Miles¡¯s input,¡± she replied. ¡°He¡¯ll tell you a flat fee. Just¡­ well, make it higher if that includes Mana Sight. Because every salvage team is going to want that. I know Madelynn made an offer to your friend Petra. She¡¯d get both an Earth Shaper and an Artifact tracker. If Cameron doesn¡¯t outbid her.¡± She sat down, finally drafting a letter. She¡¯d been too busy, and now that she knew more about Talents, she could finally send it. Just the Metal Skin talent alone told her Countess Rocastle would qualify for Metal Shaper, not just Shaper. She still didn¡¯t know why the Ancient hadn¡¯t given it to her. But she could make that decision now. In theory, Catherine would qualify for at least one more Talent since she had to be level 6, not just 5, based on the skin¡¯s requirements, but the only guesses she could make were on Dexterity ¨C nothing in the other qualities was implicit in the woman¡¯s existing Talents. And, well, the only Metal Shaper Talent she could find in Dexterity under Level 7 was Flame Arrows, which fit more a Heroic type ¨C it was Ranger-available, after all ¨C rather than Catherine¡¯s existing set. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. She sighed. She¡¯d have to send just a specialization parchment. She¡¯d make it discreet ¨CCatherine lived in the Marches of the Montana, after all, and who knew what shenanigans the Warden might do. But¡­ Letter from anonymous to Catherine Rocastle.
Countess Rocastle, I hope this year finds you well, your domains in good shape, and your children growing well. I will not bother you overlong with stories of travels far and wide, but I found I was remiss when we visited the demesnes last year. I hope you¡¯ve been enjoying our gifts, but I discovered belatedly that we left you one that was not fully suitable for your talents. You will find enclosed a better replacement. Don¡¯t worry, it will be fine with the travel. These things keep their shape no matter how they get mishandled. I sincerely hope ¨C no I know ¨C it will suit you, and make your life much better. PS: I don¡¯t know how you ended with a lesser version. This one should fix it and make everything better. Sincerely, Anonymous
¡°Wait, you can tell if we lie?¡± the first of the five guards said. The first intake of city guards had finally been sent by the city hall, and Johanna, plus Esaie Saint Louis, the Talent House guard that had qualified for Detect Lies, had started the interview process. It was a bit weird to use someone initially recruited for a guard as an interviewer, but the man had had an outright +3 in Empathy, and a Fast Fixer profile, although he was only Level 4, so that would come later. He¡¯d even laughed at the idea of being a ¡°Saint¡±. ¡°It¡¯s going to be a standard. It¡¯s not just about the money, we want to make sure you¡¯re a good fit. So, I¡¯m going to ask questions and make sure you¡¯re not doing this for your own benefit. Then we¡¯ll start measuring you to create a build, a set of potential specializations and talents.¡± The guard swallowed. She¡¯d demonstrated as a way of introducing how parchments worked, by having the guard activate a simple Perception parchment. ¡°So, are you volunteering, or were you ordered to become a Talented guard?¡± she began, as Esaie¡¯s eyes started to shine slightly with mana. ¡°Those two options are your best ones. A defensive Guardian for your team, with a potential for growth to Keeper, provided you can gain a second Level later, or a more active front-line Focused Battler. Take those two provisional build sheets, and as agreed, discuss them with the rest of the team and the city hall. No need to rush. Come back with your answer next Monday, will you?¡± She relaxed after the last of the five left. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that last one had second thoughts, at least about using the Talents outside of patrol duties. He¡­ worded his phrasing carefully,¡± Esaie said. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I know him. He¡¯s the captain of the guard. That kind of position probably involves politicking, at least in some form. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he were thinking of that.¡± ¡°You think we should focus on Guardian for him then? Less dangerous?¡± she asked. ¡°You¡¯re the boss,¡± the guard-cum-interviewer said. ¡°Contractually, we offer them two possibilities. But given the rest of the team, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the city hall decided that he should pick Guardian anyway. I don¡¯t think they truly understand the subtleties of specializations.¡± ¡°Do we?¡± Esaie countered. ¡°I¡¯m not the Ancient,¡± she admitted. The guard shuddered slightly. ¡°Zahl is going first?¡± Miles asked. ¡°We haven¡¯t even finished setting up here and you go out-of-state?¡± ¡°We have parchments sitting upstairs. And we have Mark already there. I did promise him that he¡¯d get more for Zahl.¡± ¡°I was thinking of more of places like that city, Cheat, where we passed through to take the road to Washington,¡± Miles countered. She remembered the reinforced palisades, the advanced guard towers. Even if it was peaceful when they¡¯d been through, you could feel the difference between it and New Sandusky. Despite its proximity to the mana-heavy areas of the Marches, Sandusky did not have that siege mentality that Cheat exuded. ¡°You think we should have a full branch or something there?¡± ¡°Maybe. You decide. There are three different ways we can start to expand. Small local contact, a single person who oversees, does preliminary vetting, and sends people our way for a full evaluation and build.¡± Miles lowered a second finger. ¡°Two, the same structure, but we build parchment sets here according to a copy of that Talent sheet your professor designed, and send them under proper guard. Downsides: you also need someone out there with Gauge Stamina to measure the levels first and a set of those measurement tools. You can get away with the former if you make provisional sets for future growth, pretty much like the ones your patron did, but you need the latter.¡± ¡°We have a lot of those,¡± she replied. ¡°Not enough for every town.¡± Another finger finally went down. ¡°Or, for places that really need one, a full branch. An office, a small store of parchments, a basic staff, et cetera. That¡¯d be useful for places that need a lot of Talented around¡­ and places where they risk dying and need to be replaced quickly.¡± ¡°Beast waves. Cheat seems a good place for that option, you mean,¡± Johanna said. ¡°You could set up an adjutant there.¡± Johanna winced. ¡°Let¡¯s not call it an adjutant,¡± she said. ¡°Deputy, then.¡± She scribbled notes. She thought setting up the Talent House would go faster, but each option took too much time. Robert Mansfield, Mayor of Cheat, heard the knock at his door. ¡°Come in.¡± Another knock came. Robert sighed, stood up, and went to open the door. He was surprised to see no one at first. Then he looked down, and down, until he looked at a small face framed with black glasses. B2.57 - Tumbling Down There is no wrong time to make the right decision. Pre-Fall politician. Harold Wexler was trying to make sense of the report that had landed on his desk. Dropped, rather, by both the Undersecretary of Internal Affairs herself and his Intelligence Special Agent, Robert Henley. The two had joined forces for this, as foreign stuff technically fell under Robert¡¯s umbrella. Even in this case of muddled responsibilities, like the stateless territories of the East Coast mana zone. ¡°Wait, so there is an unknown Changed species?¡± the Executive finally said as the import of what was presented settled in. ¡°The original report got there on a full express. They ¨C well, their emissary ¨C literally knocked at the door to the mayor of Cheat¡¯s office, asking to talk and open up ¡®negotiations¡¯. Nobody even saw her come into the building.¡± Harold peered at the details on the written expos¨¦. ¡°Three-foot tall with sunglasses?¡± ¡°They call themselves the Mooneyed. The woman ¨C Monica Silvers ¨C says they¡¯re mostly nocturnal. They see extremely well in the dark, but get problems with too much daylight.¡± ¡°And they live in the East Coast death zone¡­ Camp David? What the?¡± ¡°Read about it in old history. It was a kind of safe retreat for the former Executive of the pre-Fall United States. They got hit by a Changestorm early on, apparently¡­ and they use tame Canids as mounts and troops against the local Changed beasts.¡± ¡°Maybe we should tame some Changed beasts of our own if that let them survive in the East Coast zone. And nobody saw her come in?¡± ¡°Mrs. Silvers says she used mount-skills, or what the mayor thinks is how they call Talents.¡± Harold looked up at Katia, frowning. ¡°She says both her Canid mount and herself have something she calls Reconnaissance, which lets them move around without anyone noticing.¡± ¡°Okay, so they lived in the death zone for a century and a half¡­ and they just made contact. What changed?¡± Katia looked at her notes and her copy of the report. ¡°She followed an expedition. The ¡®Mooneyed¡¯ spotted and followed a large expedition of what she says was ¡®Tallers¡¯ ¨C normal people? ¨C up to Washington DC. And back to the town of Cheat. That¡¯s where she made contact, after spying a bit and getting the go from her bosses.¡± ¡°I seem to remember some expedition to the East Coast. Didn¡¯t you report about one, like three months ago?¡± Harold asked. ¡°It sounds like they were successful. I haven¡¯t heard about it, not yet. It¡¯s probably a report in a pile somewhere,¡± she replied. ¡°And what do those Mooneyed wants?¡± ¡°Assistance. Or maybe refuge. She says they always have problems with Changed Beasts, even with the help of their tame Canids, and if they can resettle in safer lands, they want to. Seems on par with the East Coast mana zone. Even Cheat would be better.¡± Harold almost laughed. Cheat was famous for almost always sounding the alarm first during beast waves, as it usually got hit early on. ¡°But the next part barely makes sense.¡± Wexler looked back at the report. ¡°She says the Mooneyed want assistance to get ¡®more mount-skills¡¯. The mayor couldn¡¯t make sense of her explanations, but apparently, she believes we can give them Talents somehow. She says that¡¯s what the expedition she followed was after. They went to Washington to create sheets she says give ¡®mount-skills¡¯. And that¡¯s how she got those Talents, plural. It¡¯s very confu¡­¡± Katia suddenly stopped. ¡°People suddenly getting Talents,¡± Robert said slowly. ¡°In Ancient ruins? Like in the Montana?¡± Harold wondered. ¡°That does sound suspiciously like what the Warden is after. My agents say he¡¯s recovered an Ancient Skeleton-turned-Artifact but doesn¡¯t seem to be able to use it. Did that expedition find one in the east? Duplicate Artifacts are rare, but not unheard of,¡± Robert said. Katia re-read her report notes. ¡°She did not specify exactly how that expedition got that to work. Just that they were making some kind of sheets listing Talents. But they want those anyway, to allow for defense and travel. She hoped to speak to an ¡®elder¡¯ who could negotiate for them.¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°Diplomacy. I am going to get Marc in here and then send him there immediately, find what they are precisely looking for, and, well, negotiate. Independence was always welcoming to refugees during the Wars of Unification.¡± Robert laughed lightly. ¡°You know what? We live in interesting times. This is the first contact with a Changed species of people since, well, since before those.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s hope it¡¯s not the precursor to one,¡± Harold replied. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Executive. The last dispatches I got from the Northwest show no real progress since they managed to move that Artifact to New Benton,¡± Robert said. ¡°We should be so happy for that to continue. Well, compared to that, this current turn of events might be more peaceful. Find out about that expedition report. If they found another relic like the Warden¡¯s, it might be very important,¡± Harold ordered. Harold Wexler was still trying to sort through various scenarios for the Mooneyed with Marc Versant, the Diplomatic Corps Secretary, when there was a loud knock at the door. Harold turned and saw his secretary poke her head through. ¡°Executive? Undersecretary Michaelson is back. She says it¡¯s urgent.¡± ¡°Already? Can¡¯t it wait?¡± ¡°She seems very insistent¡­¡± He heard Katia¡¯s voice just behind the secretary. ¡°It¡¯s about Gomez!¡± ¡°Gomez?¡± Harold repeated, trying to jog back his memory. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s get her in.¡± ¡°Want me to go?¡± Marc asked. ¡°Not yet. So¡­ what¡¯s this Gomez thing?¡± he asked as the Undersecretary came in, looking breathless. ¡°I arrived at the office, and they dropped that surprise on me. Remember Professor Gomez?¡± ¡°Oh, yes. The Talent scholar, right? The one the Montana wanted to recruit,¡± Harold remembered finally. ¡°That¡¯s him. Apparently, he came back from a trip a few weeks ago.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s an urgent problem?¡± ¡°There has been an incident. The academy got robbed, and some research materials were stolen. But, apparently just before, someone broke into Professor Gomez¡¯s home. There were obvious signs of some trouble, and there is no sign of him.¡± ¡°What got stolen?¡± Harold immediately asked. ¡°Research materials that the professor had brought back. Something related to Talents, but that¡¯s unclear.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no sign of the Professor himself?¡± ¡°No. The police force searched, and while there¡¯s no blood or anything, they found weird stuff at the home.¡± ¡°Weird how?¡± ¡°Stiff squares of paper with weird lettering. And¡­ well, one guy at the office, when he touched one, got lights to appear on the paper.¡± She pulled out a large square of paper and dropped it on Harold¡¯s desk. The sheet¡¯s drawings were split into three equal parts around a central circle, labeled Level, Strength, and Disarm. ¡°You¡¯re right, it¡¯s sort-of weird. I wonder where this comes fr¡­¡± He stopped as he held the paper. Blue lights were coursing through the ink lines and started to revolve slowly around the central circle. ¡°More than weird. It feels like¡­ like I¡¯m supposed to accept or refuse something?¡± the Executive mused. Both he and Katia suddenly looked at each other. ¡°The Mooneyed¡¯s so-called Talent sheets.¡± Harold snatched his hand back and the lights vanished abruptly. ¡°I was thinking there must be some confusion. But it seems they were right,¡± he said. ¡°That must be one. A¡­ Disarm Talent? How did¡­¡± Katia facepalmed. ¡°You¡¯re right. I had almost forgotten that expedition with the news about Gomez. And I think the report did mention an academic from Nashville. Yes, that looks correct. Gomez might have gone there with it.¡± ¡°That seems to fit what we¡¯re looking at,¡± Harold said. ¡°An expedition gone to the East Coast, and back with those¡­ sheets,¡± he added, pointing to the now-unlit paper on his desk. ¡°Which the Mooneyed assume we can make at will?¡± Marc Versant, half-forgotten, added. ¡°Someone must be able to if the Mooneyed got some, and Gomez brought back some,¡± Harold said. ¡°That does not seem to match Robert¡¯s Skeleton thing,¡± Katia noted. ¡°Why do I get the impression that everything is starting to fall apart,¡± Harold replied. ¡°I think that¡¯s called crisis time,¡± she said. ¡°You need to start figuring this out immediately, Katia. What happened, where does all that stuff come from? Sorry, Marc, you¡¯ll have to improvise. Tell them we want to help, but¡­ something.¡± ¡°Will do.¡± Dispatch from [redacted] to [redacted]
Emergency report. Sole item, maximum priority item. A new organization has been formally incorporated in New Sandusky (copy of articles of incorporation forthcoming next report when I can). The organization (ref. ¡°Talent House¡±) offers the ability to obtain Talents, similar if not identical to those exhibited by Sorcerers, Saints, or Heroes. They have established various fee structures and a vetting process, including an in-person interview. This is not a scam, as it would appear. I applied as a city guard and went through the process personally. I signed the contract and obtained a set of no less than five Talents ¨C based on what was determined, that is my current best. I am now a Guardian (manual copy of the ¡°Talent sheet¡± appended at the end of this report) and can confirm the five listed abilities that were granted to me as part of the recruitment. NOTE: The interview process includes a lie detector. I managed to avoid exposing myself by providing technically correct answers, and the fact that they were not checking for intelligence officers specifically. DO NOT RISK ANYONE NEEDLESSLY. If you are suspected, you will be found by the lie detector interviewer. It¡¯s a Talent, the kind you can¡¯t fool. The Talent House chief officer, who helped conduct the interview, told me they¡¯re looking to open up branches soon, and boasted that they have ¡°plans to make a lot more Talented like me as necessary¡± ¨C direct quote from her. I was also told that although I was not the first, I was among the earliest to benefit, and my team would be exceptional from now on. I have no doubt she¡¯s speaking accurately. Everything is supernatural to the extreme. Gauge Stamina changes your entire outlook. The other four guards are all empowered to the same degree as me, just with different Talents. Once again, I can confirm and will be able to demonstrate at any moment, under any circumstances that what I report now is perfectly accurate. Please advise. I have no framework for how to deal with this. Unsigned
Katia Underwood looked at the raw report incredulously. ¡°You wanted to send instructions to New Sandusky, and well, we just had that one coming in last week. It looks like the man might be a mite¡­ perturbed?¡± her underling said. ¡°No, he isn¡¯t,¡± she replied. ¡°And that changes everything. Find me transport, I need to go there myself. ¡°Actually, no,¡± she interrupted herself. ¡°I need good agents. As many we can mobilize fast. Because I wouldn¡¯t bet someone did not know about that Talent House before we did.¡± B2.58 - Showdown Months of boredom punctuated by moments of stark terror. Pre-Fall, Unattributed Trying to organize the shape of the Talent House, or at least its early incarnation, involved meetings upon meetings. Johanna was definitively not used to meetings. Her father rarely needed one, except once in a while with Ellis Anasta, and those were not only usually short, she was never involved after all. Save for that time with the Lepus colony. The negotiations with merchants took longer, but they were not true meetings. Here, Miles insisted they needed those meetings to hash out the details, and Ulrich did support him, so she guessed the two men were right. ¡°So, nobody is interested in enforcing a code of conduct,¡± she noted, deeply seated in the ¨C comfortable ¨C chair at the table. She¡¯d insisted on a round table. She might have been nominated chairwoman, but she was not about to sit at the end of a long table. Even on her father¡¯s farm, the patriarch did not. ¡°Yes. Cameron and Madelynn said no, and none of their crews are interested,¡± Miles confirmed. ¡°An expedition to the coast, yes. But full-time enforcers? Definitely no.¡± ¡°And you think we should keep it separate from the town guard,¡± she asked again, looking at Ulrich. ¡°You want a check on power, in general not concentrating too much power on the same people. Okay, you¡¯re a special case, because you are all irreplaceable, which is a power of its own. But if it comes to hunting criminals that are Talented, then you do need professionals that won¡¯t have diluted loyalties.¡± She sighed. ¡°He¡­ said so. He seemed satisfied with what we achieved, but he warned me about requiring a Talented force¡­ a kind of Talented police. To keep Talents under control, once they start to spread to multiple cities.¡± ¡°Meaning we need loyal Talented in our employ,¡± Peter said. ¡°Meaning more money,¡± Laura completed. ¡°We keep going back to that,¡± Johanna sighed. ¡°Money makes the world go round,¡± Laura shrugged. ¡°Would your old team¡­¡± she started to ask, but Miles cut her immediately. ¡°Unlikely. You saw Julian, he¡¯s got a job and a family. Sethek-Eshes seems to have settled, I haven¡¯t heard about them for years. Ditto Keegan, that dwarf¡¯s probably got kids by now. Besides, it¡¯s a young man¡¯s game, both Ulrich and I are way too old for this.¡± ¡°The only one young enough to enjoy doing this might be Snowbound. I sent him a message saying he could get Talents these days, before we started fully this company, by the way. Although you tell me he has some¡­¡± ¡°At least one. I wonder what his specialization is. It didn¡¯t seem as strong as Peter¡¯s, but there are a few with Reconnaissance a rank below Discreet,¡± Johanna noted. ¡°In fact¡­ I wonder how high a Talent with a proper specialization can go, compared to Artifacts.¡± She shrugged off the speculation and focused again on the meeting. ¡°That means expanding our guard staff,¡± Peter noted. ¡°Those four won¡¯t be enough if we have to dispatch people to trouble spots.¡± ¡°Yes. Admittedly, the city will not like the idea of the Talent House having its own private enforcement arm. And the local lawyers will have conniptions at the mere concept,¡± Miles said. ¡°I never looked at the idea before. Apparently, you can theoretically build a personal police force, but that requires all kinds of limits, and the head of such must be appointed by the mayor in any case.¡± ¡°We do have a working relationship with him,¡± Johanna noted. ¡°Even if he¡¯s okay, he¡¯ll use it to extract many concessions and favors.¡± Peter raised his hand to interrupt. ¡°If that¡¯s within the mayor¡¯s prerogative, does this mean we need a specific permanent force within each town where you have Talented?¡± Everyone looked at him. ¡°Just asking.¡± Johanna groaned. ¡°Next up, the Cheat branch setup,¡± Miles intoned. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Of course, you can set up an additional guard unit for yourself outside of business guards. Provided you pay for them,¡± the Mayor said with a huge smile. Miles was with her for this one, as Ulrich was trying to negotiate a better loan with Georgy¡¯s bank. ¡°And the conditions?¡± the Metal Master asked. ¡°If you want a private force, properly deputized to act, then it must also serve as a public force in case of emergency.¡± ¡°You want to be able to call on them?¡± she asked. ¡°If there is a beast infestation, the city hall wants to be able to call upon all capable fighters.¡± As they stepped out of the city hall, she sighed, and Miles repressed a laugh. ¡°He just wants free Talents,¡± Johanna said. ¡°He¡¯ll set up another team soon, but if he can reduce his fees to the Talent House and still have a reserve force¡­ not too surprised,¡± Miles stated. ¡°We still have to recruit those enforcers.¡± ¡°And make sure they get the right profiles. Talents are a significant force multiplier, as the Ancients used to say, and even more if you have the right combinations.¡± ¡°You said it¡¯s a young man¡¯s game, but the problem is Talent energy. Outside of a few cases, people with high Levels are older. Our current guards are good, but we only have one Level 5 with an intermediate specialization.¡± ¡°It¡¯s going to be a balance. Right now, for desk jobs, I can still get retired salvagers like that one for the Cheat branch. I know most of them, and like Norton, they ought to have significant levels. But roving ¡®bounty hunters¡¯? Not the right fit.¡± ¡°You know, I wonder. Because the Ancient just showed us Talents up to Level 9, and that¡¯s all we saw so far. But I know there must be bigger specializations. That vision was clear about that. Fire Sovereign.¡± ¡°Maybe you can only get above 9 by being Talented. You shot up in Levels fast, after all,¡± Miles replied. ¡°So, we recruit low, and hope they get Levels quickly.¡± Miles shrugged. ¡°Who knows? But you¡¯ll have candidates. People are starting to talk. Rumors are slowly starting. I even got an inquiry from the pastor about ¡®miracles¡¯,¡± Miles added. She groaned. ¡°We weren¡¯t about to leave Mrs. Carlin chair-bound. Not once Laura got Regrowth.¡± ¡°Ulrich would probably tell you you¡¯ve got a side revenue stream. None of the other Fixers around has got that Talent since it needs Level 7.¡± ¡°People call someone like Laura a Saint. Maybe we should keep it that way.¡± ¡°That one seems time-consuming though.¡± ¡°A bit less now that she¡¯s a Minister,¡± she replied. Then she nodded. ¡°Ordained by the Ancient himself.¡± ¡°Almost time,¡± Zlatan Tadich said, making sure the four others were ready. His team was only one of three, and he might not have the riskiest target, but it was still dangerous. The idea was to hit every target simultaneously, to avoid any warning. Strike fast, before anyone notices. Zlatan could not be sure of how many Talented were around, and he was not interested in finding out. They¡¯d followed them very carefully, to avoid being spotted. Once they¡¯d split when leaving their headquarters, the clock had been started as each of the three teams readied themselves for their respective objectives. Securing those two without the backup offered by their Minister should be easy enough. After all, his boss had their full Talent list. He might not have enough immunity to her fire since he lacked one level to get Fire Master, but Fire Shaper would have to suffice. That¡¯s what he had a Stock Fixer for. Burns were temporary. He still had difficulty adjusting to the Talents. He¡¯d barely had them for three weeks, mostly spent rushing to New Sandusky before the news followed them. But never mind. It¡¯s time to nab those targets, he thought, raising his hand slowly and then pumping up and down, and the five of them came out and started to slowly deploy. Weird? Who are those guys? Moore wondered. Finding a Level 7 Fire Shaper could happen. Having the specialization did not mean you had skills to match, so the guy might not know he had the potential for sorcery. But a Level 6 Ranger appearing at the same time? Then Moore spotted a Level 7 Deadeye. And just to the side, a Level 6 Sword Dancer. And¡­ a Level 6 Stock Fixer. That¡¯s not random happenstance. That¡¯s an actual team, he realized. Johanna had looked at the store¡¯s window, but nothing was looking good. Tom had been doubtful as well. They were shopping for stuff to finish making their upper-floor section into a real home, not just a barely furnished pair of rooms as they had been when they moved in after the expedition. And while she could expect to get money to pile up only later, it was not an excuse to spend it before it came in for things that weren¡¯t as good as they could be. But as she looked away, she felt something off. A guy was walking in the street toward them, looking straight at them. While she was starting to get known in New Sandusky, on the account of the burgeoning Talent House, someone coming straight to accost her was not usual. ¡°Johanna Milton¡­¡± the man said as he got close. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°You and your husband are going to come quietly with us.¡± She blinked in surprise, then noticed the two men coming at his side. Both had bows strapped, but one brought it up in a movement that was smooth, and unnatural, while the other was more deliberate. Is that a Talent? Who are these guys? ¡°Why?¡± Tom just asked. ¡°While we¡¯d like to get you alive, my boss allows me to decide.¡± ¡°Your boss?¡± she asked. She spotted someone coming at the trio, but a fourth man moved to stop him. She had not seen him move, but suddenly a sword was in his hand, pointed at the citizen who stopped and backpedaled immediately. That is a Talent. Ambidextrous, I¡¯d wager, she realized. ¡°Apparently, the Adjutant is very disappointed by your desertion. He liked you, he told me.¡± She felt like she had gotten a cold sweat, despite the fact that she no longer sweated since getting Cinder Circle. ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Your friends are being taken care of, just like you. If you play nice, you may even see them one day. And if you think you can fight your way out¡­ well, we do have a Fixer and you don¡¯t. Renzo can fix you¡­ after we shoot you down. If Milos has to cut a limb, that¡¯s just a problem for later.¡± The goon from the Montana smiled wickedly. ¡°Your choice.¡± Tom threw a look at Johanna, to see what she wanted to do. Fighting against so many Talented was¡­ Her eyes had turned blue. A kind of weird light blue covered the entire orb, as if her blood, her iris, and even the depths of the pupil had turned blue. And then her lips twitched, rising slightly in a shadow of a smile. B2.59 - The View From Beyond No place is out of reach. Wisdom of the Ancients, Book 2 That¡¯s the kind of fight you don¡¯t dare to begin, even with skills, Moore realized. Five significant level enemies, a proper team with loads of ranged attacks, against just two people. He didn¡¯t know which skills they had within their specialization, or even how they got them, but that could be very bad. A healer changed everything in a team, but without one, risks became too high. He was only starting to know New Sandusky, but Laura wasn¡¯t close, as he checked that view where she was shopping with Peter. The odds were not good. He looked at the interface, allowing him extra time to decide on what he could do to change. He had kept loads of XP. A monstrous amount, sure, but then, a pair of levels and one additional skill for Johanna and Tom were not going to change anything at this point, even if she realized their sudden appearance. Not with a fire-resistant main opponent, a pair of bow specialists that looked competent even before skills, and without the backup of Laura. Any incapacitating hit and they were done for. Then he opened his personal options. And notably, the one whose use he¡¯d delayed until now. Exchange. Like the other, he had zero help outside of the interface itself. Moore had played with it back in Washington, and along with the name, he had ideas about what it truly meant. He¡¯d delayed testing it, but time was no longer on his side. It was the only disrupting factor here. He mentally sighed and realized one level, at least, might be useful. Level 9. A single commit and Johanna had one more skill point. Useless for her, apart from seven additional maximum mana¡­ yet potentially important for what he could do with it. He then pulled open the Exchange interface again. 150k, plus 10k per level of Johanna. 240k XP. And 45XP per second afterward. Either he was correct in his interpretation, or maybe, if it was just a temporary change of skills¡­ she would have to improvise if she realized what happened. Skills came naturally, right? The main thing was that none of the nine skill slots that were now in the interface were locked. And he knew he could emplace up to nine skills of any tier, any stat, any level, and pick whatever specialization he had in his repertoire to apply to these skills, individually, for the highest multiplier he could find if he wanted to. And as he filled the UI, he saw Johanna¡¯s level and stats of the temporary descriptor increase as well to match what he added. Granted, he did not have many skills visible at the higher levels, even with his newly expanded level 10 horizon, but at least he could use some of the best he knew. Multiple scenarios played out in his mind and on the interface. And every single one filled Moore with uncertainty. It had been over a year since he realized he still existed, and he did not want to risk his consciousness, retreating to a mindless existence. Survival of the four was paramount. Johanna¡¯s Level 9 meant nine skills to play with. Not one more. He had to compromise. Nine skills sounded a lot, but he needed to make up an entire team, against an entire actual team. Use the Talents for surprise, shock and awe, minimize the risks to her and Tom, and if he could cause them to run away, that would be for the best. Just like a normal descriptor, he started playing with it. The modified descriptor didn¡¯t show an increased mana pool available ¨C just maximum mana, which would be next to useless given the time limit implicit in XP consumption. Same for stamina-based skills. He wouldn¡¯t get more than one stamina to spend. He hoped that it would not go through a specialization-less phase that would empty Johanna¡¯s mana pool, since it did not touch on her specialization. That would make sense, but given how wonky the System was, he would not be surprised if it didn¡¯t work that way. He should have tested it, but if he had¡­ he would not have enough experience now to use it when needed. He wiped his previous selections and set out to pick a theme. And as he filled it, it felt right. Fleshless. Impressive on its own¡­ and providing near-immunity to most piercing attacks, like those Ranger and Deadeye ones. Too bad no Master spec worked on that hybrid. But arrows? Pfft. Shadow Wings. Another, not entirely for the effect. It would give him unmatched maneuverability once combat started. He could fly away in the worst case¡­ but probably leave Tom behind. So, not really an option, unless he could get to reinforcements in time. Ghostly Armor. Complementary protection to Fleshless for blunt damage. And guaranteed to add VFX oomph. Falter was going to pay for itself there. Even if you knew what it was and steeled yourself to ignore it, its Tyrant Minister¡¯s level effects were guaranteed. Or so he assumed ¨C after all, he¡¯d never experienced them, only the most obvious reactions of others. Investiture of Ice, both for some visual effects, for local defense, and as a safety net, in case someone tried frost attacks. It was a Deadeye option, after all. He doubted he needed the extra fire resistance, but layering defenses¡­ then he realized he might not have fire resistance unless he had something else¡­ It¡¯s only a Fire Shaper. Active protection will have to suffice. Sphere of Freezing Light. One of the handfuls of level 10 fresh unlocks. If the goons expected to face a Fire Master, that water-metal skill would be a nasty surprise, and the Fire Shaper wouldn¡¯t have defenses. Earthbind, because locking down your enemy while you fired on him always worked, as he¡¯d seen so often. Silence, which would confuse them when applied selectively. He briefly hesitated, because there was only one slot left. Then he realized he¡¯d layered defenses, but no defense was absolute. And Tom definitively did not have those. A safe fight needed First Aid, even if he did end up using it. He spent a few subjective moments checking the modified version of Johanna¡¯s descriptor. After so long being constrained and shackled by the limits of the System, that one felt weird.
Exchange
Johanna Marcia Milton (level 9) Cost: 240,000 XP Ongoing cost: 45 XP per second
Fleshless Unnatural Shaper (¡Á3)
Shadow Wings Metal Master (¡Á3)
Ghostly Armor Arcane Keeper (¡Á3)
Falter Tyrant Minister (¡Á4)
Investiture of Ice Water Master (¡Á4)
Sphere of Freezing Light Crystal Shaper (¡Á2)
Earthbind Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Earth Master (¡Á3)
Silence Tyrant Minister (¡Á4)
First Aid Combat Minister (x4)
Yes No
Which, he had to admit, was the point. It should be impossible, and if the goons knew enough about the System¡­ they¡¯d realize it was. Alea Jacta Est! He mentally started the Exchange. The lines in the endless blue space twisted around Johanna¡¯s view as the separate interface merged with her descriptor. Johanna was about to reply to the enemy forces leader when she felt a pull. It was as if¡­ as if¡­ As if there were ropes tied to her hands. Her shoulders. Her hips. Her feet. Everywhere. And the ropes pulled, in a direction that her brain refused to feel. The view in front of her folded, receding somehow¡­ losing briefly perspective, before settling into a sort of window. Somehow surrounded by blue lines, but lines that extended beyond the square, stretching¡­ stretching across impossible distances. I¡¯ve seen this. I¡¯ve seen this kind of window before. That was the same view she¡¯d first seen over what looked like clouds. Back in the dreams in Zahl where she met with the skeleton. But instead of clouds, the view floated into some space, an empty sky full of blue lines crossing which her mind refused to understand. The blue lines stretched everywhere across the blue space that was a sea surrounding her. A memory, distant, came back to her. Elena¡¯s words, more than a year ago. ¡°For that one precious time in our existence, we swam in the ocean of mana before sleep ended. The endless blue and its light lines that make angles no one can picture, and its half-unreadable, half-unremembered words¡­¡± I¡¯m there. It¡¯s that place. I¡¯m in the place where¡­ everything comes from. I¡¯m in the true realm of the Ancient. Not this liminal Dream he brings me to. His place beyond reality. And there were still four windows, arrayed at dizzying angles. She tried to turn to look at them, and realized that although her point of view followed her will¡­ there was nothing to turn. She tried to bring her hands in front of her, but there was nothing. She tried to look at herself, but there was no body. Nothing. She was a bodiless awareness floating in something that seemed impossible. Two of the four windows showed more or less the same scene. The enemy leader was taking a step back, his eyebrows rising in obvious surprise, as she noted with the preternatural clarity of the views. And she realized that one of the windows showed her standing there. How could she still be there if she was here? But as she was speculating, she realized something was happening. Her flesh, as seen from the distance, was receding. Whorls of a translucent substance spread all over her. In a second, it was as if she had lost all her flesh. A skull, bony hands¡­ her clothes vanished under what looked like a ghostly imprint of armor, and behind her sprang two ovals of shadow that resolved into something vaguely wing-shaped. Her body stepped forward on its own accord, and she could see frost forming around her feet. The enemy leader¡¯s eyes were starting to bulge, in what looked like slow motion. What¡¯s going on? Is that me or¡­? As if to answer, something sprang from that window. As if a second window had come into existence next to the first. But that window was not a different view into the scene. It was¡­ some form of text.
Johanna Marcia Milton Douglas Jasper Moore Female human, 20 years, 6 months NULL, 183 years, 3 months
Human Resources Middle Manager Level: 16 398/852 mana (+18 per hour) 0 unallocated skill points XP: 8402
STR: 21 FLESHLESS (79) GHOST ARMOR (100) AUT: 26 FALTER (120) SHADOW WINGS (94) SILENCE (120)
AGI: 21 EARTHBIND (77) PER: 18
DEX: 19 FIRST AID (92) EMP: 23 INVESTITURE OF ICE (108) SPHERE OF FREEZING LIGHT (62)
And the XP number dropped steadily. She blinked, or tried to. The text was immediately replaced by another
Johanna Marcia Milton Douglas Jasper Moore Female human, 20 years, 6 months NULL, 183 years, 3 months
Fire Master Level: 9 (55000 XP needed) 398/405 mana (+18 per hour) 1 unallocated skill point XP: 0 + 8,267
STR: 18 (7410 XP needed) Blazing Orb (45) AUT: 21 (5562 XP needed) Flame Handing (93)
AGI: 18 (4978 XP needed) Cinder Circle (45) PER: 18 (6005 XP needed) Mana Sight (63)
DEX: 19 (4957 XP needed) Flaming Blade (66) Fireball (66) EMP: 18 (4622 XP needed) Steam Breath (27)
Wait, what¡¯s that? She focused on the names¡­ and found descriptions. Ones whose meaning she recognized. She swirled to turn to Tom and focused. The text window that came out was highly different, but¡­ it was Tom. His Talents. Measurement of all kinds of things. And when she looked at the skills, she got the exact description of what they did. Add X% to trauma injuries. Know when enemies came after him. Is this how it all looks¡­ to Him? And she realized suddenly what the other window for her was showing. Douglas Jasper Moore. That was a name. The name of the Ancient himself¡­ who, somehow, had taken over. He now replacing her, in the middle of the confrontation against the Warden¡¯s thugs, bringing entirely different Talents into play. Breaking the rules that Gomez had started to explore. And as she looked around, she spotted another scene playing over Peter and Laura¡¯s views. Zlatan had them cornered, he thought. Despite all the weirdness, their powers were well known. And thanks to their own actions, he had enough force, Talent builds to counteract them. Once split, they were manageable. And once hostages, they could be leveraged against each other instead of reinforcing each other. But Johanna Milton looked at him, her gaze steeling, a blue light playing in her eyes¡­ and she changed. In seconds, her flesh vanished, bones held by a half-seen glow showing hints of moving things. An armor, made of light somehow, sprang around her. Behind her back, sheets of utter blackness unfolded, like wings made out of shadows. And she looked at him, blue lights playing where eyes should be, in vaguely visible sockets of bone. He felt dread. He recognized briefly that sensation. Falter, he thought. But she wasn¡¯t the sorceress with it. Her acolyte had it and she wasn¡¯t even there. And then, shadowy lips parted, showing a bony rictus that was a smile. ¡°You interfere.¡± The voice was Johanna Milton¡¯s¡­ yet it wasn¡¯t. She started rising in the air, and his eyes went wide. None of the Talents he knew about allowed people to fly like that. Her Talents definitively did not. She was supposed to be a fire-attuned Master, he even had the Talent list, but this was nothing like she should be¡­ She was now floating just above his head, looking down at him as she cupped a hand and a ball of white light appeared in it. She slowly floated forward, advancing as if she cared not a whit for his Talented team. ¡°You should not¡­¡± ¡°Your interference is not allowed. I do not allow you.¡± He tried to speak, but no word came. His mouth opened, but no sound came, as if he had forgotten even how to speak. ¡°Their choice is mine. I choose. And they have a mission. All of them.¡± Zlatan felt his blood drain, even more than Falter could account for. This time, his voice was there when he tried to ask. ¡°Who¡­ who are you?¡± ¡°You should know of me. I am what brings completion to the world.¡± He suddenly realized what he was looking at. This wasn¡¯t Johanna Milton. The information from Agnello, about an ancient skeleton, back in the northwest, which had been the source of their powers. Their talents, their ability to create the parchments of power that he¡¯d used to get where he was now. It now made a terrible kind of sense. That Skeleton, somehow, was now standing in front of him. ¡°Ancient¡­¡± ¡°I was before your world was remade. You are wise to recognize truths.¡± Two arrows almost materialized, stuck into the¡­ fleshless cover around the bones of the Skeleton. The bolts vibrated in place, before being somehow pushed out, falling and clattering on the ground. The Skeleton¡¯s gaze turned, and the ball of ice in his hand launched. One of the rangers screamed as the icy cold light struck and fell, clutching his chest where the orb clung, shrinking. His Stock Fixer dropped his knife and ran, before recoiling as he tried to touch the wound. ¡°It¡¯s keeping it¡­¡± he started. ¡°Know the limits of your powers before you use them. You have a long way to go,¡± the Skeleton said, dismissively and a new ball of icy light sprang from the cupped skeletal hand, firing at the medic who bolted, the ball angling to follow. Another immediately rose before the ball even dissipated, floating inches above the hand. The other Heroic bowman blanched, but the Ancient Power turned their gaze back toward Zlatan. The skeletal form was a few yards before him looking down. He felt the incredible cold that radiated from the Power, deeper even than the coldest winter. ¡°Go, new man. You have made the right step in accepting the powers. Now, make the right step in accepting the inevitable.¡± ¡°What do you want?¡± he stammered. ¡°I want nothing. The world wants from you. Your enemies await you at its edges, not here.¡± Zlatan stepped back, and the skeletal Power stayed in place, its unnatural blue flame eyes watching him. ¡°Go forth and say to your masters that change is coming. Not as a storm¡­ but as a tide.¡± There was a small bark, which he recognized as a laugh. ¡°And you are part of the tide.¡± Zlatan turned and started running. Seeing their leader fleeing, the Talented support looked briefly at each other and then started running as well. Tom walked slowly to where Johanna¡­ or whatever took over her was slowly descending to the ground while watching the men from the Montana fleeing. ¡°Jo?¡± The skeletal form turned and watched him. ¡°Too little left now,¡± the weird reply came. ¡°Need over nine thousand. No, ninety-five hundred now.¡± The skeleton turned again, keeping watch as the last of the thugs vanished around a corner. Then, it made a sound that felt like a sigh. The darkness, the translucent armor, the shape vanished abruptly and Johanna suddenly bent in sudden shock, her flesh restored abruptly. ¡°JO!¡± She raised her hand, the other on her knee. Breathing heavily, as if she¡¯d run miles. Tom ignored the raised hand and squeezed her. ¡°I¡¯m okay. I¡¯m okay¡­¡± ¡°Was the Skeleton, right?¡± Tom asked. Johanna breathed deeply again before answering, ¡°Yes. Yes, it was Douglas.¡± ¡°Douglas?¡± ¡°He pulled me. He¡­ exchanged his place with me. And I could see his name.¡± ¡°Name?¡± ¡°Douglas. Douglas Moore.¡± Then she grasped him tightly. ¡°Peter and Laura!¡± Book 2 Epilogue Against the stupidity of man, the Ancients themselves toil in vain. Wisdom of the Ancients, Book 2 As Edgard Maistry entered the room, his gaze fell on Elena Worchester and he smiled. ¡°It feels insane,¡± she simply stated as she noticed him, looking up from what he recognized as the old Mages of America book. ¡°The third shipment has just arrived. Roman¡¯s agents had everything coming through multiple channels to avoid interception if any hostile force discovered what was going on.¡± ¡°But power at the touch of a¡­ simple sheet of paper.¡± ¡°Not so simple,¡± he replied, then raised his right hand¡­ flexing it. ¡°Although I¡¯m not used to having it back yet, I can¡¯t say I¡¯m disappointed by those Fixers,¡± he added. ¡°You tell me.¡± ¡°What did you pick?¡± he asked. ¡°I was waiting for the crates after reading your stolen notes. I went for¡­ Steam Shaper,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ve always regretted not having Billy-Jo¡¯s flame and immunity to fire. That way, I keep my fogs, but I¡¯ve opened perspectives.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to ask for a detailed list,¡± he answered. She turned her head in the direction where they both knew the tower was. The tower and the Ancient Skeleton locked in it. ¡°So, you were wrong about the need for this?¡± ¡°Oh, it is absolutely tied with it. Agnello just arrived yesterday and¡­ well, he had bad news.¡± ¡°Let me guess. You tried to capture them and failed?¡± ¡°Is it that obvious?¡± ¡°You are a bit single-minded. I told you before, you should have tried the soft way. Ancient saying about flies, honey, and vinegar. You would have avoided all this. So, tell me all.¡± ¡°She invoked it?¡± Elena was wide-eyed. ¡°His man Zlatan Tadich was there and fled once he realized it was toying with him, and I spent most of the night debriefing him and Agnello. They had the entire profile for all of them, a strategy, and instead of surrendering or fighting out, she simply turned into¡­ well, into a skeleton. With wings of black, capable of flying. Dread worthy of a Tyrant Fixer, not a Fire Shaper or Master. She shrugged enhanced Ranger attacks, struck with a kind of ice attack we don¡¯t know, and when she spoke¡­ it wasn¡¯t her voice. It was another voice. Its voice.¡± ¡°Magic can do a lot bit¡­ but that sounds positively supernatural. More than just magic.¡± ¡°It spoke of destiny, of inevitability. That even Zlatan himself was part of the order it wanted, as it blasted his team with frost balls.¡± ¡°Not ominous at all,¡± she said. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Now, not everything is lost. Even though nobody has any information on what happened to the other team, which I now assume got it to intervene as well, the hit on their Talent House went almost perfectly, which is why we have so much of their stock. We¡¯ll have the rest within a few more weeks.¡± ¡°But they can remake it.¡± ¡°If they can get their hands on enough Ancient Books, yes.¡± ¡°So, what is the plan?¡± ¡°Right now¡­ I have General Adorno trying to assemble a pair of Talented companies from veterans and use just them to end the war, quickly and decisively. We may have enough to field a few empowered regiments beyond that, but that¡¯s it without them to make more.¡± ¡°You¡¯re thinking of bringing the war to the Central States¡­ to where they are now.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t afford to do anything else. And it has to be quick. Independence will get them one way or another, even if they don¡¯t turn immediately to Wexler for protection and support after the failed kidnapping. If they can remake their stock of those parchments, the quality advantage of our empowered platoons will be negated when they match our troops.¡± Elena¡¯s eyebrows rose. ¡°Sorry, non-stop strategy gaming sessions. Any cautious scenario ends up in failure.¡± ¡°How so?¡± He pointed in the general direction of the tower. ¡°If it was just through the physical object here, it would be perfect. We would have all the cards. But it¡¯s not just an Artifact. It has a¡­ presence. A will. And they can channel that will through them. Your little Johanna Milton and the other three. They don¡¯t need to have access to it.¡± ¡°You want to destroy it?¡± ¡°My first impulse would have been to sink that in the Pacific. But there is no guarantee it would even suffice. It¡¯s impervious to anything we have, even if we don¡¯t trigger defenses, so it might survive being dumped into one of those deep trenches there. And then we¡¯d lose control of that piece. Right now, we have the numerical advantage in terms of Talented, but we will lose that fast if they keep making parchments.¡± ¡°You are serious. You want to end the creation of Talents.¡± ¡°It¡¯s an Ancient, not God. We¡¯re committed to this course, Elena. There is no turning back. And don¡¯t pretend you haven¡¯t enjoyed suddenly gaining additional power.¡± She laughed, the laugh more brittle than Edgard had ever heard from her. That briefly worried him. She might be replaceable now, but she was one of his strongest supports from early on in this war. ¡°You know¡­ I wanted to see magic. But I can¡¯t unsee. People say it is strange¡­ but they don¡¯t see mana. I do. I see it. All everyone sees is weird weather above your castle. I see what truly surrounds it now. The immense churning of mana that goes over it.¡± She laughed, little hiccups coming. ¡°It¡¯s not even powering it. That Artifact, in the cathedral? It needs to be fed mana from above. But the mana around it¡­ it comes from within. And it attracts more. Just by being there.¡± ¡°Keep yourself together, Elena. Do you want to head to Kootenai and help there? You might not be entirely necessary there immediately, but if you need to get away from New Benton and the tower?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m okay.¡± He stood up. ¡°See you, then.¡± Just before he left, Elena asked, ¡°What did you pick?¡± He turned, smiled at her, and simply left. The Warden of the Montana came out into the courtyard and his gaze rose up, and up, until he was looking straight above, at the heavy cloud cover that promised rain without quite delivering. And the hole in the clouds, as clouds swirled above, leaving a square opening to the heavens above. Even if the sun didn¡¯t shine in that direction, you knew the opening was exactly above the skeleton on its chair, safely hidden in the tower. Hidden and visible to everyone. Edgard Maistry, Warden of the Montana, wasn¡¯t given to flight of imagination, but he still got the impression that, if he went there, the skeleton on its chair would be looking at him. Taunting. Daring him to do something, anything. Fuck you, Ancient. It¡¯s my world, not yours.
Douglas Joseph Moore NULL, 183 years, 3 months
NULL (Human Resources Middle Manager) Level: NaN XP: 9312
STR: 23 (-233 XP) Last: Zlatan Tadi? AUT: 4 (24,755 XP) Last: Johanna Marcia Milton
AGI: 0 (? XP) PER: 2 (8,000 XP) Last: Johanna Marcia Milton
DEX: 133,882 (-27 XP) Last: Strength+Arcane Guardian EMP: 1 (255,885 XP) Last: Johanna Marcia Milton
Time Synchronization available at 10,000 Interaction range of NaN yards 20/20 180¡ã vision in low-light conditions Full descriptors available Perceive level, specialization and skills used up to NaN
Extra Prequel Story Bonus: Solstice Dreams The tables for the marriage of Mercer Nero and young Gloria Claws were put outside of the walls of Virtu. Technically, it was the Fall Equinox Feast, but as usual, people would combine celebrations. Most marriages were scheduled around those big festival times. ¡°Young¡± was a relative term, though. Gloria was a full five years older than Johanna, at 22 which felt ripe for the seventeen-year-old. That was years beyond her, and now her neighbor was getting married to a young man from Virtu. ¡°Lookie there,¡± Peter noted at her side. She followed the diminutive boy¡¯s finger toward another group of farmers whose convoy had probably arrived just before theirs. ¡°I saw him first,¡± she insisted, somewhat unconvincingly. The truth was, she hadn¡¯t spotted the big silhouette at the side of the various guests until Peter did. There might be almost sixty people coming from Avon¡­ and Tom was of course there. The two had hit off on the solstice last June in Anasta. She¡¯d somehow missed him on previous occasions, but those traditional ribbon dances had been interesting. She¡¯d quickly given up correcting his distaste for verbs. ¡°You didn¡¯t seem to be looking,¡± Peter said sweetly. ¡°Well, keep looking yourself. Who knows, maybe some girl here will catch your eye. I¡¯m sure one will overlook your size,¡± she shot back. She smirked at the slight shrug. People kept waiting for him to do a last growth spurt, but even after Johanna had shot several inches over her childhood friend, he didn¡¯t. After 15, even he gave up, and resigned to be a 5¡±1 boy for the rest of his life. Even most girls towered above him. She still wasn¡¯t sure how much to wait before aiming for the Avon group, so she went back to small talk. ¡°So, what do you think about the war?¡± ¡°The war? Which war?¡± ¡°Duh.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been, what, 6 years now. Every year, you hear about how the tribals from beyond the Northern Barrier are coming down any day now, and every year, they fail to break through.¡± Peter looked at her in all seriousness and added, ¡°If you want to win a war, you have to attack. Like, right now.¡± Seeing as Johanna looked indecisive, he hit her in the shoulder. ¡°Or it¡¯s like the war, winter will be coming and no one will move.¡± ¡°Clothes first,¡± Tom said as she jumped him as the last wagon from Avon stopped next to Anasta¡¯s palisade. She startled, but he made a show of dusting himself and she shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s been a year now, and mother noticed.¡± ¡°Mothers,¡± he simply answered. ¡°Said it was time I noticed boys. As if I didn¡¯t. I just noticed the wrong ones until now.¡± Johanna knew, in the abstract, why all those inter-farmplex feasts were a big thing. Mrs. Vanu, the school teacher for the children of Anasta had taught them way more than she needed to know about the perils of genetics, and why keeping gene flows was as crucial for people as it was for livestock. But people were not livestock and relied on social pressure instead. ¡°Peter not around?¡± ¡°I think Virtu came earlier, so¡­ wait, don¡¯t tell me you did not notice last September?¡± ¡°Was a bit distracted,¡± he replied with a shrug, and she planted a kiss on him as a reward. ¡°I should invite you now more often. Did your mother¡­¡± A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°Mothers,¡± he simply said again. ¡°Then let¡¯s make it obvious. Shower and change, you said? I can get you that.¡± She started dragging him along. She was resting her burning calves on an outdoor bench, an upturned half log set there for the solstice festival. Tom was off goofing with other boys on some competition of strength, which he would obviously dominate, and as for herself, she was simply looking at the familiar expanse of farmland surrounding the walls of Anasta, taking in the setting sun¡¯s lights playing on the growing fields. That was interrupted by the other girl setting down next to her. She had a quick look and then smiled. ¡°Hello, if you don¡¯t remember me, I¡¯m¡­¡± ¡°Laura. Laura Anna Vogel, etcetera. Peter was slightly antsy these last weeks before the solstice.¡± And so was she, but she wasn¡¯t about to say it. ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s he by the way?¡± ¡°That competition of muscles.¡± ¡°Watching, I assume. There¡¯s no way¡­¡± Johanna started. ¡°Nope, no way,¡± Laura confirmed. ¡°So you¡¯re the one who can bear looking down at him?¡± Laura Vogel laughed. She had to have three inches on Peter at least, Johanna guessed. ¡°Yes. Anasta looks¡­ nice. Can you believe I never came here?¡± ¡°There¡¯s usually at least one big feast every year.¡± ¡°Managed to miss most of them since I was old enough to come along.¡± ¡°Ah. Half of the time, I was roped in to do the small feast here. Part and parcel of being¡­ well, a fifth. My sister¡¯s married in Virtu, by the way. Come to think of it, that was probably the first time I was on a season change.¡± ¡°Everyone knows everyone anyway,¡± Laura said. ¡°Yeah.¡± She fell silent, and both girls watched the light waning, the sounds of the feast distant to the side. ¡°So¡­ is it serious?¡± Johanna finally asked. ¡°Probably,¡± the other girl answered. ¡°At least I never know when he¡¯s going to make a joke.¡± ¡°He¡¯s so serious all the time, and then you wonder if that was intended as a joke?¡± ¡°He does that all the time?¡± ¡°Pretty much. He was already doing it when we were kids and still played hide-and-seek with the others. So¡­ serious.¡± ¡°He¡¯s fun.¡± ¡°Found Tom a year ago, and he is, too. But in a different way.¡± ¡°Hope he¡¯s good then. I¡¯m going to have to educate Peter a bit. He¡¯s not that adventurous.¡± ¡°Wait, you already did?¡± Johanna startled. ¡°The first time? I waited until the second time we met!¡± ¡°Any time is the right time to jump on men,¡± the girl replied with a smirk, and Johanna had to shake her head in disbelief, torn in half between tittering at the idea of Peter being grabbed by that Laura girl, or being shocked that she¡¯d go straight for it. She definitively couldn¡¯t see Peter being the one to go on the first feast. ¡°One year then,¡± Laura kept on. ¡°Sounds very serious.¡± ¡°Yeah. Made me think about what we¡¯ll do.¡± ¡°What do you mean, what you¡¯ll do?¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­ well, I¡¯m fifth. Tom is fourth.¡± ¡°Ah. Fourth here too.¡± ¡°And Peter¡¯s a fourth as well.¡± ¡°Said his brother was married last year.¡± ¡°That¡¯s when I actually met Tom. When he came over for that solstice.¡± ¡°I missed out on that one. Or I might have met Peter earlier, then.¡± ¡°You really missed out, then.¡± ¡°So, what do you think you¡¯ll do with yours?¡± Johanna sighed. ¡°That¡¯s a big question. Until last year, I hadn¡¯t given it a thought. You always think you¡¯ll catch the eye of an heir, get your own household. And then a fourth catches your eye.¡± ¡°It happens. I mean, I had to look because he¡¯s smaller than the rest, but¡­ at least he¡¯s not too small where it counts.¡± Johanna half choked. ¡°I did not want to hear that.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you didn¡¯t want to check at least once?¡± ¡°He¡¯s a friend! We¡¯ve known each other since we were kids.¡± Laura raised her hands in the air, and Johanna had to sigh again. ¡°But working on my brother¡¯s farm¡­ or Tom¡¯s sister¡¯s? I mean, it¡¯s work we all know how to do, but¡­¡± ¡°But it¡¯s not the same, you mean. I¡¯ve wondered if I could ever have my own farm. There are noises about making a new farmplex, since Valetta¡¯s population is growing, and they always need more food,¡± Laura replied. ¡°But even then, that¡¯s going to be second or thirds, not us fourths or fifths. We might as well migrate to the city.¡± ¡°And do what? I mean, we all know farm work. What else can we do? I mean, you and I can probably ride Peter and your man¡¯s careers if they find good-paying jobs, but what kind of jobs could they find with our qualifications¡­¡± Johanna thought about that. ¡°There are jobs that don¡¯t require a long apprenticeship.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°I have an idea¡­¡± The four of them were gathered within Anasta¡¯s walls, not far from Johanna¡¯s house. ¡°So that¡¯s your plan?¡± Peter said. ¡°It can¡¯t be that hard. I know Ardenworks¡¯ smithy uses Alium for all kinds of special products, and I think they import a lot of it. A ruin like west should still have plenty of it.¡± ¡°If it was easy, people would be doing it,¡± he objected. ¡°People are fussies. Mana zone this, mana zone that. Everyone says mana zones are receding over time. Even beast attacks are rare these days.¡± Peter looked unconvinced. ¡°Alium is pricy,¡± his girlfriend said and he looked at her. ¡°What? I know that. Everyone knows that. It¡¯s horribly hard to make without the Ancients¡¯ techniques, and none of these has worked since the Fall.¡± ¡°All we have to do is use the largest backpacks we can take, stuff them with all the Alium we can find, and sell that to Ardenworks. It¡¯s even lighter than normal metals,¡± Johanna pushed. Tom laughed, then winced. He¡¯d stretched a muscle in that silly strongman competition, and would probably need massages later. Lots of massages. She would probably have to be on top, which worked out better anyway with his bulk. ¡°Just the four of us?¡± Peter asked, and she knew she had him sold on. Extra Non-Story Bonus - Miracles LAKE NASHVILLE ¡°So, what is it, miss?¡± a kid asked. Martha was always the most excitable of her pupils, she thought. She¡¯d said it was a surprise, but the little one couldn¡¯t wait. ¡°I said it was special, did I?¡± she smirked. ¡°But how¡­¡± ¡°If I tell you before you see it, it¡¯s less special.¡± ¡°Awwww¡­¡± ¡°Now, put mufflers on the lamps. We want no light,¡± she instructed. ¡°Now, unroll the coverings, sit on them, and look up. To the southwest.¡± For years before, she¡¯d tried to recalculate everything, based on her observations. They had obviously raised the orbit of the old station on the last day, before the Fall was complete. After all, without that and bereft of adjustment power, it would have reentered and burned a decade ago. Years of watching the sky, recording, and doing calculations by hand gave her the current orbital parameters so that she could do a class like this one at least once. ¡°Missssss???¡± She tried to throw a dark look at little Martha, but it was wasted in the deepening dusk. ¡°Okay, kids. Before the Fall, people did all kinds of wonderful things. Including going between the sky and the stars.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s before the Fall, miss. We can¡¯t do that. And dad says it was a lie before. Like we couldn¡¯t go to the Moon.¡± Goddamn, not another Kubrick-did-it conspirationist. Not after all these years, she thought. ¡°Well, today, I¡¯m going to show you how people did it.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°No way?¡± ¡°How is that¡­¡± ¡°Sush. They simply went so fast that, by the time they started to fall, the ground fell away. Remember the horizon problem?¡± Nobody answered. Obviously not a good memory, she had to chuckle. The principle was simple, but math was definitively going to wait. Sometimes, she despaired of the math ability of the post-Fall younger generation. My teacher probably despaired of my own, she thought briefly before focusing again on the practical lesson of today. ¡°And in less than a minute, you¡¯ll see the greatest thing we ever built up between the sky and the stars. It is still up there.¡± ¡°How can that be? The Fall¡­¡± ¡°It does not require any of the powers from before the Fall. It simply keeps going on¡­ like a river. Or a rock that falls forever on a slope.¡± Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. She stopped before starting to mix her metaphors and confuse them further. Then she spotted the moving faint plot of light to the west, still lighted by the sun¡¯s rays across the darkening sky. She pointed. ¡°Looks along my arm. See the light moving?¡± ¡°Ohhhh.¡± ¡°Ahhhh.¡± ¡°It¡¯s real?¡± Almost all low-orbit satellites had decayed long ago. The stable ones, higher up, were too small to be seen from the ground. Only the ISS was big enough and still showed up, even if you couldn''t see the details. ¡°It¡¯s hard to catch. You need the right time, and of course, clear skies. This year¡­ it¡¯s today. It''s not going to last long, just under five minutes, so look carefully.¡± ¡°Did people really make this light?¡± ¡°Yes, Martha. Yes, they did. And they went up there, until the day of the Fall. I know. I talked to them until home Fell too.¡± ¡°What happened to them?¡± another kid asked. ¡°The Fall happened even up there, above the skies. And you could only live up there with the help of the Ancient technology,¡± she said, her words tinged with sadness, and the kids picked it up, falling silent as they tracked the slowly moving dot of light, which was slowly creeping overhead now. ¡°So, they¡¯re dead.¡± ¡°I assume so. Nobody will ever know for sure. It¡¯s not as if we can get there. Not anymore.¡± NEWMAN ?Last bit detached. Forward modules are now separated from main body,¡± Yaytsev announced. ?Then let¡¯s move into position,¡± Juliana ordered. ?Let¡¯s hope the computers will restart. It¡¯s been almost two decades,¡± Shuko said. ?We need to. Once outside of the suppression envelope, it should work. Barring radiation damage¡­¡± They needed at least a small tablet to work. Doing orbital calculations by hand was hard, and while it was trivial to correct approximations within Earth¡¯s magnetosphere, doing a slingshot over years required, maybe not the whole NASA, but at least smart hardware. She didn¡¯t trust Spaceborne instincts that much. The five let go ¨C physically ¨C of the station and moved into position, a five-pointed star spread around. Juliana was under the station, Frank and Ivan were just under the orbital plane, and both Shuko and Yaytsev hurrying from the station connector taking their place above. ?All set?¡± she called out. Replies came in. ?Then get ready. Three¡­ two¡­ one¡­¡± Flux lines spread, as they extended their range, grabbing on the rearmost of the two modules of the station they¡¯d detached, and then spread the rest to mix with Earth¡¯s own magnetic lines. The five-fold wings of magnetic forces started to expand, and it was harder. She¡¯d never stretched that Spaceborne ability to that limit, but the tons of the two modules they had selected were always going to be hard pushing. Inertia is relentless. Decades ago, when they were freshly changed, she''d never have dared such a maneuver. The result was big. The interactions of the fields twisted and flexed, and she exerted all she could to keep them in control. Immense immaterial wings spread out, charged particles ripped out of the near emptiness coursing about, squeezed by the increasing flux density, creating an artificial aurora despite the void of space. Twice as big. Thrice as big. Twelve times bigger... The ISS split in two, the rear part already visibly receding fast, as acceleration increased. The controllers at Houston would have had apoplexy, she thought. ?Yehaw!¡± Frank yelled. LAKE NASHVILLE She squinted. The small light structure seemed to stretch. She was getting older, after all, nearly sixty. Her eyes weren¡¯t good enough anymore to truly observe the skies, despite the old glasses. Faint lights started to spread around the front of the light. She gasped and heard the kids doing various ¡°ooooh¡± and ¡°ahhhhh¡±s. There were now two distinct and separate points of light racing across the sky. And the forward one had distinctly visible wisps of light, making shapes like a small circle, slowly expanding and twisting as the two separated visibly, the forward segment accelerating impossibly. ¡°Holy fuck,¡± Kayleigh Byrne realized. ¡°How is that possible¡­ They must be¡­ They are still there.¡± She stood and whooped, startling the children. ¡°GO ISS! GO JULIANA!¡± Non-Story Worldbuilding notes: The Atlas of the Union of States Here is short summary of useful data for the States in the Union, sorted by claimed size (unusable mana zones¡¯ contribution to area size is usually disputed). Marches of the Montana (Pre-Fall: Alaska/southwest, British Columbia/west shore, Washington, Idaho/north, Montana, Oregon/north) Census: 980,000 sq. miles, pop. 239,500 Capital: New Benton Independence State (Pre-Fall: Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania/south, Illinois/southwest, Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia/west tip, Arkansas/northeast, Tennessee, South Carolina/west tip) Census: 728,000 sq. miles (+377,000 of eastern mana zone), pop. 727,000 Capital: Vernon Union Capital: Nashville Marches of the South (Pre-Fall: Utah/south, Colorado/west border, Arizona/northeast border, New Mexico/northwest border) Census: 646,500 sq. miles, pop. 489,500 Capital: Dolores Dakota Marches (Pre-Fall: Manitoba/southern border, North Dakota, Minnesota/west, South Dakota/north) Census: 507,000 sq. miles, pop. 230,000 Capital: South Branch Lake Marches (Pre-Fall: Minnesota/southeast, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois/northeast, Ontario/south tip) Census: 490,000 sq. miles, pop. 187,000 Capital: Lake Mills If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Marches of the Algonquin ? (Pre-Fall: Quebec/south border, Ontario/southeast tip, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia/disputed; Pennsylvania/north) Census: 435,000 sq. miles, pop. 153,500 Capital: New Drum Eagle Republic (Pre-Fall: California/north, Nevada/west) Census: 358,000 sq. miles, pop. 318,000 Capital: La Grange Marches of the Star (Pre-Fall: New Mexico/northeast border, Texas/northwest) Census: 303,000 sq. miles, pop. 470,500 Capital: Seminole Later State ? (Pre-Fall: Kansas/east, Oklahoma/north, Missouri/southwest) Census: 293,000 sq. miles, pop. 126,000 Capital: New Riley Lone Star (Pre-Fall: Texas/northeast, Oklahoma/south border) Census: 270,000 sq. miles, pop. 159,000 Capital: Decatur Cheyenne ? (Pre-Fall: Wyoming/east, South Dakota/southwest, Nebraska/west) Census: 242,000 sq. miles, pop. 357,500 Capital: Alcova Winnebago State ? (Pre-Fall: Nebraska/east, Iowa/west border) Census: 240,500 sq. miles, pop. 310,000 Capital: Tekamah Greater Idaho ? (Pre-Fall: Idaho/south, Nevada/northeast, Utah/northwest) Census: 184,500 sq. miles, pop. 283,500 Capital: New Boise Fremont (Pre-Fall: Colorado/east border, Kansas/west) Census: 180,000 sq. miles, pop. 188,000 Capital: Fremont True Colorado (Pre-Fall: Colorado/north & east) Census: 140,000 sq. miles, pop. 113,000 Capital: Bailey True Missouri (Pre-Fall: Iowa/southeast, Missouri/northeast) Census: 137,000 sq. miles, pop. 90,000 Capital: Florida Pacifica ? (Pre-Fall: Oregon/south) Census: 128,000 sq. miles, pop. 67,000 Capital: Bandon Yellowstone ? (Pre-Fall: Wyoming/west) Census: 125,000 sq. miles, pop. 160,500 Capital: Colter Bay Sunshine State ? (Pre-Fall: Georgia/south, Florida/north) Census: 121,000 sq. miles (+92,500 of mana zone at the tip), pop. 22,500 Capital: Madison Bayou (Pre-Fall: Louisiana/east, Mississippi/south border, Alabama/south border) Census: 119,000 sq. miles, pop. 65,000 Capital: New Monterey Atlanta (Pre-Fall: Mississippi/northeast, Georgia/north) Census: 105,000 sq. miles, pop. 52,500 Capital: New Atlanta Lost State ? (Pre-Fall: Arkansas/southeast, Mississippi/northwest, Alabama/north) Census: 75,500 sq. miles (+151,000 sq. miles of uninhabitable mana zone), pop. 49,500 Capital: Tennessee Missouri Protectorate (Pre-Fall: Louisiana/north) Census: 56,000 sq. miles, pop. 24,500 Capital: Farmerville Crow State ? (Pre-Fall: South Dakota/southeast, Iowa/north) Census: 52,000 sq. miles, pop. 121,000 Capital: Custer ? Denotes States that joined the Union of States after the initial signatories of the Treaty of The Union. Changed populations in the Union: Minotaurs (all central States; originally True Colorado): 8,500 Incubi (Sunshine State): 5,500 Thirsters (Marches of the Algonquin): 4,500 Dwarves (Fremont): 3,500-5,000 (estimate, no real census) Dryads (Bayou): 3,000 Trolls (Sunshine State enclave; originally Caribbean islands): ~500 Mooneyed (Independence State): 200 Erlang (Eagle Republic enclave; originally Empire of D¨¤zh¨¬): ~50 Neighboring Polities: Northwest: Tribal Lands (alliance) North: Hudson Bay Tribes Northeast: New France South: Aztlan & Sinaloa Book 2 Recap - What the XXX happened? After Johanna¡¯s visions, the team remains locked in Zahl, as winter travel is always hard in the Northwest. Johanna does research for the vision she got from Moore¡¯s subconscious in his dream, and she quickly figures out that it can only be The Library of Congress. While the four elaborate plans to get there, she notices an ice adept serving as a bartender at their inn, Petra Veldhuis. Once spring approaches, Johanna tries to recruit her. And as she owns an Ancient book, Johanna ¨C or rather, Moore ¨C has little difficulty providing her with a starting set of spells as an Earth Shaper that fits better her profile rather than a Water one. Doing a quick expedition to a local mana zone for training and money objectives, the four-plus-one get saddled with a guard from Zahl. And when they find ancient hymnals in a transposed village, the guard gets promoted by Moore as a Ranger, fittingly for his guard skills. While Mark Kunst does not want to leave his city, the rest head southeast to the distant state of Independence, where their legal status as deserters may be legally contested if need be. While the second largest state of the Union by territory and first by population is a cultural shock for all the Northwesterners, they use the contacts from Countess Rocastle and head to New Sandusky, at the edges of the northern Marches. There, they start recruiting salvager teams for their planned expedition. They convince two veterans, Miles Bertram and Ulrich Sengfield, a thirster ¨C an albino ¡°vampire¡± Changed race ¨C of their capacities and provide them, in turn, with a large number of Talents. With an in into the salvager community of New Sandusky, they recruit two groups of scavengers as escorts. The two men also provide invaluable advice into starting to set up the organization of Talented that Johanna has envisioned, the Talent House. Johanna, in particular, needs convincing from Laura that the Talents will inevitably have to be monetized if only to support that very organization. Once preparations are complete, they get ready to set toward the East Coast and its mana zones. They are joined by an old member of Miles and Ulrich¡¯s team, Kartmann the minotaur, who picked a Duelist specialization, and Ernesto Gomez, a scholar studying the skills and who realizes that his world is also going to change forever. The expedition sets out for Washington across the increasingly dangerous mana-heavy zone that borders the entirety of the East Coast. The expedition is not uneventful, but it offers Gomez his first opportunity to tease out unsuspected data ¨C because he now has some tools to measure how the unseen System behaves. Along the way, Johanna¡¯s expedition takes on unseen followers. Isolated in the mana zone for 150 years, Changed spot them and follow them. The diminutive nocturnal Mooneyed, survivors of the Camp David presidential retreat, are puzzled by their presence and spy on them, realizing quickly that the ¡°Tallers¡±, as they call them, have access to what they call mount-skills, the Talents exhibited by the tame Canids they use as mounts and protectors for their Camp home. When Johanna and the expedition finally arrive at Washington, Johanna is vindicated in her vision. And as they set camp next to the Library of Congress, they begin their real work ¨C making as many parchments as possible to carry back to New Sandusky. But Moore takes the opportunity to provide data. He might be limited to selecting what scrolls he makes, but that lets him dump the entirety of his knowledge on the System. What skills exist, how they are clustered, how many prerequisites they have, the specialization, everything. The sheer amount of XP he gets from converting ancient books is enormous, and he now feels comfortable spending XP to see what lies ahead. Meanwhile, the unsuspected Mooneyed spy on the expedition¡¯s activities and quickly discover what the Tallers are there for. Making scrolls with ¡°mount-skills¡±. Their mounts can obtain any skill, but they can receive some, too, although they make mistakes in picking their skills. They realize they need to report, and quickly, because the elders of the Mooneyed, back in Camp David, have no idea how much their lives are about to change. Once their provisions become close to insufficient, the expedition packs and goes back to civilization, loaded with collector books ¨C and nearly 140,000 parchments. Enough to promote and fully empower more than ten thousand people. While Ernesto Gomez heads back to his academy to study skills, the rest arrive back in New Sandusky, where they now have everything to set up shop there and start slowly expanding the Talent House, what they expect to be the future network that will distribute and manage Talents across the state, then the entire continent, and maybe one day the world. Alas, the secrecy surrounding their activities is increasingly fragile, and people start noticing what¡¯s happening. Unfortunately for them, the first to truly take note is Adjutant Agnello, the right-hand man of the Warden of the Montana, and he wastes no time trying to secure not just parchments but the means of their production. Using stolen parchments from Gomez¡¯s university, empowered teams strike in New Sandusky, confident that their strategy will prevail, with splitting and using each other as hostages will allow the Montana to control the source of Talents. But Moore is not about to let them do that. The cost in XP may indeed be horrendous, but having hoarded enough from the expedition, he activates Exchange. He puppets Johanna¡¯s body and shows high-level, impossible-to-use skills. The Warden¡¯s agents realize they are facing the actual Ancient, not knowing his presence is temporary and limited, and are forced to retreat rather than face a supernatural enemy of immense power. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Meanwhile, Johanna has seen the Beyond, the place where Moore resides. And she has questions. But those questions will have to wait because all hell is going to break loose. And the Fourth War of Unification might be about to begin.
Timeline of the Awakening August 22, 2023 - Finn Albert becomes the first Changed of the Fall. He promptly dies at his workplace. Also, August 22, 2023 - Douglas Moore has a seizure a short time after the Fall begins, but remains conscious somehow despite dying. His senses fade quickly and he is relegated to the Realm of the Ancient where sensory deprivation suspends his sense of time. October 2, 2024 - A large Changestorm dumps part of various towns from all over northern America into a ruin near the sanctuary established by Josh Valetta. Half of Douglas Moore''s old house on the East Coast gets spliced into the ruins there. The other half ends up... somewhere else. May 22, 2152 - A group of youths leaves New Willapaga for their traditional coming-of-age quest. June 2, 2152 - Hector Zaknussen (born Valetta) and others find The End of the World. February 2154 - Ancient Exemplar of Battle Tom Virgil Welter is born in Avon, near Valetta. April 2154 - Ancient Exemplar of Fire Johanna Marcia Milton is born in Anasta, near Valetta. October 2154 - Ancient Exemplar of Improvisation Peter Malik Donnall is born in Anasta, near Valetta. November 2154 - Ancient Exemplar of Health Laura Anna Vogel is born in Virtu, near Valetta. 2165 - Shortly after the death of his father, Northern Tribes declare war before Edgard Maistry, heir to the Wardenship of the Montana can. 2166-2168 - Elena Worchester manifests a mist ability. She travels south to New Colorado State to meet with a member of the old Society of the Sorcerers and Sorceresses of the Americas and learn more about her abilities before offering her services to Edgard Maistry in the ongoing war. June 21, 2171 - Johanna Milton meets Tom Welter during a Summer Solstice feast in Anasta. The two hit off early on. September 22, 2171 - Peter Donnall meets Laura Vogel at a marriage in Virtu. She shows him her ... never mind. June 2172 - Johanna Milton hatches the plan to delve into ruins as a way to get money to establish her and Tom¡¯s household, as she¡¯s too far on the ladder of inheritance to get anything, and she¡¯s not interested in staying as a menial farmhand in Anasta or Avon. She ropes in her childhood friend Peter in the scheme after discussing it with his girlfriend. Summer 2173 - The Warden of the Montana decides to activate the draft. Notices and ¡°recruiters¡± get dispatched in late spring and during summer to all major cities and towns of the State with quotas to fill. July 30, 2173 - Day of Awakening. Johanna¡¯s team finds a skeleton preserved by mana in the ruins. Douglas Moore, the Ancient Power awakens, and nothing will be the same ever again. August 13, 2173 ¨C Johanna finds Swordcutter. August 30, 2173 - Tom Welter marries Johanna Milton; Laura Vogel marries Peter Donnall. September 19, 2173 - The Four get drafted under murky pretenses for the Fourth Northern War. October 30, 2173 - Battle at Kootenai Gap. The same day, the Wendigo Snowbound Glatteis discovers the scheme of the Warden of the Montana and informs the Four. They desert two days later. November 8, 2173 - Johanna finds Tree Refuge. November 20, 2173 - The Four reach White Meadows, near the frontier between the Marches of Montana and Dakota. November 21, 2173 - First Awakened. The Four break down two Ancient Books into Parchments of Powers for the direct benefit of Catherine Rocastle and Valentin Rosenberg. December 8, 2173 ¨C The First Quest. Johanna enters the Dream of the Ancient Power and gets a quest for The Power the World needs. March 14, 2174 ¨C Petra Veldhuis is the third person to receive a direct blessing from the Ancient and joins the four Exemplars in their quest. March 19, 2174 - Mark Kunst is the fourth person to receive a direct blessing from the Ancient and stays in Zahl to create a branch of the Talent House. April 9, 2174 ¨C The four Exemplars find Water Treads. May 24, 2174 ¨C The four Exemplars reach New Sandusky and start recruiting for the quest. June 16-17, 2174 ¨C First mass elevation of Talents. July 9, 2174 ¨C The expedition to the Library of Congress starts from New Sandusky. July 31, 2174 ¨C The Mooneyed of Camp David discover the expedition. August 8, 2174 ¨C The expedition reaches the Library of Congress. The mass production of Parchments of Power begins. August 9, 2174 ¨C The Mooneyed discover the Parchments of Power and how they can empower any of their Canid mounts and themselves. They steal some stock and run back to Camp David to consult with the elders of their community. August 22, 2174 ¨C The expedition leaves Washington DC. On the way back, Monica Silvers of the Mooneyed sneaks in, using the stealth Reconnaissance she and her mount obtained by subterfuge. September 22, 2174 ¨C The four Exemplars, along with Ulrich Sengfield and Miles Bertram, establish the Talent House in New Sandusky. September 27, 2174 ¨C Ernesto Gomez disappears in Nashville. Agents of the Montana steal his store of parchments of power. October 1, 2174 ¨C Monica Silvers of the Mooneyed officially presents her Elder¡¯s requests in the town of Cheat to assist in obtaining ¡°mount-skills¡±. October 14, 2174 ¨C The Warden¡¯s agents attack New Sandusky. Moore the Ancient incorporates and effortlessly sweeps aside the group attacking the Ancient Exemplars of Fire and Strength. Johanna Milton gains temporary access to the Realm of the Ancient. October 14, 2174 ¨C Book 3 begins. Book 3 Prologue - At the End of the World Finn Albert looked up from the desktop screen at the noise at the door. ¡°Time to go,¡± Jasper Vanteegard noted. ¡°What you mean? It¡¯s not even 5PM.¡± ¡°Well, everybody else is gone. And the cleaning crew doesn¡¯t show up until 7PM.¡± Finn sighed. ¡°I blame remote working.¡± ¡°And August. Still means you¡¯re the only one.¡± Finn lazily waved him off. ¡°Get out then, Van. I¡¯ll finish this. Then I promise, I¡¯ll get out.¡± ¡°You know, one day, they¡¯re going to find your desiccated skeleton in the building.¡± Finn Albert ignored his colleague and plunged back to his console. As usual, trial runs were all fucked, and he was the sysadmin with the credentials to unfuck them. Runs were important because that¡¯s what Q-plus used in-between redesigns, renting their experimental setup to other companies. After all, The Quantum Core? was one year away from production. It had been one year away from production since Finn had joined eight years ago. By now it was a recurring joke. And two years ago, the investors in the startup had decided to ¡°get synergy¡± by merging Q-plus with an East Coast startup in AI. Thirty percent of the staff had been laid off, and the staff of the company Q-plus had ¡°purchased¡± had taken over all the admin layers. Finn, along with most of the designers had remained, while the AI geeks from the former ¡°N-power-N Computing¡± company had poured over the designs, laughing all the way about insane algorithms that went with quantum computing. The culture clash had reduced much, but the AI geeks were jokers. Jokers with ideas, but jokers nevertheless. That was the goal of the current project. A feedback loop between AI and quantum computing. AI redesigned the hardware links and operation, as only an unthinking, unprejudiced, AI would. Finn remembered the early silicon compilers, who would create chips with unconnected transistors, that nevertheless failed to work if you removed the unconnected circuitry ¨C because it affected the behavior of other transistors by quantum effects. And, in turn, The Quantum Core? ran AI algorithms in the insanely parallelized world of quantum mechanics, to design the next generation of AI. Or, more often, to create a new variant of GPT-5, like the ones he¡¯d spotted in the middle of the fucked run. Like the last time he¡¯d seen that kind of stuff. This time, someone wanted an RPG generator. ¡°Take physics, and design an RPG for it¡±, using every single RPG sourcebook or even every single novel about RPGs ever written as the input. As if a neural network, quantum or otherwise, was going to make sense of what made a truly good RPG. And with one too many runs scheduled in parallel, the machine learning clusters that took ¡°models¡±, did math, and injected q-bits configuration were choking on it. The software was supposed to keep multiple learning batches from interfering with each other, but, of course, the thing leaked memory like a 2010¡¯s era webserver. Finn was one ENTER key away from validating the new run configuration when he noticed the status window. According to it, The Quantum Core? had a currently effective power of 2000 q-bits. Which, for a hardware of 256 physical q-bits, was pretty impressive. That was what The Quantum Core? was supposed to be about. Rather than add more q-bits, which only result in quantum collapse faster, they tried virtual q-bits. Offloading the already fuzzy q-bits to entangled particles outside of the hardware, trying to squeeze more power per ¡°real¡± q-bit than allowed by common sense. ¡°Okay, what¡¯s going on?¡± He was pulling on the flow diagram generated by the automated configuration creators when he noticed that the status window¡¯s number was creeping up. 3000. 3500. 4,000. 5,000. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. By then, he knew something was wrong with the monitoring systems. To have that number of ¡°available¡± q-bits, you¡¯d need to entangle the central, physical core with most of the rackmount it was located in, despite the lack of suitable hardware. There was no way, even with ¡°spooky interaction at a distance¡±, as the first quantum physicists had called it, you¡¯d get those numbers. And they were climbing too fast anyway to be real. He canceled the new run configuration he¡¯d just set up, and fired off the email client before he did anything else.
From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Disciplinary action required against Joe Maris Hello, I¡¯ve exhausted my store of patience when it comes to Maris. That is the fifth time this year I¡¯ve got him sneaking unplanned and purposeless jobs in the queue for the core prototype. Every time, I grill him. Every time, he says he won¡¯t do it. Obviously, every time, he still does. I wouldn¡¯t bet he has done more jobs that I haven¡¯t caught. At this point, it¡¯s an HR problem, not a system problem. It¡¯s your job to do whatever you want, but I want you to make him stop. Do it, or I¡¯ll escalate that to upper management. Sincerely yours,
Let the HR weenie, Douglas, deal with the one-too-many joke loads aficionado. Finn had more on his plate. Like hitting the full reset. Dump all the software, reboot the servers, and then painstakingly restart the current load of tests, only without the offending RPG job. At least the East Coast where those AI jokers were was after 8PM and he shouldn¡¯t be there to sneak back in. The screen went black before he hit ENTER. His first impulse was that Maris had created some watchdog software, resetting his desktop if Finn messed with his latest steal of processing time. But then, he noticed the neon light was off as well. And the hum of the AC, not entirely needed even in late August, was gone as well. ¡°Well, power¡¯s out,¡± he muttered, to no-one whatsoever. Then the realization hit him. If power was out, then The Quantum Core? was on battery power. And he needed to shut it down properly because letting it heat up passively was going to require a week to clean the hardware and restart it, instead of 20 hours or so if you did a proper shutdown. And management would scream if there was an entire week of unplanned interruption. He stood and went out. He hesitated ¨C he hadn¡¯t picked up his keys to lock the office since the badge-powered locks would not work. But there was no one around anyway, at least not until the cleanup crew arrived, found the power off, and goofed off since they couldn¡¯t run their vacuum cleaners. The corridor wasn¡¯t too dark. The architects, back when money wasn¡¯t tight, had made a glass ceiling, both here and on the upper floor, so late afternoon daylight still poured enough to see. Which was good, because, for some reason, even the emergency exit signs were out. They were not supposed to, you had batteries checked every year for that. But out they were. Something to complain about at general services once power was restored. He walked, heading toward the server room. Just before it, he hesitated. The room was supposed to be enterable in case of power off, just for the reason he came. But the handle opened up and he almost stepped into the server room, stopping immediately as he took the spectacle inside. The racks near the door were looking more or less normal, but the central set of racks, those holding the main servers and the core¡¯s hardware proper¡­ were gone. Instead, there was a bulging of¡­ blue light. A kind of actinic blue that wasn¡¯t quite right. He instinctively raised his hand, and immediately realized he was still seeing the blue light¡­ through his hand. Realization hit him as he started to feel some strange sort of cold heat. Fuck, radiation. That¡¯s¡­ what¡¯s this blue stuff called? Cherenkov? He immediately backpedaled, slamming the door closed. He turned and started, feeling the heat rising inside him. Then his head bumped into the ceiling. Wait what? He raised his hand, trying to feel the glass ceiling. Then he freaked out, because of what he was seeing. His right hand had six digits. Shit, mutations? Then he realized life wasn¡¯t a comic book. You didn¡¯t mutate and become green when exposed to gamma rays or something. You burned, your insides turned to mush, or, maybe, if you survived cancers, your kids would get born full of mutant malformations unless they died in the womb. You certainly didn¡¯t grow an extra digit. In maybe five seconds. Then a pulse of heat came from behind him, and he started to turn, as the entire glass ceiling exploded over him, showering him with fragments. ¡°SHIT!¡± he yelled. He raised his other hand, feeling in the half-darkness, and felt wetness. No, more than wetness. There was liquid flowing from his side. And he felt weak suddenly. Finn Albert dropped to the floor, his vision already greying. Major blood vessel to the head cut, no more oxygen and pressure for the brain, he thought briefly. As the last vestige of sight ended, he briefly thought he¡¯d seen something. Like blue on blue letters, like a Windows bluescreen of sorts. Then he thought no more, and the vision ended.
Finn Johann Albert Male evolved, 37 years, 2 months
Unspecialized (sysadmin) Level: 0 0 unallocated skill points XP: 998,778
B3.1 - Casus Belli Talents work to subdue the unruly, but only when applied properly. Wisdom of the Ancients, book 3 Johanna felt off, but she had little choice. Her¡­ exchange with the Ancient, with Douglas Moore, had left her feeling off. It was as if her body was suddenly foreign to her. When the goons from the Montana had ambushed her and Tom, Moore had used one of his weirdest abilities to replace her, bringing impossibly high Talents to bear. A few months ago, Professor Ernesto Gomez had explored how Talents were useable, but the Ancient spirit from beyond was clearly not bound by the same rules as they were. And for a few moments, she¡¯d been able to see clearly those. The one thing she¡¯d seen was the speed at which ¡°experience¡± went down. That was the label used for what Gomez had named ¡°talent energy¡±. Levels, qualities ¨C no, Stats, as they were labeled there ¨C all those required that experience to increase, but Moore had burned through that to help them. That¡¯s why he can¡¯t do it all the time. Why he doesn¡¯t call me more often in that liminal dream setting of his. Why we grow fast, but only that much. He burns his stores of energy every time he interacts with us. ¡°Peter and Laura!¡± she realized. ¡°What?¡± Tom asked. ¡°While those five were trying to get at us, others were coming for them.¡± ¡°You ok?¡± he asked again. ¡°I could see it. It was more real than when he brought me to the Dream of the Ancient. I could see all four window openings¡­ and through them, I could see an Earth Shaper, a Lancer, and a Focused Battler. At least three. I think they were starting to fight¡­ they are probably still fighting!¡± she realized. ¡°Where?¡± ¡°Laura was trying to get some decorations. I think I recognized the street near the market, southward.¡± She started running, startling people who had started to come out. After the way Moore had changed her into that weird version of himself, they instantly dispersed, letting her and Tom alone, and now, they could run across the street unimpeded. Please let them be still there, she mentally repeated.
And fuck, Moore swore mentally as he watched the combat unfold. While he had been scaring the bejesus out of the five goons ambushing Johanna, he¡¯d been unable to watch anything else. Not only were the four windows into reality gone, but the entire interface had receded, feeling as if it was there, but out of reach, out of sight. Although he didn¡¯t entirely follow the rules ¨C the result of Exchange was more like a Changed beast than a person, he supposed ¨C the limitations were there. He could only see and interact with the System while he was both less and more than a person. But as soon as he¡¯d relaxed, he¡¯d been instantly expelled from reality, brought back in the Beyond, in front of Johanna¡¯s perspective window. But he could see out of every angle, and he¡¯d immediately seen the people starting to surround Peter and Laura. Because, of course, there was a second team and simultaneous strikes on all four. He spotted two additional goons, a Tactician and a Fast Fixer coming out from behind Laura, just as Peter realized things were off. Johanna¡¯s seen it, he realized, as he saw her and Tom start running. Hold on, you two! Help is on the way! Then he scrambled to see if he could allocate points. He had expended slightly less than anticipated and was still close to 8000, but was short of increasing another level to 9. He could raise one stat, maybe two.
Peter was the one to spot the suspicious-looking people coming up the street as Laura was looking at a store¡¯s display. His first instinct was immediately to become unnoticeable, and they were looking at her rather than him. He readied himself to move aside, but his feet refused to move somehow. He frowned briefly, then remembered back last year, in Valetta when Johanna had discovered the rooting ability ¨C Earthbind ¨C before her new specialization took it away later. He looked wildly and spotted a man who kept watching him with high intensity, in a way that reminded him of¡­ Petra. A Shaper? Earth Shaper? How? Who? were the thoughts that went briefly in his head, before he yelled at Laura, ¡°Hey, we¡¯re under attack!¡± Someone keeping specifically track of him wouldn¡¯t lose him to Reconnaissance. If he could distract the man, he could slip out¡­ but they weren¡¯t just coming for him. They were also coming for Laura. And neither had their Artifacts. ¡°How astute,¡± another man said, and he noticed the fourth person who pulled up a small sword. Another made a move, a weapon coming out of his jacket where it had been carefully hidden, in a move that did not feel quite natural. And people in the street took notice. ¡°Your husband is neutralized,¡± the speaker added, looking at Laura. ¡°You have no escape.¡± ¡°And what you would have us doing,¡± she replied. ¡°Come with us. We¡¯ll split you, of course, but you won¡¯t be harmed. The boss would prefer you to be mostly intact.¡± This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Your boss?¡± The man ignored her and gestured to one of his acolytes. ¡°You come, and we¡¯ll bring your husband after.¡± Someone was coming behind the men, Peter noticed. He hoped the man knew what he was doing because he had no idea what those men had in the form of Talents. Those people had to have more than just one. He had no idea how, but he was not going to bet some thugs just happened to find an Earth Shaper. If they had obtained one Talent, they could have an entire profile. alone listed nearly forty useable, he remembered vaguely. He crouched slightly since his feet were still glued to the ground. The local man reached the Earthbind shaper and made to grab him. ¡°What you think you¡¯re doing,¡­¡± The sword bearer turned and pushed his sword at the intruder, yelling ¡°Stay out of this.¡± Laura vanished. She reappeared instantly next to the New Sandusky man, the light pokes from the blade being enough of a target for Succor. But she did not reach her hand to heal him, she pushed her elbow, crashing it into the bandit¡¯s side. It wasn¡¯t strong enough to do damage, but it was enough to break his concentration, and the pressure holding Peter¡¯s feet on the ground vanished abruptly. He wasted no time moving aside. All bandits had instinctively turned to find out Laura, and none were watching, so he mentally slipped into his Reconnaissance mode, moving first further aside, then heading toward his wife. That was the kind of thing that would have been impossible a year ago when he slipped through an unsuspecting Valetta. But he knew, both personally, and formally, since Prof. Gomez had shown him the increase in tiers with each successive specialization, that his stealth was good enough. Not enough to run around invisible and unseen, but move decisively enough, at least. He¡¯d tested extensively during the trip back from Washington. Getting a weapon was the first thing, though. New Sandusky was a modern city. You did not walk around casually armed, and so they had left their weapons at home in the Talent House. His Heroic Talents all worked with weapons. Tom could use his fists, but he didn¡¯t have that versatility. One of the thugs, he noted, had realized they¡¯d lost track of him, and was looking around. The anonymous citizen was trying to retreat, and one of the goons was grabbing Laura, trying to twist her arm behind. He lost his grip only for a fraction of a second, but that was enough, and she vanished again, covering the four feet that separated her from the lightly wounded man who flinched. She looked around, trying to find Peter. While he was immune to her Falter gaze, she wasn¡¯t to his Reconnaissance, but she also knew he¡¯d be close to impossible to notice. She was still trying to run away, but two of the other thugs were angling to cut her off. She could keep on teleporting to the retreating person, but only if she was on her own. The moment they assured their grips, she¡¯d be cut from that possibility. ¡°Watch out, her husband¡¯s loose,¡± one finally called out. Well, I¡¯m next to you, Peter smiled. He reached and placed two fingers on the blade strapped to the man¡¯s calf while he was looking in the wrong direction. Any weapon held in hand was out of limits, but any exposed one was a legitimate target for Ambidextrous. The blade was now in his hand, and he plunged it at the thug¡¯s side, his hand minutely shifting to find the best place to do so. The man yelled, and the rest of them turned, finally taking notice of the small man. The man stumbled and Peter took a step to finish him, then his foot locked again on the ground. ¡°He¡¯s not immune,¡± the one who¡¯d watched him with intensity announced, as another man ran toward the wounded. Yeah, I don¡¯t have Succor, Peter noted drily. That was another item they¡¯d tested after that fight with the Aranea back in the East Coast zone. It didn¡¯t matter if you couldn¡¯t move your feet if you had another means of moving yourself. He threw the dagger. Accurate Pierce was not a ranged Talent, but if you used a weapon for piercing ¨C arrows did not count, somehow ¨C and it would hit close enough, then the Talent would correct the aim. The dagger struck the Earth Shaper¡­ in the face. It wasn¡¯t powerful enough to kill, just to wound, but the man yelled, raising his hand to his face, and Peter¡¯s feet moved again, and chaos resumed. The running man was now angling toward the yelling Shaper, hand extended, and was probably a Fixer of some sort. The thugs were now realizing they were not masters of the battlefield and they dropped all caution. The other three had their weapons out, one with a long blade, the rest with smaller weapons, and Peter was weaponless¡­ for the moment. The three men slowed down, and Peter spotted Laura, who had stopped running and was looking intensively at them, probably interfering with Falter. He made a quick gesture to tell her to run, but he wasn¡¯t sure she¡¯d spotted it. Or wanted to. He deflected ¨C or rather, Deflected ¨C the first one¡¯s strike, but the second thug was far more accurate, his move not quite natural. He probably had talents that helped. The strike sliced Peter¡¯s jacket and left a nasty bleeding cut to his side, but he ignored it. His own hand rose on its own and struck back, even though he didn¡¯t hold a weapon and the bandit¡¯s digits briefly relaxed on his weapon, letting it briefly slip. The sword was now in Peter¡¯s other hand and he wasted no time striking. His own strike was perfect, deeper, sliding into the man¡¯s side, and he stopped abruptly. One down, he thought. Then he realized he was ¨C again ¨C stuck on the ground. But only briefly. The Fixer jumped as Laura appeared beside him, elbowing the Earth Shaper. Peter started to sprint as Laura turned and ran rather than teleport again. He realized the bystander must have fled far enough that he was out of her range, and she only had him as an anchor point now. She was also burning mana and would not be able to sustain the flitting all over the battlefield for long.
Peter Malik Donnall Male human, 20 years
Deviser Level: 8 (34000 XP needed) 410/410 stamina (+18 per hour) 0 unallocated skill points XP: 6632 + 7792
STR: 18 (12604 XP needed) Forced Attack (62) AUT: 18 (8000 XP needed)
AGI: 20 (7935 XP needed) Deflect (68) Return Strike (68) PER: 19 (12950 XP needed) Accurate Pierce (50)
DEX: 22 (9795 XP needed) Reconnaissance (96) Ambidextrous (74) EMP: 18 (5000 XP needed)
+9.6 Perception for skill checks +11.8 Dexterity for skill checks Accuracy, strength, and grip 74% better with off-hand +6.2 Strength for skill checks 17% less wound depth
Laura Anna Donnall (Vogel) Female human, 19 years, 11 months
Combat Minister Level: 8 (34000 XP needed) 277/351 mana (+19 per hour) 0 unallocated skill points XP: 4160 + 7792
STR: 19 (12956 XP needed) Succor (46) AUT: 18 (4560 XP needed) Falter (44)
AGI: 18 (4584 XP needed) Cleanse Toxins (26) PER: 19 (7974 XP needed) Regrowth (26)
DEX: 20 (7889 XP needed) First Aid (68) Field Resilience (48) EMP: 21 (6780 XP needed) Close Wounds (92)
Reduce the extent of wounds by 92% Wounds clot 136% faster +9.2 Authority for skill checks LD50 increased by 260% Instinctive knowledge of the gravity of a wound
B3.2 - Against All Odds Well, fans always root for the underdog. Pre-Fall sportswoman. Johanna almost collided with a pair of city guards coming out of a side street. ¡°Whoa, Miss!¡± ¡°Attack. Near the market,¡± she yelled. She didn¡¯t recognize them, meaning they were not among the Talented guards of the city. But any support was better than just the two of them. ¡°Wait, what¡­¡± the guard yelled back. In response, she simply flashed a flame ¨C making her realize that, of course, all of Moore¡¯s abilities had vanished back with him, and she was again a simple Fire Master. Not that there was anything wrong with Fire Masters. Even if Moore hadn¡¯t used the specialization at all. ¡°That¡¯s her. From the Talent House,¡± the second guard told the first as the two started running again. ¡°The ones who gave Morris those Talents? Fuck,¡± she heard from the first as the two guards started running behind them too.
Moore was busy comparing the two sets of perspectives, but he did not think it would be too late. Johanna and Tom, with the pair of guards trailing them, were still a couple of blocks away, based on his experience of the small town¡¯s geography. Still, Peter and Laura had incapacitated the Lancer and Tactician already. No, he realized, he¡¯d got some experience already ¨C now over 7000 ¨C so they had killed them instead. If the bandits were smart, they¡¯d cut their losses like the first group, but of course, they didn¡¯t know about the reinforcements coming. Neither did Peter and Laura, but they had taken control of the flow of the fight. The Earth Shaper had been ¡°fixed¡± by the Fast Fixer, but he seemed not to have access to the handful of offensive Earth skills Moore had noted in his current knowledge base. He didn¡¯t even have the Earth Master specialization, despite having enough level to use it. Not that Moore would complain about that. Now, it was down to some form of Focused Battler versus Deviser. It should not be a fight that could be won decisively and extremely quickly¡­ and the one who truly needed to win promptly was on the wrong side. Even without a body, Moore could still smile.
Johanna pulled out into the street and almost ran into Laura coming the other way. Her friend spooked and nearly turned away before realizing who was coming at her. She whipped her head and opened her mouth to warn Johanna about the fight, but the sorceress did not wait. She could already see the scene further down the street in any case. Her hand was already raised, fingers cupped and aiming in the right direction, and she instantly fired into the back of one of the goons she¡¯d seen while back in Moore¡¯s realm. The Fast Fixer, she thought, remembering seeing the label in the windows there. She¡¯d never seen those sort-of labels through their perspectives while she was in the dreamscape, but that deep into the mana realm, such information had been as plain as day. His accomplice ¨C was it the Earth Shaper? ¨C turned wildly as the ball of fire exploded next to him, covering the first man¡¯s back in flames. Then, a blur streaked past her, and the other man was flung aside. Tom might not have a weapon with him for shopping, but his fists were enough. The man landed hard on the ground, and Tom was already on him again, slamming and making sure the man was down. The crunch of bone was audible from Johanna¡¯s position as the enemy was put down for good. She simultaneously projected a Flaming Orb ¨C the range was smaller than her projectiles, but she was close enough for it ¨C and launched a new Fireball. She could not manifest an orb directly on the Fixer himself, only close by, but it was a distraction, and the man looked aside to the unexpected light and heat. That was his mistake. The second Fireball struck true, yet the man¡¯s cry was cut short. Peter had grabbed a weapon, and he couldn¡¯t really miss his strike. She saw the man fold as Peter jumped away to avoid the flames that had caught the goon¡¯s clothes. At the same moment, she reached the first man, still rolling himself on the ground to extinguish the fire, and did not hesitate. Flame sprang in her hand, and she slammed it into the back of the head, the fire from her palm aimed down and burning true. Her enemy convulsed briefly. He might be a Fixer specialist, but there was some damage you couldn¡¯t really fix fast enough, she hoped. That was why they collected Artifacts for Laura, after all. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. She finally stopped, taking stock of her surroundings now that it seemed over. The street was a battlefield, she realized. People¡¯s corpses sprawled, fires burning, and the four of them breathing hard in the middle of the mayhem. She felt a bit sick now that the adrenaline of the fight was receding. The bandit ambush last year after leaving White Meadows had left the same impression on her, even if those goons were far more dangerous than the would-be-bandits back then. Despite having more men, the battle at Kootenai had not felt that way, and she wondered what it said about war and battles compared to close fights. At the edge of her sight, she saw the two guards that had followed them start moving, approaching cautiously. They had stopped when they saw the fight, she realized. She couldn¡¯t really blame them. A fight involving Talented on all sides¡­ was not something people could really apprehend, and she realized that was the first time it had to have happened. Talents had been rare until now, and enormously Talented people like Ranshao the Burning Walker or Elena of the Mists were a unique factor. Maybe people like the Erlangs, rumored to have far more Talents among them than any race on Earth, could entertain a duel between sorcerers. But in the Union? You have brought power to the world, but only power can control power, the Skeleton had said in that dreamscape reminiscent of the training grounds at New Benton as ghostly Talented clashed against each other. She had the proof in front of her. Trained Talents were needed to deal with any rogue Talented people. You could probably overwhelm even them with untalented numbers, but you needed a large, massive force ready to take losses. Back when they¡¯d fled, the squad sent after them hadn¡¯t been enough because the generals at the Kootenai Garrison hadn¡¯t really understood what really Talented were like. And their own strengths multiplied. A good team of Talented people ¨C like the one Moore had built out of them ¨C was way more than simple individual Talented thrown together. As she was taking deep breaths, another pair of guards came running from the other end of the street, the one from the market. This time, Johanna recognized the two of them ¨C ones she¡¯d provided with Talents a few weeks earlier. The Guardian captain and another, the one they¡¯d offered the option of Vanguard Battler. ¡°What the fuck happened?¡± the captain said as he stopped, taking stock of the fallen. ¡°Someone decided to attack us while we were dispersed,¡± she replied. ¡°Several someones. With Talents. And matched specializations,¡± she added. ¡°Talents?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°How do you know they had specializations¡­ they had to have some, right? Or the Talents wouldn¡¯t be strong?¡± the captain asked, confused, before remembering their explanations about how Talented builds worked. Johanna was not about to explain she¡¯d briefly gained an Ancient¡¯s perspective and knew precisely what levels and specializations they had. However, she realized now, the views had not offered her the actual Talents. She assumed that Moore might have a specific way of getting that information if he could see the rest. ¡°Yes. They had some, but they were not used to them, I think.¡± ¡°Not enough improvisation,¡± Peter added. ¡°You can use some Talents in very non-obvious ways,¡± he said, and Laura winked at him. ¡°Fuck. That¡¯s not something that should have happened. Not here, not in Sandusky.¡± More locals were slowly coming out now that the battle had ended and town guards had arrived. The look on their faces was incredulous. She remembered her talk with the guards selected by the city council. New Sandusky had its share of problems, but mostly drunk fights and a homicide per year, nothing more. A scene of battle was definitively not what you got there. ¡°They got attacked before,¡± someone said behind her, and she turned and found it was one of the guards who had followed her. ¡°Before?¡± the captain ¨C Flores, she now remembered ¨C asked. ¡°Near Cross Street. People ran to warn us, but when we arrived, the bandits had fled, and they were running for their friends,¡± the guard explained. Flores looked at her. Johanna was starting to get the chills as the adrenaline from the danger fully evaporated. ¡°It was a coordinated attack,¡± she explained. ¡°If you say so. I don¡¯t understand how,¡± he said, looking at the corpses, two of which were still smoking. ¡°You said you didn¡¯t provide Talents outside the guards for the moment.¡± ¡°When I signed up for this,¡± the second Talented guard added, ¡°that¡¯s not quite what I expected.¡± ¡°Me neither,¡± Flores said. ¡°You¡¯re telling me,¡± Johanna replied. ¡°Telling you what?¡± another voice said, and Johanna turned. A half-dozen people were coming toward them with weapons drawn. The woman in the middle was looking at them curiously. The captain immediately straightened and drew back his sword while the other guards raised their short pikes. ¡°Who are you?¡± he asked. ¡°If you¡¯re Captain Flores, then I¡¯m your boss.¡±
Johanna Marcia Milton Female human, 20 years, 6 months
Fire Master Level: 9 (55000 XP needed) 301/405 mana (+18 per hour) 1 unallocated skill point XP: 2782 + 9517
STR: 18 (7410 XP needed) Blazing Orb (45) AUT: 21 (5531 XP needed) Fire Handling (93)
AGI: 18 (4978 XP needed) Cinder Circle (45) PER: 18 (6005 XP needed) Mana Sight (63)
DEX: 19 (4891 XP needed) Flaming Blade (66) Fireball (66) EMP: 18 (4595 XP needed) Steam Breath (27)
Bodily immunity to fire, up to 1230¡ãF (665¡ãC) Detect mana flows & pools of 15.9 size or greater Require 27% less oxygen 45% better sight Sweatless
Tom Virgil Milton (Welter) Male human, 20 years, 9 months
Battler Ace Level: 8 (34000 XP needed) 365/365 stamina (+21 per hour) 0 unallocated skill points XP: 7306 + 9517
STR: 21 (7500 XP needed) Slam (50) Double Tap (50) AUT: 18 (8000 XP needed) Grapple (44)
AGI: 21 (7929 XP needed) Intercept (71) PER: 18 (7736 XP needed) Blind Fighting (62)
DEX: 18 (7740 XP needed) Block (26) EMP: 18 (4542 XP needed) Optimal Strike (62)
Immunity to blunt assault, up to 250 pounds Instinctive detection of incoming enemies (up to 710 yards) Unshakable grip on a weapon under 62 pounds +5.0 Agility for skill checks +2.6 Strength for skill checks +6.9 Perception for skill checks 44% more stable
B3.3 - Burglary Extreme Burglars know there is more than one way to skin a vault. Pre-Fall outlaw. ¡°My name is Katia Michaelson, and I am the Undersecretary of Internal Affairs for the State of Independence,¡± the woman said. Seeing Johanna¡¯s look of incomprehension, she elaborated. ¡°The head counter-intelligence and head cop of the state,¡± she stated before adding, ¡°and I think I need a bit more about what just happened.¡± Johanna turned toward Flores inquiringly. ¡°That sounds correct, Mrs. Milton, all right. Never met anyone from Vernon, but it is known that Mrs. Michaelson is the head of Internal Affairs.¡± ¡°And I have the original of your latest report here, in case you¡¯re doubting my credentials. God knows I¡¯ve re-read all of these on the way.¡± ¡°You work for her?¡± Johanna asked the captain. The man straightened himself. ¡°I report anything significant to the State. But the Captain of the Guard is under the Council¡¯s exclusive orders.¡± The use of the third person to refer to himself felt bizarre, but she let it pass. She turned back to the woman instead and sighed. ¡°We got attacked by people working for Agnello. Adjutant Agnello, that is.¡± ¡°The official emissary from the Montana.¡± ¡°Himself, the right hand of the Warden. And they were empowered somehow. That doesn¡¯t make sense. Moore wouldn¡¯t help them, would he?¡± ¡°Moore?¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ the Ancient.¡± She sighed again, realizing. ¡°It¡¯s going to be a long story.¡± ¡°I just arrived, and I have time. I think I already know parts of it, although most of it was only recently. That Ancient you speak of is the thing you found in Montana?¡± Johanna briefly wondered how the Michaelson woman knew of this before she realized that, as ¡°counter-intelligence¡± implied, she¡¯d have extensive knowledge of various events, probably including some of their stories, as she¡¯d just claimed. ¡°It started back in the Montana, where we were scavengers in the ruins there, not too far from Valetta¡­¡± she began explaining. She was getting around to how they had started recruiting scavengers for the East Coast expedition when they reached the Talent House. As soon as they crossed the corner and she saw the street leading to the walls and passing their headquarters, Johanna broke into a run, startling the undersecretary. The building itself seemed untouched, but there was a bit of smoke coming out from the first floor. Johanna ran, saw the door wide open, and spotted a pair of people sprawled under the porch with red-stained bandages on one. She recognized Norton Wooley, the level 9 receptionist, almost immediately. ¡°What the?¡± Laura blinked almost automatically next to their employee. The one helping him yelled, and she soothed them, checking the wound. There were traces of some kind of scuffle in the foyer, but she rushed upstairs. Once she arrived, she found what she dreaded. The doors to the storage had been forced open. Some of the smoke she¡¯d spotted outside was pouring out, although not too much of it. The building they¡¯d picked for the core of the Talent House was sturdy and unlikely to catch fire easily, something important when you dealt with Fire sorceresses being around and even sleeping on top. One of the guards ¨C the Explorer ¨C they had recruited for the headquarters was lying there, apparently wounded or worse. ¡°He¡¯s been knocked out,¡± a man told her from behind her. She turned, startled, and found the man who had been helping the wounded at the entrance had followed her. She realized she¡¯d seen that man before, one of the salvagers that had come to inquire at the Talent House, and been told they still had not finalized the process of allowing people in. Presumably, he¡¯d been back to check for news and discovered the aftermath. ¡°Still breathing, they¡¯re going to move him as soon as they get help. I warned the city guard,¡± he added. She turned back to the door and went in, fanning herself. She might be immune to most fires, and breathe easy in the middle of smoke, but she couldn¡¯t see through it. Plus, it stang at the eyes. The storage room was pretty much what she had expected, or rather, did not. Crates were broken up, the shelves where they¡¯d sorted the parchments in alphabetical order were bare, one broken, and in a corner, the stacks of books they¡¯d kept as a last resort spare material were smoldering, with a few flames coming out, but less than what she would have expected from burning books. ¡°What¡¯s going on,¡± Michaelson¡¯s voice came from behind. ¡°They took the stock,¡± she replied dully. ¡°The stock?¡± ¡°Of parchments. The parchments of power I was telling you about. They knew what they were after.¡± The woman was holding her clothes in front of her mouth as Johanna was batting the burning books. She might be immune to fire, but that didn¡¯t make her able to extinguish it at will. A Water Shaper with some ice aspects would have been better at that. ¡°So, you were not the only target?¡± Katia Michaelson muttered through her woolen cover. ¡°Obviously not. We had a vault that should even have been mostly resistant to burglary, but not this extreme version.¡± ¡°We found a couple of those in Nashville, I think. Stiff paper with strange glowing words?¡± ¡°You found some in¡­ Gomez? What happened? Is he alright?¡± ¡°No idea. Professor Gomez, if that¡¯s who you are asking for¡­ he¡¯s vanished, and both home and the academy he was teaching at got robbed, although the robbers missed a couple of those weird paper squares. The parchments you spoke of.¡± Johanna immediately realized what that meant and had been bothering her. ¡°That¡¯s how they were empowered. They got the copies he had for his analysis. And the Gomez Guide. Enough data to set up some sort of basic teams.¡± Seeing Michaelson¡¯s raised eyebrow, she quickly explained as the head of Internal Affairs tried to digest the news. ¡°So, they had enough to turn thirty or forty people into ultra-powered Talented individuals like you?¡± Katia realized. ¡°Not as strong, but still. Gomez had about one copy of each low-level Talent and specialization and a few duplicates he thought he might need to compare between people. Not everything, but maybe a hundred thirty Talents parchments total? More in terms of levels or qualities¡­ pre-requisite to acquire Talents,¡± she explained immediately. ¡°And you had a lot more here.¡± ¡°Almost 90,000 separate individual Talents.¡± Katia Michaelson blanched. The under-secretary set up her underlings to check everything and commandeered one of the ground floor meeting rooms, dragging in Johanna for a lengthy discussion. ¡°I assumed ¨C correctly, it turns out ¨C that you¡¯d be the four Talented the Warden was chasing. We had conflicting reports, something about taking refuge with scavengers in Apache State. Then we had reports from Flores and knew better.¡± Johanna remembered the two defectors they¡¯d met in the Rocastle demesnes. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°We knew some people there, true. But by then, we¡¯d discovered that we could make parchments of power. And more importantly, I got a quest.¡± ¡°A what?¡± Katia asked, surprised. ¡°Some kind of. You see, the Ancient can call us ¨C at least me ¨C into some kind of dreamscape where we can talk. He told me of the existence of the Library of Congress, an enormous trove of Ancient books that he could convert into parchments. That¡¯s the expedition I was telling you about when we arrived here.¡± ¡°I got the reports from Captain Flores about that. And now, you¡¯ve lost the fruits of that one.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how Agnello could even guess.¡± ¡°He was watching Gomez. Gomez is one of the foremost experts ¨C the only academic one, at least ¨C on Talents. If you have an unusual problem with Talents, he¡¯d be the one you consult with. I know he rebuffed an offer from the Montana last summer.¡± ¡°That¡¯s when Ulrich ¨C our accountant and organizer, a Wood Master ¨C contacted him, I think.¡± ¡°If they were keeping track of him, then all you need is someone noticing something abnormal after he was back in Nashville, or maybe someone in the Academy itself, and you can figure out what¡¯s up,¡± Katia said. ¡°So, now, the Warden has all of your parchments.¡± Johanna opened the desk and peered. ¡°Most. We still have those, I think.¡± ¡°What?¡± Michaelson asked. ¡°Stats grading sets,¡± she replied, pulling out the stack of parchments and startling the under-secretary. ¡°I recognize those. You have some left, you say?¡± ¡°Gomez designed those grading sets. It allows us to measure what you¡¯re suitable for, and we didn¡¯t have those locked in the main vault. Want to see how it works?¡±
Katia Michaelson
Level: ?????????? ??????????
Agility: ?????????? Empathy: ??????????
Authority: ?????????? Perception: ??????????
Dexterity: ?????????? -1 Strength: ?????????? -1
Johanna remembered the way that description was for Moore. It was a lot more complete since Moore obviously had access to more information, notably experience amounts and costs. And Gomez had been right in a way; the ¡°zero¡± of their scale was, indeed, apparently a 15. The under-secretary looked at the small sheet of paper Johanna had filled and the stack of parchments she¡¯d used to measure her qualities. ¡°I remember the one I showed Executive Wexler in Vernon, something with Level, Strength, and Disarm. I couldn¡¯t light it up, but the Executive could.¡± ¡°I need to check, but I assume Disarm is a Strength-requiring Talent if you had a parchment with that combo and you have under minimal Strength. You couldn¡¯t get the Talent there, just like none of those in the Strength stack, as you¡¯ve seen.¡± ¡°So what does that mean?¡± ¡°Since Captain Flores tells me you¡¯re currently Level 5, I¡¯d need to check our lists, but I think you¡¯re at least a Tyrant Fixer. Or rather, can be, with proper Talents,¡± Johanna told her. ¡°What is a Tyrant¡­ Fixer? That sounds ominous and silly at the same time.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a combination of Saint and Sorceress. You could have various health-related abilities, as well as some more exotic Talents, like¡­ Detect Lies, for example.¡± ¡°Flores¡¯s report mentioned that kind of thing used in your interviews. But now you say I can have that Talent?¡± ¡°If we had a parchment for it, yes. But it¡¯s not part of the gauge set.¡± ¡°What could you do with that set?¡± ¡°Extremely basic builds. You¡¯ve seen Fixer there; we have a low-level one for every specialization. And a few very simple Talents. Some are useful, some aren¡¯t, I guess. We actually don¡¯t know what a lot of the Talents do except by guessing from the names. Gomez was going to work on testing some while we did the same on our side.¡± ¡°Define basic build, please.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing to increase your level or adjust your qualities. So, low power, one or two Talents. Which, actually, is what most Heroes and Sorceresses or Saints ¡®naturally¡¯ are. Few people have more than one Talent, and you used to call Archmages the Sorceresses with three.¡± ¡°Used to?¡± ¡°Well, when you routinely have people around with five, six, or even seven sorcery Talents, the old-style Archmage¡­ feels more like a beginner sorcerer. By our guess, it should be trivial to have someone have three Talents by the age of 19-20 if you pick the right ones. More¡­ well, potentially more if you train them against Changed beasts.¡± She started to explain about experience. She had seen it increase from her point of view in the Realm of the Ancient as soon as Moore slaughtered one of the goons that had attacked and again when they turned tail and fled before she was back in her body. Which had confirmed what she¡¯d guessed back during the expedition, prompted by the discussions with Gomez about the nature of what they¡¯d called talent energy back then. ¡°Wait, so you¡¯re telling me that soldiers could gain a lot of that experience thing? And it¡¯s necessary to gain access to those Talents?¡± ¡°You gain it naturally, but apparently, fighting Changed beasts gives you more. And people as well.¡± ¡°So¡­ if you take an entire veteran army and feed them those parchments, you could make very powerful Talented.¡± ¡°You could,¡± Johanna admitted as she realized whose army she was talking about. ¡°Wagons got spotted going out of New Sandusky¡±, one of Michaelson¡¯s underlings reported. ¡°Nicol is pursuing.¡± ¡°I hope he doesn¡¯t do something too stupid. There must be at least some Talented with those wagons, even if the ones who ambushed the Miltons didn¡¯t join them after running away. Someone had to break into this headquarters. ¡°Consider yourself drafted,¡± Katia finally said. ¡°I thought the draft did not exist in Independence,¡± Johanna protested. ¡°It does not. Consider yourself still drafted¡­ Gaaaah,¡± the woman complained. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Most of what I could use as pressure is useless here. You¡¯re one of the most powerful Sorceress in the entire State. You even have the direct protection of an Ancient, apparently. I can¡¯t very well imprison you if you don¡¯t cooperate.¡± Johanna did not think Moore could manifest again, at least not immediately. The way experience had flown while she was in his place in the Realm of the Ancient suggested it was so costly that it could not be casually used and was a last resort, like when someone directly threatened them. ¡°You would need specially designed prisons for that. And Talented guards. A year ago, you might have held us if you really knew what was possible, but today, it¡¯d be way harder. You need Talents to control Talents.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve seen the disaster zone your fight left. I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re correct,¡± Katia replied before sinking back into her thoughts. ¡°Look, I can only commend you for your plans. Empowering hunting teams to control and cull the mana zones is a good goal. Even though Independence State is mostly zone-free ¨C unless you want to consider the unclaimed East Coast Zone as one¡­¡± Katia said, stopping abruptly for some reason before she resumed, ¡°it¡¯s something the Executive can very well be behind.¡± ¡°We were starting to expand teams. Next year, we will have larger operations. I have one person already looking at establishing a local bureau in Cheat, for instance, and a contact in the Marches of the Dakota.¡± Katia looked at her oddly. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Cities on the border of the East Coast Zone are the ones who need it most. We went through Cheat¡­¡± ¡°I know that.¡± ¡°¡­ and they can use a strong guard force. More than New Sandusky. The mana zones north of here are nothing compared to the East Coast.¡± Somehow, Johanna was not surprised to find herself on a deserted city street under a starry night sky, yet it was lighted as if it were daytime. She looked and spotted four store windows that were entirely dark, with just a small border that glowed blue. There was nothing to see through, though, and she assumed it was their bedrooms behind the views. No light through their blinds. She saw movement at the edge of her sight and turned, but, of course, it was just a skeleton wrapped in blue flame next to her. Just¡­ Moore. ¡°I was thinking you didn¡¯t have enough to talk.¡± Talking is never easy, he said. ¡°I saw you expending¡­ what is¡­ experience?¡± She realized it was a stupid question. Just like the names of the Talents, the naming somehow reflected the nature of the thing. It was just a name, and she could guess. Talent energy ¨C the name Gomez had proposed ¨C was probably better since it accurately reflected its nature, its origins, and use. But experience it was, at least for Moore. It¡¯s all there is. It¡¯s all I have for you. At least Moore answered in his own usual cryptic fashion. She wondered if that was a consequence of being there, in this liminal dream space between ordinary reality and the extreme scape where she was sure he normally resided. The old descriptions of the mana dream told her that people could go there somewhat. But if Moore wasn¡¯t bringing her there, but in this dream instead, it must be because it was cheaper in terms of experience. She¡¯d increased abruptly in level, and she knew now exactly how much that had to have cost. ¡°At least I learned about you. Your name, for once. Douglas Moore.¡± Before, I knew more than you did. Now, you too know more than you did. She almost laughed. She realized that knowing just the name ¨C the almost ordinary name ¨C of the Ancient somehow humanized him. He was still an incredibly strange power, an Ancient manipulating Talent, but he was¡­ someone. Even if he was in a space that was not meant for humans. She wondered what happened back then during the Fall. He had to have been a human ¨C the Ancients, for all their vaunted abilities, had been people. They were their ancestors, after all. ¡°And I should really thank you for intervening.¡± Your strength must suffice. Mine will not. ¡°I saw the drain in experience. But thankfully, they were not good.¡± You know what you are. They did not know what they were. ¡°That they didn¡¯t. But I think they did not have much in the way of picks, too. Gomez had taken only a subset, enough for testing various things, not for dedicated builds.¡± Moore was silent. Then he abruptly turned, brushing her with the extreme cold she remembered from her first visit. He¡¯d used some form of cold presence, too, when he switched places, and she wondered if that was more than a simple preference in Talents. She followed the skeleton into a store and was not surprised to see herself in a different place than what she expected. This time, she was in the Talent House¡¯s main office, the one upstairs next to their bedrooms. There were only four seats around the table, and it held a stack of Ancient books rather than a map of sorts. The skeleton stopped beside the table and raised a bony hand, placing his finger on the stack. The books folded and folded again, the stack shrinking until it held only a single parchment. She peered at the top and saw, unsurprisingly this time, a rotating carousel of names she vaguely remembered instead of the incredibly advanced ones she¡¯d seen back in Washington¡¯s dream. Arcane Ranger. Kinetics. Ricochet. Magebane Strike. Steady Shot¡­ Quality, not quantity, Moore told her. B3.4 - Fated Encounter It¡¯s always the small people who change things. Pre-Fall filmmaker. ¡°Sir, there is someone who wants to see you for something about Talents,¡± the mayor¡¯s aide said. Robert Mansfield, the Mayor of Cheat, looked up from the paper spread all over his desk. ¡°What is it with Talents that everyone comes to see us about that? Another Mooneyed?¡± ¡°No, sir. It¡¯s a normal-sized person. Human, nothing obviously Changed. His name is Miles Bertram, from an outfit called the Talent House.¡± ¡°Well, get him in then.¡± The man the aide introduced was indeed ordinary-looking. Mansfield guessed someone in his mid or late forties, with the weathering of an outdoorsman of sorts. They shook hands, and he gestured for him to take a seat. Bertram started talking, and Mansfield quickly realized it was a sales pitch. ¡°We¡¯ve found that Talented individuals are a better match against many forms of Changed beasts than most guards. Some, you need artillery-level weapons against. Well, some Talents do provide that level of combat ability.¡± ¡°You seem to imply you can provide Talented people?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what the Talent House is about. But we don¡¯t provide Talented people ¨C you do. You pick the right persons for that job, the most reliable in your guard. What we do is provide the Talents themselves. We can help you build a significant force for your defense at a reasonable cost compared to that safety. Cheat is at the edge of the East Coast zone, and it¡¯s widely known you still have serious problems regularly and come under siege from Changed beast incursions.¡± ¡°You know, usually, I would be very skeptical about people saying they can provide Talents¡­¡± Mansfield started. ¡°I know, and I can provide demonstrations,¡± Bertram immediately replied. ¡°¡­ but you¡¯re not the first person to imply such a thing is possible. So I wonder how that can be, and we¡¯re just hearing about it.¡± ¡°Not the first? As far as I know, the Talent House is only starting its operations, and¡­ there should be no alternative ways of doing what we can do.¡± ¡°No, that other person was not offering Talents; it was about asking us to provide Talents. She was pretty sure we could and didn¡¯t understand when we told her what she requested was completely impossible, that nobody could do that. She insisted she¡¯d seen it being done, and that¡¯s how she got her own Talents.¡± ¡°She?¡± ¡°She¡¯s a Mooneyed. A Changed species¡­ a new one. I know; that sounds almost as bizarre as that Talent stuff. They claim to live in the East Coast zone itself, which also sounds impossible. They followed some kind of expedition across the zone and only found Cheat now because they didn¡¯t know people still lived west of the Appalachians¡­¡± ¡°Wait, she said she followed the expedition to Washington DC?¡± ¡°You know something about that? There was a scavenger expedition to the mana zone that passed through Cheat this summer, but¡­¡± ¡°That was us. I was on that expedition.¡± Mansfield started to realize that coincidences probably weren¡¯t. ¡°She¡¯s talking with a diplomat from the State. Arrived from Vernon yesterday, they¡¯re meeting right here.¡± The Mayor¡¯s head bobbed in thought as a smile appeared on his face. He stood up and waved to the door. ¡°Maybe we can make heads and tails and connect the facts if you know what it¡¯s all about.¡± When Miles entered the room, the second thing he noticed was the obviously Changed woman seated on a slightly too-large chair. Someone had found a chair for a Dwarf, he guessed, but that wasn¡¯t quite the correct size. He was familiar with Keegan Vakanson back when the old team was together, and the 4¡¯5¡± dwarf was considered slightly above average for the species. This woman seemed to be barely over three feet herself and was perched at the edge of the chair. What immediately raised his internal alarm was the gigantic dog-like shape slumped at her side. A specimen of that size had to be a Changed Canid. Yet it was lying there, head over crossed paws, eyes closed as if it was a domestic sheepdog of sorts. His eyes never left the Canid as the Mayor started talking. ¡°Mr. Versant, I thought I would interrupt. The gentleman here, Mr. Bertram, seems to have information pertinent to the discussion with the Mooneyed.¡± The woman cocked her head, and Miles got the impression she was sort of squinting behind the heavy, darkened glasses she wore. ¡°Wait, you look familiar¡­ you were in the expedition¡­¡± she snapped her fingers, ¡°name¡¯s Miles?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Miles Bertram.¡± ¡°The one with lightning and metal skin and chains.¡± Both the Mayor and the diplomat turned their heads to look at him. Miles smiled and briefly flexed the Talent, silver shine creeping out from under his clothes to briefly cover his entire skin, turning him into a metallic statue before he relaxed and let the Metal Skin vanish. ¡°Level 8 Metal Master, that¡¯s correct. So you really were following us? I never saw you?¡± he noted. ¡°Me and the two others were careful. We¡¯re small compared to Tallers like you. Some beasts tend to overlook small things and¡­ well¡­¡± Miles laughed. ¡°Moving unseen like you¡¯re Peter.¡± ¡°That was the one you can¡¯t see if you look away. I remember him. We were always worried he would sneak around and catch us because we couldn¡¯t spot him and might be too exposed.¡± Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°That¡¯s Peter, all right. Reconnaissance does that kind of trick.¡± ¡°I know. I have that one and Mists, too. Not as good as him, I think¡­¡± ¡°Wait, how did you get¡­¡± Miles suddenly realized, ¡°You picked parchments, did you?¡± ¡°You were making lots of those. You did not even notice some went missing.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not done, Miss?¡± ¡°Silvers. Monica Silvers, of the side line.¡± She immediately added, ¡°But we needed those mount-skills. You had plenty, and we had none, and the Camp desperately needs those. I was talking with Elder Versant about that.¡± Miles sat as Monica explained why she was there. The Mayor seemed to have heard it all before, but Vernon¡¯s envoy paid rapt attention. Miles assumed the man was still trying to learn as much as possible if he¡¯d just arrived. Or maybe it was about being a diplomat, possibly. ¡°That is the kind of thing I came to Cheat to do: Establish a branch and provide Talents. Except you seem to have an even bigger need for the Talent House than the town. Well, we can do both if necessary,¡± Miles immediately added, looking at the Mayor to reassure him. ¡°After all, as you saw, Ms. Silvers, we have plenty to go.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not numerous compared to you, and a good year is one where none of the scouts die. We¡¯ve always been the guards of the camp with our mounts like Mists here. They¡¯re the ones with the skills that work against Changed Beasts. Except when you came, and we learned we could get more, not just one or two per mount.¡± ¡°Mists is¡­ a Changed beast,¡± Miles asked as a confirmation. ¡°We bring them to the Valleys of Change when we graduate from the Rowley. We spend time there, where the plants twist and change even more than anywhere else, and stay until they get their mount-skill and final name. Mists got his fog breath there, good for tiptoeing, so to speak, around. Wandering beasts know there¡¯s something going on, but not what, and they don¡¯t notice us.¡± That¡¯s ingenious, Miles realized. Using what she described had to be a denser mana pocket to empower tame Changed beasts, to give them powers. People always suspected it was the mana zones that turned wild Changed beasts into Elemental Beasts, giving them their various monstrous powers. And the ¡°Mooneyed¡± had the right size to use a Canid as a mount. Although, compared to the diminutive Changed person, the huge beast might be pretty challenging to stay on. ¡°That¡¯s a very good idea. We don¡¯t have Changed Beasts as mounts, and Talents, at least until last year, were rare among us. I suppose among you as well.¡± ¡°No one has ever had a mount-skill before. We did not know people could have them until we saw your expedition.¡± ¡°Then you stole some parchments and found out better,¡± Miles tssked. ¡°At first, we did not understand because none of us could use the ones we¡¯d picked, and they worked only on our mounts.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± Miles blurted. ¡°Yes. When we were trying to store the squares, they flashed light and turned to ash¡­¡± ¡°Beasts can gain Talents like that?¡± ¡°Yes. The only one that did not work on Mists was the Fog Cloud or the one with double skill, and we thought it was maybe something about the pages. But Mists gained all the others¡­ eight new skills so far.¡± Miles had to sit down. Miles finished leafing on his copy of the Talent House¡¯s reference list. ¡°I don¡¯t even understand how your mount can have that many Talents. Just the four in Empathy break down most of what we ¨C people, that is ¨C can do. And you say he can use them all proficiently? Reconnaissance is not even compatible with the Water Shaper Talent set.¡± ¡°I remember that last one. It was one of the mount skill names on the double skill parchment that did not work on Mists. One of the Elders at the Camp was able to use it, though.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a Talent, it¡¯s a specialization. It¡¯s what enhances Talents to usefulness, or even better levels. It doesn¡¯t make sense unless he already had it somehow.¡± Miles looked at the still-sleeping Canid. ¡°Or it cannot. With Water Shaper, Reconnaissance would be useless. Maybe¡­ maybe your mounts work differently. They have to. Nine Talent is close to impossible for people.¡± ¡°So, that¡¯s why I got only three Talents from the sheets?¡± Monica asked. ¡°I have no idea. But otherwise, people in general, including Changed people like you, Ulrich, or others, work the same way. We have very specific limits. But we can figure out your qualities and see what type of Talents you could otherwise add to the ones you have.¡± ¡°You can do that?¡± Versant asked. Miles nodded at the diplomat, then at the Mayor. ¡°It¡¯s why it¡¯s a bit more involved than just slapping together Talents. You don¡¯t qualify for every Talent or specialization to bring out the best in those. We have a calibration set for that. I was going to demonstrate it at one point; I might as well do it now.¡± Miles brought out his box with the parchment set and started to pull the pages out, spreading them on the low table between the people in the room. Monica recognized them immediately. ¡°That¡¯s the ones you were making in the ruins.¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯ve seen those before. This is the standard measurement set designed by Professor Gomez.¡± ¡°I remember one Elder Gomez. The same one?¡± she asked. ¡°The same one. First, we verify that you can activate qualities.¡± The two men looked at the demonstration. Monica Silvers activated every basic parchment, save, for an odd reason, the Level one. ¡°Have you taken Levels?¡± he asked. ¡°Once. The Discreet paper had it listed.¡± ¡°So you¡¯ve gained Levels. Might explain why you do not have enough talent energy.¡± ¡°What¡¯s talent energy?¡± Monica asked. ¡°A quantity you accumulate and can use to increase your qualities and level. Those are required to obtain Talents.¡± ¡°Is that why we could not use most of the papers?¡± ¡°Probably. That¡¯s why we have this to measure things first.¡± The measuring went on relatively smoothly despite the impossibility of picking a Level for some combinations. The one that required improvisation was Dexterity. Miles realized immediately that Monica having Discreet and Reconnaissance invalidated the normal measurement process since the standard scale was based on those, and she couldn''t pick them again. But Ambidextrous activated, so the Mooneyed had to have +3 Dexterity since Skip with its +4 requirement did not work. Marc Versant was fascinated by the process. ¡°And some of those parchments represent actual Talents?¡± ¡°Yes. All we lack is a precise measurement of Ms. Silvers¡¯s Level. We need a specific Talent for that, but I do not have it; we¡¯ll just go by deduction for now, unlike the qualities that are accurately tested by our method.¡± ¡°And I could¡­¡± the man from Vernon asked. ¡°We can do anyone. You need at least Level 4 for the full scale to work, but you seem old enough for that.¡± ¡°So I¡¯m level 4?¡± Monica asked. ¡°I am going to guess that you have more levels. You can acquire Talents in all qualities, and you said you already have three. So you¡¯re at a minimum of level 5. Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯ve learned a lot about guessing. In practice, that means you can potentially add one or two Talents, if not more. And you can probably improve your specialization.¡± He had to explain what he meant by that. ¡°So I can improve my Reconnaissance?¡± Miles pulled his reference book again. ¡°Got all the important data here. Since you have +2 in both Agility and Empathy, there are two entirely different ways of going forward. It changes how efficient you are with different Talents. You can get Improviser ¨C that¡¯s the one path Peter followed ¨C or Trickster.¡± He checked before confirming. ¡°Both improve Reconnaissance, by the way.¡± ¡°What do you want for that?¡± she asked before looking aside at Versant as the diplomat started. ¡°Sorry, Elder, but if those Talent House people are the ones who can offer us this¡­¡±
Monica Silvers Female Mooneyed, 20 years, 10 months
Discreet Level: 6 (8000 XP needed) 105/105 stamina (+15 per hour) 3 unallocated skill points XP: 4383
STR: 15 (2000 XP needed) AUT: 13
AGI: 17 (880 XP needed) Fast Draw (40) PER: 15
DEX: 18 (2310 XP needed) Reconnaissance (42) EMP: 17 (1296 XP needed) Precise Hand (23)
+4.2 Perception for skill checks Unshakable grip on a weapon under 40 pounds +2.3 Dexterity for skill checks
B3.5 - From Scratch It is expensive to start from scratch. Pre-Fall ethicist. ¡°Nicol didn¡¯t catch them,¡± Katia Michaelson announced after they sat in the foyer. The Undersecretary had been back at first light, catching Johanna almost by surprise. She had two of the city¡¯s guards stand watch ¡°in case¡± along with some of her escorts, although Johanna wasn¡¯t sure if the ¡°case¡± she expected was someone trying to get in or them trying to get out. She¡¯d also quickly rebuffed the City Council. The mayor had requested the four¡¯s presence to figure out what happened and what all of that meant. She¡¯d simply replied to Captain Flores that she was taking over ¨C had already taken over after all, and there was no need for ¡°distractions¡±. ¡°Besides,¡± she¡¯d told him, ¡°you¡¯ve been there all along. You can tell him whatever he needs to know.¡± ¡°But he wants to know what that means for New Sandusky. That sort of thing was not supposed when the agreement was¡­¡± The hapless Captain had stopped, facing Michaelson¡¯s silent glare. ¡°It¡¯s too early to know what that means for your city or anything else. If he wants to complain, tell him to address his grievances to the Executive¡¯s Office.¡± Once the distraction had been shooed off, the Undersecretary returned to her priorities. ¡°The reported wagon was there, true, but it was a normal merchant carriage intended for some place called Bloomville, a day away. The city guard recorded many people going out for parts unknown, more than usual traffic, so I¡¯m assuming they made sure to muddy their tracks.¡± She sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I have to be happy he didn¡¯t have to face Talented with little to lose or that he missed them.¡± ¡°You ¨C sorry, Mr. Nicol ¨C didn¡¯t take some of the Talented city guards?¡± Johanna asked. ¡°He did. A Lancer and a Fixer, he said.¡± ¡°Good. That¡¯d be guardsman Hicks. Only a base Fixer, but having one with you lessens a lot of the risk involved in fighting. Although, well, that¡¯s not an absolute guarantee, I think. If you figure out who is what, you can force your Fixer out of the picture and then finish the rest. That¡¯s what they were doing wrong with Laura.¡± ¡°Well, in this case, it was a miss. And now we have to face the problem we discussed yesterday.¡± Johanna was about to reply when she heard a shout at the entrance to the Talent House. Looking there, she spotted a familiar figure and one of Katia¡¯s agents trying to bar her. He moved slightly back as gray pointed spikes materialized, covering the woman¡¯s arms. The other immediately drew his sword, alarmed by the Talent. ¡°Petra! You¡¯re back?¡± ¡°Scott¡¯s team got back late yesterday, just before the gate closed. What¡¯s this rumor I heard about fighting in the streets?¡± Katia looked at the woman striding across the reception hall and hugging Johanna. ¡°One of your Talented salvagers, I assume?¡± she asked. ¡°Yes. Petra Veldhuis, Earth Shaper. Petra, meet Mrs. Katia Michaelson¡­ from the State government.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ Oh.¡± ¡°You got the skill yet?¡± ¡°The Talent? Yes, almost a day after leaving New Sandusky.¡± Katia¡¯s head swiveled as she followed the exchange, trying to make sense. ¡°Petra, here, is one of our testers. She has been with us since the northwest, the Marches of the Dakota. Technically, she¡¯s a junior associate in the House, while the rest of the scavengers are¡­¡± ¡°External contractors,¡± Petra helpfully supplied. ¡°External Contractors, right, as Ulrich calls them. So she volunteered to run Talent testing in parallel to what Gomez was doing on low-level Talents. Solid Water, in this case.¡± ¡°I unlocked the last Empathy point on my own, and it was working, so I still have the stand-alone Empathy parchment you left me,¡± Petra confirmed.
Petra Janneke Veldhuis Female human, 25 years, 10 months
Earth Shaper Level: 7 (21000 XP needed) 260/260 mana (+16 per hour) 41/41 stamina (+17 per hour) 1 unallocated skill point XP: 2598
STR: 17 (2720 XP needed) Jagged Stone (41) AUT: 18 (2957 XP needed) Tremor (43)
AGI: 18 (2080 XP needed) Earthbind (43) PER: 16 (2000 XP needed) Mana Sight (39)
DEX: 16 (2126 XP needed) Popping Rocks (39) EMP: 16 (4945 XP needed) Solid Water (55)
+4.3 Strength for skill checks 43% more stability Detect mana flows & pools of 25.6 size or greater +41 stamina Bodily immunity to fire, up to 690¡ãF (366¡ãC) Water needs per day lowers by 55%
¡°So, you were really at -2. No wonder Moore ditched your original Talent. And the new Talent?¡± Johanna asked. ¡°Not that good. It¡¯s a full ten on the weird scale, though, but maybe four on the useful scale and maybe one on the offense scale. I wasted the Talent point unless your Ancient can remove it for me,¡± Petra replied before asking, ¡°Who¡¯s Moore?¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. The two women abruptly realized that Katia was looking at them and ostensibly drumming her fingers on the reception table. She stopped immediately when she saw she¡¯d gotten the women¡¯s attention. ¡°I will not pretend to understand any of what you said, but at least I can guess it is not immediately relevant to our current problem?¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± Johanna said and proceeded to provide a concise summary for Petra. ¡°That¡¯s the guy you were running away from when you were in Zahl,¡± she said. ¡°Well, the Adjutant is his left hand, so to speak.¡± ¡°And now, he¡¯s stolen what we worked for in Washington DC.¡± ¡°And he¡¯s seized almost all of the cache, yes.¡± ¡°And now Independence State finds itself in peril if the Warden has Talents and we have none,¡± Katia injected, unwilling to let the two take their time to discuss the current predicament. Johanna turned back to the undersecretary. ¡°About that¡­ I talked with Moore ¨C the Ancient.¡± ¡°You said you couldn¡¯t.¡± ¡°He can call me into a form of dreams. It¡¯s a bit surreal but more real than dreams usually are. I¡¯m more¡­ aware. It¡¯s weird, but it works. But he cannot do that a lot ¨C it costs him experience. I don¡¯t know much or how he gets it, but I would guess it¡¯s worth an entire level, maybe. I suspect he can grant us that experience or burn it to communicate¡­ or do the incarnation thing he did yesterday. It¡¯s equal parts dream and discussion.¡± ¡°So what does your patron say?¡± Katia asked. ¡°Quality, not quantity.¡± ¡°Uh?¡± ¡°I think he suggests we take advantage of his extensive knowledge of the system of Talents. He knows exactly what each Talent does and how they work together. You¡¯ve just seen it with Petra. We know the mapping between some known sorcery Talents and the Sorcerers of America compendium, but when it comes to higher-end ones or Heroic Talents, it¡¯s mostly a mystery. All you have to guide you is the name on the parchment. So we test.¡± ¡°The Warden¡¯s forces will not know much about it,¡± Katia realized what Johanna was saying. ¡°I don¡¯t know what Talents the Adjutant¡¯s agents picked, but they were not familiar with them yet, and they only had a very limited choice. The Warden may have a massive store and a hundred copies of any of them now, but does he know what, say, Tough Luck does and how useful it is? And yes, it¡¯s apparently a real Talent, even if it requires a level of 8 to use. His forces will have to spend time learning how to use them and how to combine them.¡± ¡°But you need Ancient books.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be back,¡± Johanna said, rushing upwards. A few minutes later, she was climbing the stairs down, her arms laden with a dozen books wrapped in a cloth. ¡°I picked them from the books we brought back. Had to make sure Moore did not sacrifice them, so I labeled them to make sure he remembered to leave them alone.¡± When she unwrapped the cloth cover, Katia spotted paper labels saying ¡°do not convert yet¡±, wrapped over the cover. ¡°Are those¡­?¡± ¡°An Ancient fantasy series of sorts. A bit trash, I say; I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m going to finish it. The hero is a chump with all the bowing and scraping; I like his girlfriend more with all the swords coming out of her shoulders. I think I won¡¯t regret sacrificing that without finishing it.¡± ¡°So you can still make some?¡± ¡°So Moore can make some. I can show you¡­ how does the sheet I made yesterday translates into reality. If you want to try.¡±
Katia Anna Michaelson Female human, 48 years, 7 months
Unspecialized (director) Level: 5 (8000 XP needed) 5 unallocated skill points XP: 31,071
STR: 13 AUT: 17
AGI: 16 PER: 16 (2000 XP needed)
DEX: 14 EMP: 18 (3000 XP needed)
As usual, Moore wasn¡¯t sure if the talk through Pull had gone well or not, but after seeing the burgled and destroyed caches, he¡¯d moved to reassure Johanna he still could do it all over again. After all, there were lots of books where those came from. And he¡¯d get more experience. He was unsure if he wanted to hoard it again in case of an intervention or if it wasn¡¯t better spent immediately upon the four. Unlocking the horizon to level 10 after doing the emergency raise to 9 for Johanna showed a significant quality increase in available skills. Enough that he could even conceive of replacing some of their current skills with new ones. He¡¯d got a peek at that range with some of the skills used by Changed Beasts, but having a wide range of actual level 10 ones was different. Things like Fire Spray not only looked like it would be acting as a blowtorch coming out of her fingers, but it had a double passive effect. Old Fire Handling was fine, but it did not compare. At least Johanna had the gist of it. He¡¯d already got the descriptor yesterday, when they shook hands, and all that Michaelson had obtained since was five experience points, as people typically got from day to day. The woman looked like a two-time villain but was obviously a legal authority if the rough evaluation provided by the System was an indication. Everyone treated her as a big boss, even the local guards. And now Johanna seemed to be poised to make her a set. However, the guesses about Tyrant Fixer written on her custom sheet yesterday were wrong. Given the baseline stats, the woman had more of an Earth or Water Shaper profile. The so-called ¡°Gomez method¡± did provide the current stats, not the base ones. It¡¯s only a slight disparity. And besides, if she¡¯s an administration boss or something, she¡¯s not a front-line adventurer. She¡¯s not getting enough XP for whenever the next tier of Classes is. Johanna had needed to extract parchments from most of the books of the series, but not all 12 of them. She simply stashed the remains ¨C Tom or one of her friends could use them for the benefit of someone else ¨C along with the three unconverted books. The conversion session had been a bit weird. Three separate levels, two additional Empathy parchments, Authority¡­ Johanna had been surprised to see no specialization on the first parchment, but it had popped after three and a Talent, and she realized that Moore was just getting the undersecretary to a proper level for it. Gone were the days when he provided expected intermediate steps to reassure them. You squeezed the most of each page this time. Tyrant Minister. A level 8 specialization ¨C she should not have been surprised; Katia Michaelson was old enough to have accumulated a lot of experience. And only six Talents to go with it, which did surprise her, but she assumed Moore knew better, just like he¡¯d done for Peter. He¡¯d skipped entirely over Strength and Dexterity, and she knew there were Talents in those lines, although not many with good tiers. What truly surprised her was the complete lack of healing, but she realized Moore already knew she was probably not going to fight directly against the Warden. Quality, not quantity.
Katia Anna Michaelson Female human, 48 years, 7 months
Tyrant Minister Level: 8 (21,000 XP needed) 1/338 mana (+17 per hour) 0 unallocated skill points XP: 71
STR: 13 AUT: 18 (2000 XP needed) Falter (80) Telepathy (44)
AGI: 17 (2000 XP needed) Stable Sleep (42) PER: 17 (5000 XP needed) Detect Lies (42) Mana Sight (42)
DEX: 14 EMP: 20 (8000 XP needed) Silence (88)
¡°That¡¯s¡­ unnatural,¡± Katia concluded once the last book was stashed away. ¡°Welcome to the rank of Saints, Tyrant Minister Michaelson,¡± Johanna simply replied in the formal manner she¡¯d developed. ¡°I would take that name as a joke if that weird parchment didn¡¯t state it exactly that way.¡± ¡°Tyrant seems to be associated with the Authority quality, which was your second highest. Which makes sense somehow. Half of the labels do, and then you get odd stuff, and you wonder how those labels were created. And Minister is the third evolution of Fixer. Looks I underestimated your potential at first.¡± ¡°Now what?¡± ¡°I can see your regeneration kicking in already. That¡¯s Mana Sight, which you have, by the way. In a couple of minutes at most, you¡¯ll have enough to use one Talent for a short while. By tomorrow, all of yours will be ready to use properly.¡± Johanna started to explain the Talents she knew about. Stable Sleep was the only one she had no idea about. ¡°I can talk to anyone I¡¯ve met?¡± Katia was going from surprise to surprise. Johanna checked again in the reference list copied from Gomez¡¯s notes. ¡°You should be able to send your voice to anyone you¡¯ve met within the last two days or so, I guess. Provided they¡¯re not too far away. We don¡¯t have a formula for the distance.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to make my assistant half redundant. If I can call any of my staff just like that.¡± Katia frowned as she said that. ¡°Is that why I got it?¡± ¡°Quality, not quantity. Remember, Moore knows better. That set of Talents seems¡­ well-designed. For you.¡± ¡°I probably don¡¯t need half of those, but I can see how some of my senior agents in the field could use them. Although I don¡¯t know why¡­ you¡­¡± she said, pointedly looking at Johanna to make it obvious she was talking to Moore instead, ¡°¡­ thought I need some sleep aid. I do sleep well.¡± ¡°It might be about putting people to sleep instead. It wouldn¡¯t surprise me if it worked that way. Talents are weird, and we know so few of them.¡± ¡°So, you wasted those books on me. What now? What are your patron¡¯s plans?¡± ¡°Well¡­ we restore the Talent House¡¯s capacity to provide. All we need are some books. And there are plenty of them where they came from.¡± ¡°Millions,¡± Petra laughed. ¡°And I¡¯m sure we missed a few Artifacts in the ruins.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going to Washington DC.,¡± Katia stated. ¡°Uh?¡± ¡°One, I¡¯m not letting you alone.¡± ¡°We would have dozens of ready Talented. Who have already been there and know the way. Right, Petra?¡± ¡°Not sure if Cameron¡¯s ready to head back to the coast so soon. Especially this late in the year. It¡¯s going to be nearly winter by the time we can make it. But I¡¯ll ask him.¡± ¡°Do you need to be there to pick books?¡± Katia asked Johanna. ¡°No, but¡­¡± ¡°No buts. You can convert those books in Vernon. I said, ¡®Consider you drafted¡¯. You four are coming with me back to Vernon.¡± B3.6 - We Ride I would travel only by horse if I had the choice. Pre-Fall musician. ¡°You want us to do what?¡± Johanna blurted. ¡°Nothing is faster than horses,¡± Katia Michaelson replied. ¡°I¡¯ll have to leave a bunch of agents here to make their way back by slower means, but time is of the essence. The Warden isn¡¯t going to wait for us to move.¡± The previous day had been spent trying to set up everything. Ulrich, upon learning of the events, had immediately decided to accompany them. You could tell that Katia Michaelson was not pleased with the thirster¡¯s presence. Not just because it meant one more of her dozen agents left behind to make their way back with regular merchant caravans. ¡°They¡¯re good ones. The best breed from the top of the three equestrian centers of Independence. Their biggest customer is the Postal Service, and they even sell to other States. You¡¯ll learn¡­ on the saddle, as they say. Even with novice riders like you, that¡¯s speeding the trip by at least fifty percent. We should be in Vernon in ten days, tops. It took me eight to come.¡± She looked pointedly at the Wood Master. ¡°I¡¯ve ridden a lot when I was a kid. Donkeys aren¡¯t uncommon in the Marches north, unlike horses,¡± Ulrich said. ¡°Speaking of which¡­¡± Guard Captain Flores interrupted. ¡°Yes?¡± Katia asked. ¡°You¡¯re sure they¡¯re safe?¡± ¡°Uh, why?¡± ¡°Because¡­ it feels weird. But they have a level.¡± ¡°A what?¡± both Katia, Johanna, and Peter managed to exclaim simultaneously. ¡°They register for a level of power. Well, except for those two there,¡± Flores said. Katia looked at the mounts and turned back to the captain. ¡°Pure Mustangs, or so they call them. Rare breed, difficult to raise. But then all horses are finicky. They were supposed to be easier to breed before the fall, but the species almost got extinct. What does this mean, they all have levels except our Mustangs? Isn¡¯t that something for people?¡± ¡°Well, everyone¡¯s got a level, that¡¯s true, but Changed beasts also do have one. Last month, there was one nasty Felid prowling north, close to the Mirak farmplex and not too far from the lakes. Our team of Talented guards went to track and deal with it. Easy mode for Talented like us. But that beast registered on my Gauge Endurance sense at around level 6. Mrs. Milton said it was something they¡¯d noticed west when they went with a Hero that had that Talent. All Changed Beasts seem to have a level. I never looked at the horses of the mail, but those¡­¡± Flores stopped. Katia completed his thought. ¡°So, you are saying our horses are actually Changed monsters?¡± ¡°That¡­¡± Johanna realized she¡¯d been slowly backing away from what Captain Flores had just announced as potential monsters. She couldn¡¯t see any sign of Changed stuff, but then, she¡¯d never gotten close to horses. She¡¯d seen them very distantly and occasionally in Valetta. All she knew was that they were hard to breed and, yes, fast, which is why the mail system used them. Hard to breed. ¡°Oh shit,¡± she blurted. All the others looked at her. She looked back at Flores. ¡°You say two of them don¡¯t have levels, right?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± he confirmed. ¡°And you say they¡¯re difficult to breed, right?¡± she asked Katia. ¡°I¡¯m not a horse fan, although a lot of the upper class in Vernon like to ride just for the principle. I just insist all my office agents keep training, in case, well, in case they need to travel fast. But yes, Mustangs are hard. All of the horse farms will tell you they need purebreds only. That¡¯s a status thing and a practical one at the same time.¡± ¡°Changed can¡¯t interbreed,¡± Johanna simply stated. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Even in the case of Ulrich¡¯s people,¡± she pointed at the thirster, ¡°who looks very close to an unchanged human, it¡¯s impossible.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t breed a Mustang with one of the¡­ Changed horses?¡± Katia replied before her eyes grew wide. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be surprised. There might even be different breeds of Changed horses, and none wouldn¡¯t be fertile with the rest of them. Or maybe they¡¯re like all Changed Beasts. They seem to originate mostly from mana zones, so maybe they do need more mana to reproduce well.¡± ¡°I can assure you we Changed do not,¡± Ulrich injected. ¡°I have enough siblings, nephews, and nieces ¨C of which I am regularly reminded of ¨C to confirm we do not need a mana zone to reproduce. If anything, we¡¯re more fertile than unchanged humans.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just speculating,¡± Johanna said defensively. Katia Michaelson looked speculatively at the horses, who obviously ignored the argument and were merely waiting for the humans to decide what they wanted to do. ¡°Every time I think I¡¯m getting a handle on this, there¡¯s another surprise laying in ambush,¡± she finally sighed. ¡°Look, it doesn¡¯t matter if they¡¯re monsters or something else. We came here on those, and they didn¡¯t try to bite our heads off or something. Now, let¡¯s try to put you on the saddle,¡± she added. Moore was taken aback too. He realized he¡¯d never seen horses close by, even if his imagination conjured all sorts of wild rides in this technology-hamstrung world. So far, donkeys, oxen, many. But no real horses. Or fake ones, like the Level 2 and 3 Equoids that they had brought up with saddles and everything equestrian. He realized that he was automatically associating level-bearing creatures with monsters. He¡¯d seen lots of them, from the small, aggressive but not too-dangerous wildcats in the forests surrounding the ruins where his skeleton was to the many elites they¡¯d fought in various mana zones. But here, there were tamed monsters. Along with two more normal mounts. There were silent discussions going around, and it was pretty apparent that none of the four were familiar with horse riding. He wasn¡¯t as well, but then he wasn¡¯t the one who was going to ride those¡­ things. They finally got help to climb onto saddles, and with Johanna hanging on her mount, he discovered his first monster descriptor popping.
¡°Fiona¡± Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Female Equoid, 3 years, 3 months
Equoid Level: 2 2 unallocated skill point XP: 3444
STR: 15 AUT: 15
AGI: 15 PER: 15
DEX: 15 EMP: 15
He never had enough ¡°grip¡± to pull out descriptors of the ones they had fought, but he could see that one. And it was interesting. The first thing that struck him was the neutral stat spread. All of those stats were at the baseline 15 he was familiar with. Humans had a variable start, with a 91-point total, but the Equoid was perfectly balanced. Like children who hadn¡¯t begun to develop, even if the horse-like creatures had levels and apparently even XP. He wondered a bit about the name part. This particular horse was called Fiona, obviously. The other two were called Autumn for Laura and Hercules for Tom¡¯s impressive Equoid specimen, respectively, with Peter being on one of the normal horses who, therefore, remained anonymous. He had no idea how the System pulled up those names. He did remember how Laura and Tom¡¯s surnames had changed while they were being married by the pastor, so it was obviously tracked somehow. Did the animals have a name because they got named by people? Or did they get one¡­ somehow? Well, I don¡¯t know why they tame monsters, but maybe they¡¯re better than the normal horses they have? Even without skills? Johanna had taken small rides on the oxen in Anasta, as her father had succumbed to her pleas to go ¡°on top¡±. But that was an entirely different experience. The Postal Service, where Katia¡¯s agents had stabled their mounts, had some ¡°easy beginner¡± saddles. If they were easy, Johanna did not want to know about the non-easy ones. Each move by her or the horse made her feel like she was about to be ejected from that saddle. Tom had it way worse, she realized. They¡¯d put him on the largest horse, and while that horse was big enough, he looked even less stable on it than she did. The only one of all four who looked fine was Peter. He was on one of the Mustangs ¨C the levelless horses ¨C and seemed perfectly at ease on the saddle. ¡°I treat it as an attack. So I instinctively dodge most of the ¡®attacks¡¯. Seems to work.¡± ¡°Cheater,¡± both Johanna and Laura said simultaneously. Katia was interested in the exchange, as it involved a Talent. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s how Deflect is supposed to work. If it does, and he¡¯s not just taking advantage of his size,¡± Johanna told her. ¡°Believe me, it doesn¡¯t matter how big your horse is for balance,¡± Katia replied. ¡°Maybe I got a new Talent?¡± Peter said. ¡°Flores would have noticed if you got a level,¡± Johanna countered. ¡°There you are,¡± Laura smirked at her husband, who shrugged back. ¡°We don¡¯t have time to spare. We¡¯ll go slowly until you get your legs. But we have to start. Now,¡± Katia interrupted. Johanna didn¡¯t know if she had found her horse legs yet, but she was sure she¡¯d found some muscles in her calves she had not known existed. Riding a horse was certainly not an experience she¡¯d ever expected to have, and she was not quite sure it was one she should have wanted. But despite their complete inexperience, she had to admit they¡¯d made some good time. Not much more than if they had walked, but certainly good enough to satisfy at least Katia. ¡°It will improve every day,¡± she reassured her. Mid-way through the afternoon, Peter had started swearing, demonstrating that he was, in fact, using Deflect. That the Talent consumed some of his stamina was assumed, and once he ran out, he had to wait a bit to recover. The diminutive man finally gave up and simply concentrated on staying in the saddle rather than treat his mount¡¯s movements as personal attacks on his balance, as the Talent turned on and off somewhat unpredictably. ¡°You¡¯ll be sore tomorrow as well,¡± Katia promised them. ¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± Laura replied, prompting an interrogative look. ¡°I can fix things. If this strain counts as some form of damage, I can probably fix it,¡± she said. ¡°¡­¡± Katia Michaelson cursed a lot the next morning when the four of them showed little sign of soreness. The agents merely shook their heads and went on with the breakfast chores. ¡°I spent over a year riding when I was young before I stopped feeling sore with horses. That¡¯s¡­ cheating.¡± ¡°A lot of things a Fixer can do is cheating. I mean, I can now regrow lost parts,¡± Laura said. ¡°Why don¡¯t I?¡± Katia asked. ¡°Different Talent set,¡± Johanna replied for Laura. ¡°Yours seem more oriented on acting on persons rather than, well, bodies. Moore probably has assumed you don¡¯t need to fix people with your job. There is a limit to the number of Talents people can have based on their level. Even at 8, you can¡¯t do everything.¡± ¡°We need to talk more about those Talents. I will have to make a complete report to the Executive, and even if you¡¯re there to explain things, I must understand as much as I can.¡± Once they got underway, Katia moved next to Johanna and started plumbing more on the details of Talents. She spotted the telltale non-light of mana on her eyes and immediately assumed she was using Detect Lies. Not that she intended to dissemble on that matter of Talents. If she didn¡¯t know something, she didn¡¯t know. The undersecretary seemed to have adapted well to her new Talents. Several times before, she¡¯d spotted the mana regeneration indicating that a Talent had been used, even if she saw nothing obvious, and she assumed she was silently giving orders to her agents using Telepathy, if only to get used to that. ¡°So, because I¡¯m older, I can have more Talents.¡± ¡°With Pr. Gomez, we tried to figure out how things worked. I know a bit more than then, but essentially, you gain what he called talent energy, or more accurately experience over time, when you use your Talents, and also when facing Changed beasts or people.¡± ¡°Meaning the Warden¡¯s veterans will potentially be more dangerous than civilians would be.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need much to be dangerous. Last year, when we were still lower level, we were already pretty powerful, I realize now. Four-five of the right Talents make most of the difference.¡± She thought back about the fights back in New Sandusky. ¡°You also need to figure out how to use your Talents, when not to go dry from lack of mana or stamina, and above all, how the others in your team work, use theirs.¡± Katia turned to stare at Ulrich, who was riding slightly ahead of them, along with some of the Undersecretary¡¯s agents. She knew the Wood Master was also level 8. ¡°And so, for me, it¡¯s age, for him¡­¡± ¡°Age and a rough life. He¡¯s faced a few Changed beasts. And for us, it¡¯s all those fights and some cheating by the Ancient.¡± In the days that followed, as they moved faster and faster along the roads that crossed Independence State, the Undersecretary kept on probing all sorts of aspects of the Talents'' behavior. ¡°So, kids don¡¯t have levels.¡± ¡°It seems to start just after puberty. That¡¯s what all the Heroes with Gauge Stamina ¨C which should be called Gauge Level, given what it does ¨C told me. The kids do register on the Talent, unlike non-Changed beasts, but they are all at the lowest level possible, essentially zero. Then, one day, they get to level 1, and that¡¯s when it becomes possible to get a specialization and potentially a Talent.¡± ¡°So, you could have sorcerers as young as, what? Fifteen?¡± ¡°Potentially, yes.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a bit funny, that. Do you know about the Erlangs?¡± Katia asked. ¡°Not much. They¡¯re three-eyed people, with many Sorcerers, and powerful. Way more than anyone else.¡± ¡°And relatively recluse ¨C you rarely see any outsides of their continent. But one thing I know is that they have this idea that they can prepare their kids for the future. They obsessively collect Artifacts, like the ones I can now detect on most of you¡­¡± she waved at Laura and the rest, continuing, ¡°and think if they have their children exposed to Artifacts, then later on, they will develop into proper ¡®Lords¡¯, as those with Talents call themselves. All the major families of Erlangs spend a lot of time and energy amassing such heirlooms to help their children along. ¡°Do you think it could be true?¡± she asked. ¡°I have no idea. I would probably say that shouldn¡¯t work that way. In fact, Artifacts interfere with Talents.¡± ¡°How so?¡± ¡°If you have a Talent and an Artifact that does the same thing, you can¡¯t activate your Talent as long as you¡¯re holding the Artifact. Or use the Artifact itself at all.¡± That prompted Johanna to think again about the realm of Moore, of which she had been a temporary visitor. How does one gain Talents, she asked herself? Without him, that is. The ¡°dream of mana¡±, as Elena Worchester had told her, did match far too well what she¡¯d experienced. It was way too bizarre, too out-of-this-world to be a mere coincidence. Yet, she could not see Moore giving people who managed to get there random Talents. He was far too aware of what those did and far too specific in giving them when he directly intervened. What¡¯s more, he even went out to override Petra¡¯s original specialization-less Talent, for good reason as it turned out given how low her Empathy score had apparently been. So, why would he have given her it in the first time? People assumed she had the answers, but for every question she¡¯d found an answer to, three more mysteries had sprung. ¡°Yet, they have to have something going,¡± Katia interrupted her musings. ¡°I remember a report from the Society of Sorcerers and Sorceress of America saying there is something like one sorcerer per hundred, hundred-fifty thousand people in the Union, but among the Erlang, it is more like one per five thousand.¡± ¡°I have no idea how that can be. Why do people gain levels over time, or not, even if they have way more experience than necessary? I mean, you had level 5 but enough experience for a level 8. Yet, you started like everyone else, at zero when you were a kid.¡± ¡°So, it is something different when you, Mr. Moore, interfere,¡± she said. Johanna had no idea how Moore was supposed to answer. Sometimes people, once they¡¯d gotten the idea that she had an invisible presence ¡°behind¡± her, assumed she¡¯d speak with Moore¡¯s voice. Just because he could hear them didn¡¯t mean he could answer. Even his dream sendings were costly. ¡°Pr. Gomez thought everyone operated by the same rules. Even us. All that distinguishes us from everyone else is that we have a dedicated help to change those. But everyone has the chance to be a Hero, a Sorceress, a Saint¡­ with enough luck to stumble upon the right thing.¡± ¡°And now, with your intervention¡­ luck is no longer a factor. I do not thank you, Mr. Moore. Sorry,¡± Katia added to Johanna. B3.7 - Executive Summit Who wishes to fight must first count the cost. Pre-Fall classic. Johanna had assumed that Vernon would be like New Benton. Or maybe like that first major city of Independence State they¡¯d seen in the spring, Nedalshe. It was all these things, but more. ¡°First time, I think,¡± Ulrich said, chuckling. She did not reply, instead taking in the sight. As they crossed the last few miles to the city, more and more details became visible. There were obviously multiple walls surrounding the capital of Independence State. Hybrid versions, mixing stone and enormous wood palisades. Her childhood lessons on geography had barely included things about the other States of the Union, but at least she knew the city wasn¡¯t built around an Ancient ruin, like many, but founded a few decades after the Fall, just before the first Wars of Unification. Despite that, it was huge. Vernon was not the capital of Independence State for nothing. ¡°It is, it is,¡± she said, chuckling too. ¡°I grew up in a small town, too,¡± the thirster said. ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°A place called Black Lake Redoubt, up in the Marches of the Algonquin. It had less than 1500 people living there, with maybe one-fourth being humans.¡± ¡°It must be weird, growing up in a place like that, with so many Changed.¡± ¡°Well, for me, unchanged people were the bizarre ones. Dark skins ¨C compared to mine ¨C all sorts of color hair, brown eyes. All thirsters were Changed two years after the Fall, I think, but the funny thing is that it happened in waves, or so my grandpa said.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re not really vampires, aren¡¯t you?¡± she asked. ¡°No. I mean, we digest fresh blood, which is semi-toxic for unchanged humans. And it does taste good, at least for us. But we don¡¯t get powers from it, we aren¡¯t immortal or something, and while I dislike the sun, well, it¡¯s because I can¡¯t get a suntan and I get sunburn instead. I would have loved it if Dark Flame had bestowed me the kind of heat immunity you have, but alas, it does not have a passive.¡± The Wood Master fell into contemplation. ¡°I wonder if there are Talents where you can truly change into something. Those Skins that Miles and I have got are mostly¡­ well, skin-deep.¡± ¡°Want to become a giant bat?¡± she joked. ¡°Who wouldn¡¯t? Not everyone can become an angel of death,¡± he joked back. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t. It¡¯s all Moore¡¯s doing¡­¡± she stopped. Could I? She tried to remember. While she was in the Ancient¡¯s Realm, she¡¯d been able to see, written in plain text, all the details. Including the Talents Moore had brought into play. Fleshless, she remembered, was what had seemingly changed her into a skeleton. And it required only level 11, 2 more than her current 9. And lots of qualities. The black wings, Shadow Wings, were even higher at 16 and even more extensive requirements. Moore was not bound by limitations on those, but she was. ¡°So, there is a possibility of really getting that?¡± Ulrich said, once she¡¯d explained the Talents. ¡°I¡¯m probably not the best person to get that. I think a Metal Master would be best.¡± ¡°Level 16 sounds almost impossible, too. I don¡¯t think Miles will get to that point if the professor¡¯s observation about the amount of talent energy growing higher and higher holds true. But you, on the other hand¡­¡± ¡°Pr. Gomez said we had to cheat, that Moore was infusing us with additional experience. But once the Talent House gets going¡­ young people of our age will go out regularly, maybe for decades, against the Changed beasts. Those will gain lots of experience as well.¡± ¡°The future is going to look very different,¡± Ulrich concluded. ¡°What next?¡± she asked as they neared the gates into the nearest district of the capital. ¡°First, we drop off our horses at the stables. Then, we head to the Executive House. I don¡¯t know the Executive¡¯s agenda, but I¡¯m quite certain he¡¯ll instantly clear it when we arrive,¡± Katia replied as she veered off. The Undersecretary¡¯s stables were a large area, with the unmistakable sign of the Postal Service prominently all over the place. Johanna should not have been surprised by that, given that the woman had mentioned them being the primary users of horses. It made sense to use the Service since both the Postal Service and Katia¡¯s Internal Affairs were part of the government. As she dismounted, she took note that she no longer needed Laura¡¯s service for sore parts. By measuring the time it required to erase the traces of the day, Laura was quite sure she was using somehow Regrowth or Cleanse Toxins rather than Close Wounds. The fact that she needed to actively fix her own complaining muscles pointed out to the former rather than the latter, as Cleanse was somewhat automatic on her part. She had no idea what was ¡°regrown¡±, and she found out she didn¡¯t want to know. Johanna might need some more training if she ever were to use horses again, but at least she was no longer a complete beginner. Katia and the agents acting as an escort headed immediately further into the city. ¡°Haven¡¯t been in here for a while,¡± Ulrich said. ¡°You¡¯ve been to Vernon before?¡± Johanna asked. ¡°Yes. For the longest time, we ran ruins in the south of the State. There were lots of mana zones there for almost a century after the Fall, then for some reason, the mana dropped to low levels, and you started not to see many dangerous Changed beasts. That was a golden age for scavenging, but not every Ancient ruin was well preserved. When our team went there, most of it was cleaned.¡± ¡°But you had an advantage. Snowbound.¡± She knew the Wendigo had an Artifact that duplicated her own Mana Sight but much better. He¡¯d spotted her easily in Kootenai with his glasses, and she had only started seeing most mana users¡¯ regeneration once Moore had improved her specialization when they arrived in Washington, DC. But when it came to Artefacts, the only one that had been giving her problems was that little unassuming stone that Helena had in her possession. ¡°He didn¡¯t run with us in the first years. But yes, we kept going even when the money was barely worth the trip. Whenever he noticed something, we¡¯d get there. Sometimes in ruins that had been mostly cleaned.¡± If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Without Mana Sight, it¡¯s easy to miss Artifacts.¡± ¡°Yes, I remember how you found all those during our original run. Cameron¡¯s brought back another from near the lake already, thanks to Petra. I think he mostly recruited her just for that. In a year, there won¡¯t be an unfound Artifact within a hundred miles of New Sandusky.¡± ¡°And she¡¯ll be rich.¡± ¡°And the prices will start to crash,¡± he objected. ¡°You really think so?¡± ¡°Well, maybe. Supply and demand, you know. Although for something that is as rare as Artefacts, even with cheats, who knows?¡± As they followed the main avenue into the capital, Ulrich started pointing out places he remembered from a few years ago. Harold Wexler raised his head from the report he was reading as his secretary entered the office. ¡°Undersecretary Michaelson is there.¡± ¡°She¡¯s back? Get her in then.¡± Katia was ushered in along with quite a large group of people, which raised his curiosity. His Internal Affairs minister wasted no time. ¡°Harold, meet our troubles.¡± ¡°Troubles?¡± ¡°You can tell Henley to stop looking for them. May I introduce you to those four people who found the Warden¡¯s Artifact? Oh, and the fifth person involved, who is the Artifact himself.¡± Wexler looked curiously at the albino man, which he guessed might be a thirster. ¡°Not him. He¡¯s not visible, but he¡¯s watching us through them.¡± Wexler¡¯s eyebrows rose.
The building itself might not have been similar, but someone had very obviously attempted to reproduce the Oval Office at one point. Moore wouldn¡¯t know the differences between the real one and this counterfeit, but it looked like the one used in so many movies and stuff. The man they were meeting wasn¡¯t surprising, given the place.
Harold Taylor Wexler Male human, 63 years, 2 months
Unspecialized (head of state) Level: 8 (21,000 XP needed) 8 unallocated skill points XP: 35,832
STR: 15 AUT: 16
AGI: 15 PER: 16 (2000 XP needed)
DEX: 17 EMP: 14 (2000 XP needed)
So that¡¯s the president. Well, not of the USA, as much as you might want to pretend, given the place, Moore noted. He still had not a clear understanding of the geopolitics of 2174, as most of it was the topic of discussions ¨C which he couldn¡¯t follow ¨C rather than writing, which he did. Well, that¡¯s the second head of state you meet. It¡¯s probably less impressive when it becomes a habit, he thought, as the four took seats in front of the president¡¯s desk. Moore wondered how he¡¯d fare in the same circumstances. It was easy being detached from normal circumstances back in the beyond. It had been barely more than a year of conscious thought, and he had more than enough time, notably at night, to reflect on his existence. But he did not see any solution to his personal dilemma. Exchange was far too costly and a temporary kludge. In addition, it was trading places and putting someone in his predicament. He¡¯d pulled Johanna since he had gotten enough XP and apologized, reassuring her that he¡¯d help them. The other problem was geometry. Although his current realm felt like he did not obey standard spatial rules, the four windows into reality felt like windows. And he had pulled descriptors in every four directions. Create Scroll, Pull, and Exchange all used what felt like a specific side of the descriptor, leaving just one side for the original viewing window. And that left no room for further options. At least none that involved the four. He had tried multiple times to see if he could create one of those kludged-together user interfaces for himself, but nothing came to view. He was as blind to himself as the others were to their own system interfaces. Do I have one?
Katia Michaelson completed her briefing and Johanna had pulled the testing scale to demonstrate the basics of the Talent acquisition. The Executive had recognized the parchments, and Johanna remembered they¡¯d recovered some of Gomez¡¯s old stock. She explained and demonstrated the scale, nothing that Executive Wexler seemed to be Dexterity-focused. Somehow, she didn¡¯t see him as a stealthy melee fighter. ¡°So basically, you say I can get one of those sets of Talents.¡± ¡°Anyone can. All we need is a few Ancient books to create a specific set ¨C and I brought along the intact ones we still had. If we were doing this using the Talent House system, we¡¯d also need a gauge of your level and then figure out what fits. But with Moore, all of that is in his hands ¨C metaphorically speaking.¡± ¡°Interesting. Wait, you got one?¡± he replied, looking at Katia. ¡°You did not notice. I didn¡¯t talk to you,¡± the woman smiled. Wexler looked a little bit skeptical. A few seconds later, he shuddered. ¡°Your lips don¡¯t move. You are actually not speaking.¡± ¡°Yes. And the others present don¡¯t hear me. Unfortunately, I can¡¯t hear you unless you speak,¡± she continued, audibly this time. ¡°What else¡­¡± Katia slipped Wexler the little Talent House sheet that Johanna had filled along while Moore had created the parchments. ¡°I¡¯m not going to ask for a demonstration of the rest,¡± Wexler said. ¡°Especially not Detect Lies.¡± ¡°It does what it says,¡± Katia merely shrugged as if it were the most ordinary of things. ¡°And now, the Warden of the Montana has 90,000 of those.¡± ¡°I am assuming it is him. The people that assaulted the Talent House claimed to be working for his Adjutant, they clearly were involved with the burglary at Nashville revolving around Professor Gomez, which was a person of interest for the Montana, and we know he¡¯s looking at cracking the mystery of that skeleton in the Montana ¨C sorry, sir,¡± she added, looking at Johanna and presumably through her. ¡°It might not be enough of a case for a judge, but for me? No doubt,¡± she concluded. Wexler looked back at Johanna. ¡°It¡¯s a bit of a complex thing. He can¡¯t make, say, 15,000 powered people at our level. For one, a lot of the parchments require higher levels and qualities, which limits who can get them. And there are a limited number of the ones that are truly important. In major combat, you need things like First Aid ready, or you lose a lot of people. And each person you lose, you lose the Talents forever.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t recover the parchments?¡± ¡°They are destroyed when you get the Talents. I don¡¯t think those ¡®artificial¡¯ talents differ from ¡®natural¡¯ ones. The Montana agents that died during the attack on the Talent House did not leave copies of their original parchments behind.¡± ¡°That¡¯s still a terrifying perspective. What are we talking about? Ten thousand? Five thousand? More? Less?¡± Ulrich, who had remained silent so far, injected himself into the discussion. ¡°They destroyed or left with our detailed inventory, but I remember we had something under 200 copies of First Aid. That gives him 200 regular squads with a dozen or so Talented. If he scales up from that, the troops will be more ¡®disposable¡¯.¡± ¡°How strong would be a Talented squad compared to regular troops?¡± Everyone looked at Johanna. ¡°Back when we were around level 5, we four basically defeated an entire platoon that was trying to stop our escape. Twenty-some soldiers, including crossbowmen. And that was relatively easy, even if one of them had an Artifact to balance things out.¡± ¡°So a factor of, say, 10. I was worried about facing hundreds of Burning Walkers.¡± Ulrich coughed. ¡°I think there were 120 copies of that particular Talent, if it is Burning Ground. And more than enough Specializations to really make use of that Talent.¡± Wexler groaned and hid his face in his hands. ¡°What I want to understand is why you made so many of those parchments. If your Ancient can make a perfect set of Talents instead of you having to rely on guesses, why? Why not have everyone come to you instead and get the right ones? That way, he¡¯d have ¨C you would have ¨C more control over who gets what.¡± ¡°We had reasons. Good ones,¡± she hastened to add. The Executive merely nodded back, waiting. ¡°First, it was way more practical for transportation back to New Sandusky. A hundred stacked parchments weigh less and take as much space as a single book, which would yield two to four parchments at best. We could bring back a lot more over a single expedition, just in case we couldn¡¯t go back for a long time. ¡°Two, the Talent House is supposed to cover the entire Union. Maybe one day, in the future, the entire world. We will have local branches, at months of travel time sometimes. In some places, like the East Coast, you may need to mobilize additional forces in emergencies when you have a massive and dangerous Beast horde coming out of the mana zones. And if you¡¯re very active, you¡¯ll grow in experience fast and can use new specializations or additional Talents all the time. The branches would need to have parchments ready for all that.¡± ¡°You could still ask people to come for all that. Well, except for the emergencies.¡± ¡°Yes, but how many would? In the future, when the Talent House is known, and what we do, what we can do, is trusted, maybe. But right now, who would send their guards to the other side of the continent on our say-so? Even with a higher Talented demonstrating his abilities, you can always tell yourself he¡¯s the one-in-a-century power, trying to scam you somehow.¡± ¡°Well, that was nice on paper, but then you lost control. Because it was never solid. When you make plans, never forget to make plans for when the original one fails.¡± Wexler looked at her inquiringly. ¡°Well, the third is if we all die. Parchments work without Moore¡¯s direct interference. No one knows what happens if there is no one to channel Moore¡¯s presence. Those might be what will ever be.¡± B3.8 - Big City Hospitality In hospitality, one size fits one. Pre-Fall Restaurateur. Harold Wexler was quite unwilling to let them out of his sight. If Johanna had been uncharitable, she¡¯d have compared the situation to their mobilization back in the Montana. At the same time, it was very understandable on his part. They had escaped the clutches of the Adjutant, for now, but who knew what would be their next move. They were still the only source of Talents, so it went beyond keeping track of a group of mere above-average Talented from the draft. She didn¡¯t know if you could force Moore¡¯s hand if they were captured. The Ancient could refrain himself from converting books, or she couldn¡¯t have read those Ancient books she¡¯d helped herself with back in Washington, DC. But if they were hostages? The Executive¡¯s residence was much nicer, though, than the fortified castle of the Warden. It was a three-story house in the central district of Vernon, not too far from the Executive¡¯s offices. It was well protected, although Johanna was now doubtful about Wexler¡¯s guards'' capacity to defend against serious Talented attacks. She suspected that, in case of an attack, the four of them might be the main line of defense¡­ and the likely target. She also doubted that Moore would have the capacity to intervene directly again unless he had managed somehow to obtain a lot of the experience that fueled their Talent acquisition and his own abilities. Ulrich had been politely but firmly rebuffed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me,¡± he said. ¡°See you tomorrow.¡± As soon as they got in, a pair of people came to get their jackets and packs, swiftly and efficiently moving those into a side room. An older woman wearing a light dress came down the stairs and came to Wexler, slightly kissing him on the cheek. ¡°Unexpected guests. It¡¯s been a while,¡± she said, looking at them. ¡°Very unexpected, dear,¡± the Executive replied to his wife. ¡°For tonight, I assume?¡± ¡°As long as it takes, actually,¡± he replied, prompting a slightly raised eyebrow. ¡°I better notify the staff then,¡± she said, turning back. Harold Wexler opened a large door and ushered them into a large room. It looked like a mix of a living room and a conference office. A large meeting table, reminiscent of the one Johanna had purchased for the Talent House meetings, only larger. High chairs around it and low leather seats all over the place. A big fireplace which was already lit. A huge and nearly full bookshelf, making her immediately wonder if there were any Ancient books in there. ¡°Some Executives want to live at the Executive House for the prestige, but I rather like my own home,¡± Wexler said as he sat in one of the low seats. ¡°It¡¯s very nice. Much better than the Warden¡¯s residence.¡± ¡°The castle in New Benton, you mean. You¡¯ve been there?¡± ¡°Why, yes.¡± They all sat in the leather seats, and Johanna proceeded to recount some highlights of their stay there. How she tried to make sense of what had been happening there with Elena Worchester and the training they¡¯d had in the castle. ¡°And your husband went behind everyone¡¯s back,¡± Wexler said to Laura, chuckling. ¡°Heroic Talents are harder to spot than magic ones. Tom ousted himself at the Narrows, and it was still hard to avoid people noticing I was hitting stuff better than I ought to, or I was better at dodging even training attacks. In fact, I would have to deliberately make big mistakes, which made me look like I wasn¡¯t talented, lower-case ¡®t¡¯. It would be a lot harder now, since my Talents improved, and if you pay attention, you can see how things adjust themselves almost unnaturally. I can more easily stop dodging things, but if I try to hit something, it¡¯s impossible to miss the best spot. But, back then¡­¡± Peter explained. ¡°Well, no stalking in my house, please.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have reason to, this time,¡± he replied, laughing. ¡°I was young, I know. Although a bit older than you are when I met Harriet. People laughed at the H & H, Harold and Harriet.¡± ¡°So, how long are we staying?¡± Johanna asked. ¡°I¡¯m still going to say as long as it takes.¡± ¡°Are we¡­¡± Wexler considered the question. ¡°Not really, no. In theory, you could leave at any time. Although, if that was necessary, we¡¯d find a way.¡± ¡°Katia mentioned something about needing like three sentences from anyone to charge them.¡± ¡°It¡¯s an old saying. I can charge you with something, and by the time you have a lawyer, and they get the charges thrown out, we will have another set of charges ready. But then, given what Katia told me about what you did against the Adjutant¡¯s agents, at that point, it becomes a problem of enforcement, not of law itself. If you do not want to cooperate with your arrest, then¡­¡± ¡°You need a team of Talented people. And it turns into a battle rather than some guard police action. There are probably tactics useful for capturing a rogue Talented if you only have untalented, but that¡¯s never going to be easy, nor costless. Moore warned me ¨C only power can manage power.¡± ¡°And I suppose at one point, if we make it through this crisis, we¡¯ll have to figure out exactly how to do that. But right now, we must deal with the emergency first. And I¡¯m not going to piss off the only means to deal with that emergency.¡± Wexler¡¯s wife came in the room, accompanied by another woman in livery. ¡°I didn¡¯t ask, but do you need separate rooms or¡­¡± ¡°Ah, no. Tom and I are married, and¡­¡± ¡°¡­ my wife and I actually married on the same day,¡± Peter completed. ¡°Good. Much simpler,¡± she said, nodding to the head maid, who bowed slightly, turned, and left. The older woman went and sat next to her husband. ¡°This is quite unusual compared to our usual visitors. I don¡¯t think we had visitors that young since Malcolm came to introduce his fianc¨¦e without the rest of the family trailing along. I apologize in advance; we haven¡¯t prepared for guests.¡± This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Johanna immediately replied. The conversation petered out at that until Wexler¡¯s wife restarted it. ¡°So, my husband has invited you to stay for what?¡± ¡°Oh, because we¡¯re Talented. Sorceress, Heroes, Saint.¡± Mrs. Wexler blinked. Obviously, she did not have time to get informed on why the four of them were there in Vernon. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°They are,¡± Harold confirmed. As a demonstration, Johanna raised her hand and brought up her usual demonstration flame. She had done it in Wexler¡¯s office, and it was now routine for showing that she was indeed what she claimed to be. ¡°That¡¯s Fire Handling. The flame is actually rather impractical now. I used it for cooking before, but it¡¯s too big and too hot now, and I can¡¯t tune it down.¡± Johanna moved to the next demonstration, and a bright ball of light materialized in the middle of the room, a couple of feet safely above the table. ¡°Burning Orb. Handy as a light when in camp ¨C you can ask Katia Michaelson about it. And dangerous because it burns without fuel. You can¡¯t extinguish it; just move out of the way.¡± She picked a small knife on the table and brought a flame over it briefly. ¡°The rest, I¡¯ll skip. I can breathe ultra-hot steam, but that¡¯s far too dangerous in a confined area like a room. Ditto for the Cinder Circle; I make a circle of ultra-hot ash around me that will burn you if you try to cross it without being extra careful. And it would burn your parquet, too.¡± The Executive¡¯s wife stared at the spectacle before finally snorting. ¡°Well, that¡¯s certainly different from the usual guests. I did not expect the Burning Walker reincarnated to come east as a guest.¡± They finally moved to the ¡°conference¡± table, which doubled as a dinner table, where the house staff started bringing the meal. Despite the house mistress¡¯ apologies about a quick improvised dinner, Johanna felt like she was at some upscale restaurant. The Executive took the opportunity to resume talking as the entr¨¦es came. ¡°You seem to think war is inevitable,¡± Johanna asked him. ¡°Of course, I can¡¯t be 100% sure of that. Just 99%. You¡¯re from the Marches of the Montana, but how much of your history do you know? Or the Union in general?¡± ¡°Well, basics. Mrs. Vanu went over it, but that was never very interesting. I know the Wardens unified the Marches a century ago. That¡¯s why it¡¯s called the War of Unification, I think.¡± ¡°Well, there were more than one. Historians settled on three, as these involved about everyone in the Union at one point or another. The Maistry¡¯s ancestors basically created the modern Montana during the Second and Third Wars of Unification a century ago, as you got told. His great-great-grandfather captured New Benton and made it its capital at the end of the Third. They kept the name of Montana, although they started from what was called Washington State before the Fall.¡± Wexler looked at his drink, sighing. ¡°The Warden¡¯s dynasty got started with conquest, and they never let that frame of mind go. The Treaty of the Union put Albert Maistry in the wrong position for his ambitions. It was pushed to end the Wars of Unification because it was obvious to everyone ¨C well, not everyone, most ¨C that the entire continent was not going to be re-unified more or less like it had been before the Fall. I¡¯m sure the first Warden only joined reluctantly, but it was the pragmatic choice, even for him. The mutual assistance part of the treaty forced him to reconsider his strategies and direct his ambition outward. His son finished most of the job of making the core of the Marches, his grandson started chomping on what was tribal land at the time and managed to push the Marches northwest, up to the Alaskan peninsula since that was almost entirely depopulated at the time. The next Warden managed to snag some more land, but not that much. And, of course, the tribes of the North saw the writing on the wall and started the recent war when the abrupt succession happened, before the latest Maistry, Edgard could become too comfortable and start to plan some new campaign against them.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you technically have to go and help him? I remember a newspaper talking about it. That¡¯s why the Adjutant was in Nashville, yes?¡± Johanna asked. ¡°We do have good politicians in Nashville. Nobody wants to really help the Montana get larger, as we¡¯re sure he¡¯d use the help offensively rather than defensively, so they argued technicalities, like the fact that, until recently, there had been no enemy armies within the official Marches. The forward forts built by Edgard¡¯s father did not technically count. Contested territory, and all that.¡± Harold Wexler looked at her with an intense gaze. ¡°From what my intelligence agents understand, after you completely stalled their offense last fall, the tribals got emboldened by your disappearance and pushed on two fronts. That¡¯s why he expanded further the draft, and how he finally got the help he was asking the Union for.¡± ¡°People did not like the first draft,¡± Peter injected. ¡°State cohesion has always been difficult after the Fall,¡± Wexler admitted. ¡°Most settlements had been made self-reliant, sometimes for decades. When the big ones started to talk about unifying the continent again, few were willing to follow. Even Independence was hard to get started, even if most of the major town associations were not very warlike and more inclined to cooperate, even just by trade.¡± ¡°I got history lessons back home, but they were mostly about how Valetta got started,¡± Johanna said. ¡°If you want more about the origins of the Union, the wars, and how the States arose in their varied ways, there are good books on that topic. I¡¯m a fan of Unification. That¡¯s a single but hefty book from Luther Nero, an academic in the Eagle Republic, written thirty years ago. Of course, it¡¯s got a bigger focus on things west, like how Cheyenne finally joined the Union or Greater Idaho holding a large referendum on its name, rather than the history of Independence, but it has a large section on the origins of the Marches of the Montana. If that interests you. That Valetta of yours, it¡¯s an Ancient town, or¡­?¡± Wexler asked. ¡°More than half of the cities in Independence didn¡¯t exist a century ago.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t quite one. It was a refueling ¨C whatever that was ¨C stop and store on an Ancient road. Josh Valetta ¨C the founder ¨C got an early warning. One of his cousins ¨C a Milton, one of my direct ancestors ¨C warned him about the incoming Fall, and he could prepare somewhat.¡± ¡°That¡¯s one of the thing the historians have difficulty understanding,¡± Wexler noted. ¡°People knew somehow the Fall was coming, but nobody knows what it was. Or how they actually knew.¡± ¡°From what I remember, the Ancients had way to talk and watch all across the world, instantly. They even could leave the world entirely¡­?¡± ¡°You have historians pondering how, if something worked, it cannot work anymore. People speculate that the arrival of mana suppressed technology. It¡¯s mostly of academic interest since it is so ancient and mainly irrelevant to today¡¯s concerns. But you¡¯re right. There are even cults around the Ancients¡¯ abilities, including some exotic ones that believe they¡¯re still out there, above the world, monitoring and watching us¡­¡± Wexler slowed. ¡°Do you think that¡¯s what your Ancient is? One of those watchers?¡± ¡°I have no idea,¡± Johanna replied. ¡°But his skeleton was there, in ruins near Valetta. And wherever he is, it is not the world, not even the skies. It is nothing like we know.¡± ¡°You really went in¡­ whatever it is?¡± ¡°It was the strangest experience of my life,¡± she admitted. ¡°And I¡¯ve had a lot of weird stuff going on since we found Moore¡¯s skeleton.¡± She pulled herself back into the feel of that unique place. ¡°I had no body. Nothing. I was there, but not entirely there. If we swapped ¡®bodies¡¯, then he hasn¡¯t one at all. He¡¯s a pure spirit, in some strangeness that is entirely unlike the world. It was empty but full of some¡­ things. Some strings of sorts. The one thing that was immediately recognizable was the four windows that opened up into the world. Those, I knew, because they were there in some way or another whenever he called me into his dream realm.¡± ¡°One for each of you.¡± ¡°Yes. And that¡¯s all he has¡­¡± ¡°Do you think it is why he pays special attention to you? Because there are only four windows to reality and no other?¡± She stopped to think. ¡°I would like to think he helps because he wants to, but¡­¡± She thought a bit longer. ¡°You know, the Church always talks about what awaits us after we die, how we¡¯re judged. And I think he¡¯s dead. I mean, we found his skeleton, and he¡¯s definitively not in our world anymore. His realm feels like it¡¯s the purgatory. The empty place, neither hell nor heaven, you know.¡± Wexler nodded. ¡°It must be a bit weird to hear people speculating about you,¡± he said, tapping his finger on the table, and Johanna immediately knew he was addressing the Ancient directly. ¡°We always try to ignore a bit the fact that he sees us all the time. Notably at night.¡± Laura looked like she was going to add something but stopped. Well, that one is better than the Warden¡¯s kitchens, Moore had to admit. He was surprised to see the president having a separate house than the executive building they¡¯d been to earlier. The ¡°Oval Office¡± knock-off probably threw him off. It was still frustrating to see people chatting and eating when you couldn¡¯t hear them or enjoy the taste of the dishes ¨C which looked both simple, yet well done. M. Wexler had a kick-ass chef, he guessed, or at least Mrs. Wexler was a good head of household. The fun bit was that she was a level 7 Explorer. However, once they shook hands, he could see the specialization went without any skill, and she had started with a base of 15 in the stat before getting a stat point and then the class. He¡¯d seen it happen often by now, and it always irked him, the fact that people went without a proper set. If only it weren¡¯t that expensive to make builds. B3.9 - Mobilization Orders A draft doesn¡¯t produce the people we need. Pre-Fall politician. When Johanna arrived back at the Executive House with Wexler, she found Ulrich waiting for them in the entrance hall, along with a familiar figure. ¡°Hey, Julian!¡± Wexler looked at her oddly. ¡°Julian Kartmann, a former scavenger colleague of Ulrich. And a level 8 Contender. He was along with us on Washington,¡± she introduced him. ¡°I should expect all sorts of Talented to pop out of the woodwork with you around,¡± Wexler half-laughed. ¡°Gomez said we probably had about a third of all Talents in the entire Union within New Sandusky. Just more concentrated. But when you can provide Talents¡­ things change.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s channel this change. Because we must¡­ What does a Contender do, by the way?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a bit of a strange specialization. It enhances a lot of Talents that go into other specializations. But what is important¡­¡± ¡°¡­ is that I can directly perceive peoples¡¯ levels,¡± the minotaur completed. ¡°You mentioned those,¡± Wexler remembered. ¡°That lets you have more Talents, right?¡± ¡°Among other things. It determines which Talents, which specializations you have access to, and how many Talents you can pick. It¡¯s mostly¡­ based on life experiences. ¡°We think,¡± she added. She had had a direct view of experience while exchanged with Moore, and she¡¯d seen directly Tom¡¯s total jump up as the Warden¡¯s goons had fled. She had debated with Gomez about the source of levels during the expedition. While she didn¡¯t know the exact rules governing access to levels, she thought ¡®life experiences¡¯ was a simple enough explanation, although the underlying system that governed Talents clearly favored conflict for some reason. ¡°So you can help them work,¡± Wexler surmised. ¡°Well, my wife will put her hoof on it, but as I live in Vernon, I can go and help and be home at the end of the day.¡± ¡°Hoof? You don¡¯t have hooves. Or do the women¡­¡± Peter said. ¡°Shh, it¡¯s traditional. Besides, if she hits my ass with her foot, you can¡¯t tell the difference,¡± Kartmann replied. The six of them waited in the Executive¡¯s antechamber while Wexler went on to talk with his office staff. ¡°What happened after you left us at Cheat?¡± Johanna asked. ¡°I told all to Ulrich when he arrived home and said that the prof had gone missing. Everything was fine right until we arrived in Nashville. He went straight to his academy, I think, along with his crates of books for them. He didn¡¯t even go home first. It was early in the day, so I took the long way around the lake, spent the night at the west shore at the station, where I waited for the train. And then four days later, I was home.¡± ¡°So, how did the Adjutant learn about the parchments?¡± ¡°You ask me? No idea,¡± Karmann shrugged. Rather than the Executive¡¯s office, they were finally ushered into a larger meeting room, where half a dozen people were already there. Johanna recognized Katia immediately, and at least two of the men were in what she guessed was the uniform of Independence State Army. ¡°Those are the four?¡± the man she was chatting with asked. ¡°The ones you were trying to track in Yellowstone, yes,¡± Katia half-laughed. ¡°Johanna, may I introduce you to Robert Henley, the head of the intelligence service. He¡¯s the guy keeping tabs on what people outside of the State do¡­ which included ¡®some people¡¯ deserting from Montana¡¯s army after having found some odd skeleton back west.¡± Johanna shook his hand. ¡°We had a report about you four taking refuge among scavengers in the Yellowstone,¡± the man explained. ¡°Katia mentioned that, yes. That was Coby¡¯s place. Another deserter and former scavenger ¨C he had registered residence in the Montana because they were exploiting the same ruins as we did. Only to be taken in the draft, just like we did.¡± ¡°The Warden has expanded the draft. After you deserted, the tribals started to throw everything they could into the offensive, possibly because they feared you¡¯d be coming back.¡± The Executive finished whatever he¡¯d been telling the two military men and moved to the head of the large table, prompting instantly everyone to follow and grab a chair. There was no obvious seating arrangement, so Johanna simply sat, Tom at her side, and looked at Wexler, who was waiting for everyone to sit. ¡°I am assuming this will be only the first of several meetings. But we are having a bit of a pickle. No, scratch that. A big pickle. Like the Fourth War of Unification.¡± ¡°Surely that¡¯s a bit of an exaggeration?¡± one of the soldiers asked. ¡°I wish. Robert?¡± On the Executive¡¯s prompt, the spymaster stood up and started outlining something that Johanna was familiar with. Namely, last year¡¯s mobilization and their incorporation ¨C or rather, Laura¡¯s, as Falter had been deemed the Talent most suitable for a battlefield, with them as bodyguards ¨C into the army. ¡°That was a surprise to everyone,¡± she corrected him as he spoke of the fire ¡®artillery¡¯ that had disrupted the battle. ¡°Including myself.¡± The two generals threw surprised looks at her. She realized only the spymaster had been warned who they actually were. Henley went on to detail the fact that they¡¯d found out about the Skeleton. She had let out enough hints to Elena Worchester for the Sorceress of the Mists to figure out the origins of their anomalous Talents. She realized they might even have dug out information from their families. Then she learned that the Warden¡¯s people had tried to move it. The fact that Moore¡¯s Ancient bones basically blasted people apart if they were not careful enough was a moment of cold sweat. Thankfully, we did not try to disturb him. Or maybe he put those defenses in place once he got our choices, as he says. ¡°It turns out we were looking at the wrong place and worrying about the wrong thing,¡± Henley concluded. Johanna steeled herself for questions, but the spymaster turned to Katia. ¡°Undersecretary Michaelson?¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Katia shuffled a few papers without looking at them before starting. ¡°We began to suspect something when, a few weeks ago, we got a message from the city of Cheat, where a hitherto unknown Changed species established contact, following up an expedition to Washington, DC, on the East Coast.¡± Wait, what? The fact that a group of tiny Changed had followed them to the Library of Congress and discovered about parchments was a massive surprise. They¡¯d never seen them, but then no one had suspected there might be people still living in the gigantic mana zone that covered everything from the Appalachians down to the coast itself. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. And they were asking for help because they were simply surviving, not living. That¡¯s what I wanted the Talent House for. Not quite, but¡­ Katia¡¯s presentation was winding down. Johanna was quite happy. By now, she was getting slightly tired of explaining the circumstances leading to their current predicament yet again. And the Undersecretary was doing a better job summarizing all that for the newcomers. ¡°I can see why you¡¯re talking about the Fourth War,¡± one of the two generals finally said. ¡°Mr. Sengfield said we could face up to 3000 Talented troops. The Warden may have more Talents available, but that¡¯s the core of his army. His veterans, despite the losses, should be enough for that.¡± ¡°Well, not to be disparaging, Executive Wexler, but the standing army of Independence is a bit below those numbers. And they are certainly not to the standard of an army that has fought in that tribal conflict and has Talents.¡± ¡°Well, we are going to remedy at least to the second, aren¡¯t we?¡± Wexler answered, looking at Johanna. It was Ulrich who took over. ¡°We have an expedition already being sent to the East Coast. There is a place with millions of Ancient Books remaining. That¡¯s where we made the parchments that the Warden¡¯s agents got,¡± he explained. ¡°Why the East Coast? There must be plenty of books dating back to the Fall around?¡± ¡°But in large enough quantities to matter?¡± Ulrich countered. ¡°There were a lot of major libraries back then¡­¡± ¡°They were all in Ancient mega-cities, and all those turned into death traps and mana zones. The only one we are sure exists and is relatively intact is the Library of Congress, and that is because the Ancient pointed it to Johanna. I only assume it is actually the best prospect.¡± ¡°And until then?¡± ¡°Well, we¡¯ll have to do with what we¡¯re given.¡± The military compound was just outside Vernon, next to the outermost wall. Johanna felt immediately compelled to compare it to the army barracks in New Benton. Even though they¡¯d only been there once, mostly training within the Warden¡¯s castle, where the military command was headquartered, she could tell it was slightly smaller, but only slightly. The big difference was that it wasn¡¯t the central army compound, like in the Marches of the Montana. Instead, it was the only major military compound. If what the generals in the conference had told her was true, then it represented something like 70% of the State¡¯s military strength. And it didn¡¯t look like it had thousands of soldiers. Maybe twelve hundred, tops. At least they looked like true professionals, she thought as they crossed the barracks area to head into the base commander¡¯s quarters. The barracks in New Benton had been half-filled with people grabbed during the first waves of the draft, like the ones from Valetta. Here, people seemed to work everywhere, looked like they knew what they were doing and why, and she¡¯d spotted training sessions on square fields. She could even hear the sound of a smithy, probably fixing damaged weapons during those training sessions. Kartmann was peering back and forth. Just before they entered the commander¡¯s building, he whispered back to her. ¡°Nothing above six. And even then, it¡¯s only one guy,¡± he replied. ¡°Means less in terms of effective potential, but still.¡± Quality, not quantity, she thought. It was going to be complicated. Then, she steeled herself for yet another meeting. She could tell it was going to be her near future. Meeting upon meeting. And here she thought the meetings for setting up the Talent House were bad. ¡°So, until we get those books, all we have are generalities.¡± ¡°I have a bunch of books, but that¡¯s good enough for demonstration only,¡± Johanna replied. ¡°What bothers me is this¡­ specialization bit. Specializations within the army, I understand, but that¡¯s a bit extreme,¡± one of the generals said. ¡°If you don¡¯t really care about further progression, you have more leeway in how each person will be shaped. You can force qualities to any given level, but that requires a lot of parchments. The Ancient specifically said he¡¯d push for quality, which I take to mean that, say, each Fixer will have different Talents. There is a minimum core that you can probably count on, but I can¡¯t guarantee every one of them gets First Aid.¡± ¡°And you say that is the most important of your Talent set?¡± ¡°So far, we think so,¡± Laura answered for her. ¡°There are other Talents that might be applicable, based on the names, like Trauma or Treat, but they¡¯re all very high-level and demanding, and we have no one who knows about these. But that¡¯s moot; Moore, of course, knows what each Talent does. And besides, all Fixer specializations have at least a basic proficiency in various ways of healing people in the field. Well, almost all.¡± ¡°Almost?¡± ¡°When Moore made a Talent set for the Undersecretary, he didn¡¯t include healing. She didn¡¯t need that,¡± Johanna said. ¡°It feels so¡­ arbitrary,¡± another officer said. ¡°Not everyone has easy access to everything. You have to work around it.¡± ¡°You spoke a demonstration. Can we arrange for one?¡± Even with the Executive¡¯s sanction, Johanna could tell the army¡¯s staff was still dubitative about the perspective of Talents. ¡°Yes, but as I said earlier, each time we consume part of the books. I have some at the Executive mansion, and that¡¯s enough for two, maybe three people.¡± ¡°Do they have to be your books?¡± ¡°Well, it must be Ancient books. Anything that was made prior to the Fall and is still reasonably intact.¡± The other officers all turned as one toward one general, and Johanna blinked. ¡°I don¡¯t have that many originals¡­¡± he started defensively. ¡°And they¡¯re going to be burned or something?¡± ¡°Converted,¡± Johanna said, contemplating the stack of books. General Finley Sharpe was a fan of old-time military books. He had a large and extensive collection of all sorts of editions, but he also had over fifteen original Ancient books. Most of them were small and thin, though. She guessed military treatises did not wander around the bush like a good fantasy series and went straight to the expos¨¦ instead. The only thing that broke the mold was titled The Campaigns of Alexander, and she briefly wondered who Alexander was. ¡°Well¡­ I hope the executive will reimburse me¡­ I will have to purchase those in reprints, I presume,¡± General Sharpe suddenly realized. ¡°If Ancient books can be converted into Talents, there is no way they¡¯ll stay in circulation,¡± his colleague noted. ¡°So, who wants to¡­¡± Johanna asked. ¡°Soldiers. As tempting as it is for me to get Talents somehow, we need to start the ball rolling until you have your stock delivered.¡± Johanna nodded, and the officer elaborated. ¡°You said one factor in the Warden¡¯s agents failing was improper training. We¡¯ll need you to train some soldiers in how to use Talents best, and they¡¯ll train the rest once we get those Talents, and so on.¡± ¡°Back when we were drafted, they assumed we¡¯d know how to use what we had. They just brainstormed on their own how to apply the force best.¡± She was forced to admit, ¡°They also had better ideas than me. Thinking of Laura as a Saint made me skip over her offensive capacities¡­ which I think we will have to demonstrate. Elena knew better then, and I¡¯ve learned more. We¡¯ve learned more.¡± An hour later, the four of them along with Kartmann and Ulrich were back in the conference room, with the table moved slightly aside, and twenty soldiers lined up. ¡°That¡¯s one of our sections. All veterans, some of them even went to assist the Marches of the South. There¡¯s usually sometimes minor scuffles flaring along the border with Aztlan, and they helped on skirmishes there.¡± Johanna looked at Kartmann, who nodded back before she turned back to address the troopers. ¡°Kartmann will basically sort you into potential Talent pool order. As we have only a limited pick, we can¡¯t get Talents for everyone. We should be able to make a full squad, but that¡¯s going to be seen. Julian?¡± The minotaur announced, ¡°No sixes, but four fives. Only one three; the rest are all at four.¡± ¡°Whatever that means,¡± she heard one of the soldiers mutter. ¡°Basically, it means four of you are possibly slightly ahead in terms of possible Talents. We¡¯ll do you four first, then.¡± The four identified as level five lined up, and she simply shook the hand of the first before he sat in front of her. She remembered that Moore¡¯s view only included the level and specialization, but apparently, once she touched someone, he could know enough to do more. She then placed her hand on one of the largest volumes. As usual, everyone goggled when the lights started to swirl from the book through her hand. Moore had still in mind the drafted plans the military had gone over for making squads on their blackboard. Unsurprisingly, it matched balanced adventurer teams: a pair of frontline melee fighters, three range, and one heal. They hoped to repeat the pattern into a larger formation. Unfortunately, he could tell this was going to be harder to achieve the exact ratio. But since it was about raising troops for the upcoming war, he could work around that, squeeze what he could out of each candidate. The first soldier was trivially easy. He could even have raised him to level 7, if he did not have to improve all stats as well.
Hugo Alexander Phillips Male human, 29 years, 3 months
Unspecialized (corporal) Level: 5 (8,000 XP needed) 5 unallocated skill points XP: 22,891
STR: 16 AUT: 18 (3000 XP needed)
AGI: 15 PER: 15 (2000 XP needed)
DEX: 15 EMP: 15
¡°Welcome to the rank of Sorcerers, Metal Shaper Phillips,¡± Johanna said when the conversion concluded. Ulrich silently pushed the finalized record sheet to the officers, who had been looking very curiously. ¡°One of our highest levels has a lot of those. Metal Skin is defensive, while¡­¡± The general raised his hand to interrupt him. ¡°Later. When we¡¯ve got that squad going.¡± ¡°So, five people total.¡± ¡°Your books were not enough for more,¡± Johanna replied. ¡°Still, that¡¯s good. All of them to level 6, but five Talents. With a Combat Fixer, even. That¡¯s a solid core.¡± The officer looked at the remnants of his book collection. ¡°Can you rebind¡­?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t work. We tried it, and it didn¡¯t work, even by picking intact pages. It¡¯s like a book that is not in a good enough shape, Moore can¡¯t use those. The biggest difference is re-backed books; those work as long as the original pages are still together, possibly with the original binding. What next?¡± ¡°Next, you start training those five in how to use those Talents.¡± ¡°Until the expedition brings more, that¡¯s all we have to start.¡± B3.10 - Supply Line Miles looked at the letter, freshly arrived from New Sandusky. His own letter detailing the Mooneyed¡¯s hopes and offers had to have crossed this one. Someone isn¡¯t going to be pleased, he realized. Several someones. ¡°What?¡± ¡°People are coming from the headquarters because things have taken an unexpected turn,¡± he announced to Monica. The tiny Mooneyed looked at him oddly. ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°The Talent House ¨C its leadership ¨C has enemies, apparently, and they¡¯ve struck at us. I¡¯m afraid the store of parchments we might have been counting on has been lost. Instead, we have people ¨C the same ones you saw, actually ¨C coming for another run at Washington to replace those, hopefully without too many winter problems.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good, right? The four who make the parchments will be able to help immediately.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think these ones are coming. I¡¯ll have more details when Petra arrives. Which shouldn¡¯t be long now.¡± ¡°Hey, Miles!¡± the former bartender yelled from atop the first wagon. ¡°Didn¡¯t expect to see you that soon. Hello Cameron,¡± he replied, waving at the other scavenger driving the next wagon. ¡°I don¡¯t see Madelynn?¡± ¡°Family problems. I didn¡¯t inquire, she seemed pissed. The Fosters are also not there, and only Jackson signed up. That means we are somewhat understrength and only have one Fixer, Ignacio¡­¡± Petra¡¯s voice trailed as she spotted the tiny figure next to Miles. ¡°Hey, I recognize you. You were one of the ones that went all the into the ruins with that small group,¡± Monica Silver said. ¡°What the?¡­¡± ¡°So, we had three of you shadowing us during the whole time,¡± Petra concluded as they walked into town, the two half-empty wagons following. ¡°Yes. I mean, it was a shock for everyone. No one seemed to have survived the Fall outside of the Camp, at least for a hundred miles around. There had been two far-ranging expeditions last century, but no one ever heard back from them. Apparently, they didn¡¯t make it out of the zone. And then, out of nowhere, suddenly two wagons full of Tallers, people who didn¡¯t seem to have been Changed like the Mooneyed.¡± ¡°I bet it was a surprise.¡± ¡°The elders at the Camp wanted to know why you were there. Then we found out you had mount-skills.¡± ¡°And then you stole them. Johanna is going to be pissed when she learns of this. First the Montana, then a Changed city¡­¡± ¡°She¡¯s not there, too. I¡¯d have hoped¡­¡± Miles noted. ¡°No. She¡¯s got Ulrich with her; they left for the state capital post-haste, and Ulrich dropped on me to organize everything of this emergency run. Not quite what I signed for back in the Dakota.¡± ¡°Life rarely does that. Especially when an Ancient gets involved.¡± Petra sighed in reply. But Monica seemed intrigued at this talk of an Ancient. When she spotted the furry menace, Petra instantly and reflexively covered her arms with her signature stone spikes. Miles immediately raised his hand and put it on her arm to stop her. ¡°Can someone explain to me why there is a¡­ Changed beast in the middle of the town?¡± Said Changed beast was rising from its prone position, lips retracting to show teeth. Surprisingly enough, it didn¡¯t growl or anything. ¡°Remember Monica talking about mount-skills?¡± Miles replied. ¡°Wait, this is a ¡®mount¡¯?¡± ¡°It is.¡± Monica had moved to interpose herself between Petra and her Canid. ¡°That¡¯s Mists. We¡¯ve been together for the last six years and three years as a fully awakened mount.¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. She snorted. ¡°And he has way more mount-skills than you do.¡± Petra looked at the Canid who was very pointedly watching her, then at Miles. ¡°They fed parchments to their mounts. Yes, it does work. And yes, they don¡¯t seem to have a limit or requirements.¡± It took a few more minutes to explain everything as Monica kept Mists from acting up. The Canid kept a careful watch on Petra, having recognized hostile intent immediately. ¡°Our ancestors had a few of them. They were already guards and help, and when the storm came and everyone became Mooneyed, all the mounts turned into giant beasts, almost all with mount-skills. The ancestor of my line had his friend turn into an awakened fire mount.¡± ¡°All of them are descended from the originals?¡± ¡°Yes. Some ancestors feared the mounts would become ¡®inbred¡¯ or something, but they have all been fine. When they get of age, we both go into one of the valleys of awakening, where the forest turns even stranger than anywhere else. It can take weeks, but eventually, they gain their mount-skill. Mists here got a breath that spread fog all around. Very good to lose some beast if it decides to hunt us while on patrol.¡± Petra was still looking dubiously at the four-and-a-half-foot-tall beast. ¡°And, of course, now he has all kinds of additional abilities.¡± ¡°Including four just in Empathy,¡± Miles noted. Petra looked at him incredulously again, but before Miles could elaborate, he spotted the two persons approaching them. ¡°Petra, let me introduce you to Mayor Mansfield and Ambassador Versant. Sirs, here¡¯s Petra Veldhuis, from headquarters.¡± ¡°Mr. Bertram told us you had¡­ problems?¡± the Mayor asked. Petra sighed and started to explain again. ¡°So, that is why Katia was all bothered while I was briefed by the Executive,¡± Versant noted. ¡°She¡¯d found about the House¡­ but too late, it seems.¡± ¡°You¡¯d heard about Professor Gomez disappearing, you mean?¡± Petra asked. ¡°She barged in as I was getting the negotiation framework from Executive Wexler, and yes, she had one of the House¡¯s parchments. Or, I think, of that Professor¡¯s.¡± ¡°In any case, that¡¯s why we have to put the Talent House¡¯s offers on hold, Mr. Mansfield. First, we have to get back some supply to make more, and I got orders to ship them to Vernon post haste,¡± she apologized. Petra noted Monica¡¯s face. But there was little she could do about it. ¡°Speaking of which, Miles¡­ we have to get moving. And it looks like your job is being canceled for the time. We¡¯re understrength, and I can use a Metal Master, especially one like you.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s my turn for apologies too, Mr. Mayor, but best plans, and all that.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s a hell of a bait and switch, I must admit.¡± Miles shrugged. ¡°It is what it is. So, how hard are we this time?¡± he said, turning toward Petra. ¡°We were lucky that, when we came this summer, no one wanted to lease us anything and Johanna had purchased the two teams. Thankfully, no one was leasing the wagons or oxen, so we had them ready to go. We¡¯re looking at two and a half crates per wagon¡­ say seven or eight thousand books per wagon, fifteen thousand total. We¡¯re to take the thickest and smallest books we can find.¡± Miles frowned. ¡°Ulrich¡¯s instructions. Apparently, the size or thickness of the book did not matter for conversion, only the number of pages. So, small books, not the big ones like Gomez stuffed in his crate.¡± He nodded back. ¡°The only problem is that we have fewer people. We have only one of the original drivers who took Talents, Cameron and the team, and Jackson. I would have loved to have all of the originals, but we¡¯ll have to take the risk. The first expedition went well, but who knows?¡± ¡°I may have a temporary solution,¡± Miles said. Petra raised an eyebrow. ¡°I have thirty specializations and sets.¡± ¡°You what?¡± Everyone else focused on him. ¡°That was one of the schemes we discussed for branches, notably ones that might be as needed as Cheat. Always have several sets on hand ready for immediate reinforcement. So, I have one of each intermediate specialization, with basic sets and options based on what you actually get as your primary qualities. I was keeping that quiet until we agreed on terms, but¡­¡± ¡°So, you can make at least an additional team if we have volunteers in Cheat.¡± ¡°The question is, do we have time to find them? Can you spare some of your guards?¡± Miles asked Mayor Mansfield. ¡°Well, no. There¡¯s been more bands of Canids spotted recently and¡­¡± ¡°And we can volunteer,¡± Monica interrupted. The humans looked at her. ¡°You said the elders in Vernon agree in theory that we can migrate if we want to,¡± she told Versant. ¡°Relocate near Cheat or even further away. But to do so safely, to evacuate the camp¡­¡± ¡°You need solid protection. You said there were nearly two hundred people there.¡± ¡°That kind of movement attracts attention. Most Beasts tend to avoid large groups, but Great Beasts ¨C those with skills like mounts ¨C tend to be offended by groups.¡± ¡°We could protect you¡­¡± Miles offered. ¡°But that¡¯s not your priority, right?¡± the Mooneyed scout countered. ¡°You have to do your expedition first. Well, you need to return to that city beyond the camp, but once you are there, you can¡¯t make parchments by yourself, so we¡¯d have to wait. And you need more people to help.¡± ¡°Wait a minute,¡± the Mayor said. ¡°Those Talent things are intended for Cheat, right?¡± ¡°That was the plan when I left New Sandusky. But as you¡¯re aware, the plan changed,¡± Miles said. The discussion immediately degenerated. The Mayor, having been baited twice, was starting to get quite angry at both Miles and Monica. Finally, Versant had to intervene. ¡°Mr. Mansfield, the government priority is, fairly obviously, getting these Ancient books. If what Katia told Ms. Veldhuis is true, then the safety of the State requires that. Now, you said you had thirty sets, Mr. Bertram? Do you need 30 more people?¡± ¡°Well, probably no. Although if the Mooneyed need their own empowered scouts¡­¡± ¡°We do,¡± Monica injected. ¡°Then, let¡¯s say you use 20 of the sets for the Mooneyed¡¯s scouts. That leaves you with 10 for Cheat,¡± Versant said. ¡°Yes, but until we do tests, we don¡¯t know which specialization will be available for whom. How many scouts do you have?¡± ¡°We have 28 active scouts. Including me and the two others who already got mount-skills before.¡± ¡°So, there will likely be overlap in best specialization, but with only one copy available. And you have way more people around Cheat; some might be interested in becoming guards if they get Talents to help them. So whatever sets remain could find people that can use them here.¡± The Mayor looked as if he was going to object again, but Versant cut him. ¡°That settles it. And in the worst case, well, the government will help the Talent House in making sure Cheat gets the top priority¡­ after the crisis is over.¡± The ambassador looked at all present, then nodded in approval. ¡°Good. Now I¡¯m going to get my bags from the inn.¡± ¡°You¡¯re leaving?¡± Mansfield asked. The ambassador stopped. ¡°Why, of course? I was assigned to negotiate with the Mooneyed, and it looks like I might be able actually to talk to the¡­ elders¡­ in charge, not go with Ms Silver¡¯s proxy. And I get a full escort. Assuming there¡¯s enough room in your chariot, Miss?¡± ¡°There should be. Most of us are used to walking long distances ¨C that¡¯s what scavengers are good at, apparently.¡± ¡°Well, this promises to be a legendary caravan.¡± B3.11 - Drill Sergeant Talent makes for Talent. Wisdom of the Ancients, Book 3. ¡°The first thing you need to know is that you¡¯ve got limits,¡± Johanna started. They¡¯d spent the next hour reorganizing one of the training fields that were next to the army compound, outside of the city walls. Most notably, she¡¯d ordered a few targets set at regular intervals, mainly to figure out the exact range of the squad¡¯s Talents. Gomez had been supposed to work on figuring out the formulas for those, but after a short peek at Moore¡¯s view during the Exchange, she had a pretty good idea of how those could be calculated, even if she did not know all of the formulas¡¯ details. ¡°Each of you has got a pool of energies that fuel the Talents you just got. It replenishes over time,¡± she added. She could see at least two plumes of mana coming in for the Metal Shaper and Combat Fixer. They probably wouldn¡¯t fill in their mana pools until later. The other three were all Heroes, and she couldn¡¯t perceive stamina. ¡°That¡¯s crucial. If you empty that pool, you¡¯re losing access to your Talents. You keep any passive aspects, but anything active is unavailable. You do not want to run on empty. Besides, you feel it ¡ª a kind of tiredness that¡¯s slightly different but still tired. ¡°You¡¯ve just gained Talents, so you started with empty pools, and they haven¡¯t had time to refill fully. So we are going to run you against your limit. We¡¯ll do that once, so you know how that feels, but after that, always try to pace yourself.¡± She kept expecting questions, but she guessed soldiers wouldn¡¯t dare ask questions unless prompted. ¡°The next thing is that each of you has received different Talents. All of these, I roughly know what they actually do, save for one, Hard Target. Which of you is that?¡± One of the five raised his hand. ¡°You¡¯re a Ranger, right. It is going to be something that helps¡­ well, targeting someone. Or something. How good are you with bows?¡± The soldier hesitated. ¡°I¡¯m not taking offense. Back in New Sandusky, I had one guard who got Ranger who actually had never fired a bow before.¡± ¡°All of us are spear infantry, actually,¡± he confessed. ¡°Well, for three of you, that will no longer be the case. Ranger is a specialization that works best with the bow. And Metal Shaper Philips has a mix of defensive Talents and offensive ones¡­¡± She looked up, gauging the cloud ceiling. It wasn¡¯t very high. The clouds did not look like they were announcing rain, but they were still heavy and low. She smiled. ¡°Corporal Philips can do that at will?¡± the general asked. ¡°It¡¯s extremely consuming in terms of mana, especially if the clouds are high. I wasn¡¯t sure if he could pull it out, actually. And you can¡¯t use it without clouds around. But when the circumstances are right¡­¡± The rest of the squad alternated between looking at their fellow soldier and the smoking and burning target. The bolt of lightning plunging into the wood mannequin had ignited the hard oak almost instantly, ejecting pieces of the target around. She started toward the wood figure, beckoning the squad. Once she arrived next to it, she grabbed a burning branch, ensuring she didn¡¯t expose her jacket. ¡°Come here, Philips.¡± The Metal Shaper looked at the burning stick. ¡°You¡¯re not¡­¡± ¡°Take it.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Just take it.¡± She grabbed his hand and before he could snatch it back, shoved the branch in it. The soldier reflexively forced her hand open, dropping the branch. ¡°Pick it back. You have Heat Wave, which makes you immune, at least partially, to heat and fire.¡± The soldier looked at her dubiously but then slowly bent down and reached for the burning ember. ¡°Did it feel burning when I put it in your hands?¡± ¡°No¡­¡± he said as he gingerly picked the branch. Philips frowned, turning the crackling wood in his hand. ¡°See. If it were a campfire, it would probably start to feel hot after a while. But you¡¯re now mostly immune to fire. And cold, thanks to Chill Metal. You can get outside under snow with your bare back, and feel nothing, and no frostburn. It will take real cold to affect you. I wish at times I had that immunity.¡± ¡°That¡¯s specific to Philips?¡± an officer asked. ¡°Yes. As I told you, each Talent set does different things. If Philips didn¡¯t have Heat Wave, he wouldn¡¯t get the heat immunity that he has.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never seen the like.¡± She laughed. Because besides Miles, she could guess where this very Talent had already been used. ¡°When I was in New Benton, we¡¯d learned how the Warden lost his hand to a tribal sorcerer chieftain, who called ¡®divine wrath¡¯ on him. He managed, by pure luck, to dodge, and his hand was merely burned to a near crisp instead of all of him. Well, that was that one instance.¡± Things got slowly in place. Johanna focused on the squad¡¯s Metal Shaper, while Laura had started to demonstrate healing abilities for the Combat Fixer. The first time Combat Fixer Roald teleported across thirty feet to where Tom had nicked his hand, everyone fell silent. ¡°That¡¯s why this Talent is important,¡± Laura explained. ¡°When you have one in your squad that is wounded, not only will he know ¨C you felt it, right? ¨C but he can be there instantaneously.¡± ¡°That¡¯s insane,¡± one general muttered. ¡°Now you see why fighting with Talented differs from anything anyone¡¯s ever done. And why each squad will be different, because some Fixer specializations may have that Talent, but not at the same magnitude as a Combat or Fast Fixer. There is a range for every Talent, and not everyone has the same one. In theory, even with the same specialization,¡± Johanna said. ¡°How do we know, then?¡± ¡°You practice. That¡¯s why we have those targets with distances. So that you know, and your team knows.¡± She moved to the edge of the firing range. The targets were pretty much the same as a bow range. Once the quartermaster had explained the options, they¡¯d mixed the classic circular targets with strawmen with vital areas painted. A Burning Orb materialized two feet in front of one of the targets. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°That¡¯s my range for this Talent. I can make that orb anywhere between there and where I am, as long as there is a foot and a half of distance from anything. And for some reason, four and a half over the ground. However¡­¡± She started walking back. ¡°I can leave it there and move anywhere. And it will burn as long as I have mana to fuel it. Handy as an obstacle or trap, notably if your enemy is trying to charge you. It¡¯s also fairly high level, so none of you have it, but later, maybe¡­¡± ¡°How long?¡± Corporal Philips asked, having moved to see the range. ¡°A bit under 6 hours. I can make a second, but it cuts the time in two because, remember, you¡¯re expending mana sustaining your Talents. Twice the Talents, half the endurance.¡± She relaxed her mental muscle, and the orb vanished. ¡°However, that¡¯s the range for a Burning Orb. Now¡­¡± She raised her hand and flexed. A ball of fire appeared next to her palm and ran straight. Just before it reached the end of the range, it suddenly puffed, leaving a brief flash of light, then nothing, not even a burst of smoke. She¡¯d deliberately avoided to aim for a target. There was no sense in blowing them all on the first day. And besides¡­ ¡°That¡¯s the edge of my range for Fireball. As you see, it is a lot longer. The Talent dissipated at that range. But if I aim at something, it will blow up when it reaches that. It''s not as destructive as Philips, but then, I can fire a hundred of those in quick succession if needed. A Metal Shaper can get between a couple and half a dozen, depending on the cloud cover, and that¡¯s it.¡± ¡°And after a hundred, you¡¯re out of mana,¡± the Ranger said. ¡°And I only have my fire immunity passive and the fact that I can hold my breath a lot better than anyone else. You¡¯ve been listening.¡± ¡°Do I have mana too?¡± ¡°No. Your Talents are linked to a different¡­ energy. Called stamina. But otherwise, it¡¯s the same thing. You expend stamina when you use your Talents, and when you¡¯re out, they don¡¯t work for a short while, then intermittently. It takes a full night to recover.¡± ¡°Meaning I need to sleep longer?¡± She noted the eager stare of the five newly Talented and laughed. ¡°No. You just have not to use anything for, probably eight or ten hours in your case. You can cook, do chores, walk ten miles, read books, or, yes, sleep. It¡¯s just resting your Talents. It¡¯s way worse at my level; I can pump more, but I need almost an entire day of ¡®rest¡¯ to fully restore my reserves.¡± ¡°It seems you¡¯re used to that training thing,¡± General Sharpe commented. The officers had come to listen to her instruction, highly interested in learning even if they were not themselves directly concerned. ¡°We had been spending almost two months in New Sandusky designing some form of training for newly Talented, starting with the guard there.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°But the goal was mainly to train people to fight Changed beasts. The next part, now¡­¡± There were lines to delimitate the edges of the battlefield. She¡¯d insisted that anyone going outside would immediately stop and be considered ¡°having retreated¡±, to avoid risk to the number of people that were watching. Although some soldiers had tried to come, having seen from a distance the weirdness that accompanied some Talents ¨C a lightning bolt plunging out of a cloud in the middle of the Army compounds was definitively not standard ¨C they¡¯d been rebuffed. But there were the rest of the original squad selection, plus half a dozen various officers and the general staff. Since there were five soldiers on one side, she¡¯d turned toward Ulrich and Kartmann. Who had both repeatedly downplayed the worth of their presence in the exercise. ¡°They¡¯re not going to face basic Talented like we are. The Warden has no way to make consistent builds, so they will face all sorts of different specializations. Besides, five against five.¡± The two old scavengers looked at each other. Unsaid words were exchanged before the minotaur abruptly threw his hands up. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll do it.¡± Johanna remembered somewhat how odd the Contender specialization worked, and notably which Talents the minotaur had picked quite unknowingly, without the Gomez list. Defensive and offensive and disruptive. Interrupt, he knew, disabled Talents for a brief while. He would be relatively immune to the two melee soldiers with the help of Block and Deflect¡­ The minotaur, of course, picked a training axe. ¡°Take a real one,¡± she told him. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Unless you cut limbs with it, Laura can fix that after the fight. Everyone, real weapons, please.¡± The looks of dismay from everyone, including the spectators, were evident. ¡°It¡¯s not going to last long; even with the break, the army side won¡¯t have much resources. Laura will have enough to deal with whatever Private¡­ Roald? Private Roald can¡¯t deal with.¡± It took a little while, but the mockup combat was finally set. Before they started, Johanna had a final word. ¡°Everyone is going to make mistakes. If you¡¯re hit and think this is bad, just play dead. Until Roald heals you, if he does, or until the end. Now¡­ on my mark¡­¡± A fraction of a second after go, she realized that military training did work. The five immediately charged toward them without the slightest hesitation. She realized none of them had yet realized that Peter was nowhere to be seen ¨C even by her ¨C and was probably positioning himself for maximum surprise. He didn¡¯t have his Swordcutter because that was far too much for training, but he would probably cause chaos. She threw a Burning Orb just in front of the charging Swordbringer ¨C who had picked a spear despite his specialization name ¨C and immediately moved closer, offering herself as bait. To his credit, the soldier dodged the sudden obstacle. She noted that Philips had a frown. No doubt the Metal Shaper had tried Call Lightning, but he didn¡¯t have quite enough mana for another one, as he was just realizing. The clouds had cleared some, and the cost of using that Talent was rising fast. The Ranger, who looked awkward with his bow, was the first to get tricked. Peter didn¡¯t bother with a weapon; he simply hit with his fist on the would-be bowman¡¯s face. The soldier, to his credit, barely flinched. He dropped his bow and reached for the sword at his side. The sword wasn¡¯t there anymore. It was in Peter¡¯s hand, or rather fist. The soldier didn¡¯t have time to do anything beyond reacting before Peter hit him again, knocking him up as his Talents ensured his aim was true. Then Johanna had to focus back on the front as the soldiers were reaching her. She didn¡¯t hesitate, and a Cinder Circle rose, heat waves rising. Just in front of them. They didn¡¯t have much time to try to react and try to jump over the burning ash. A blur made it for the rightmost soldier, and Tom hit him in the face, just like Peter. He hadn¡¯t picked a real weapon ¨C this was way too dangerous. Unlike mundane, lower-case ¡®t¡¯, talents, it was extremely hard to reduce the magnitude of a Talent. She was unable to modulate her flaming hand or reduce the diameter of the cinder circle or the size of the orbs. Everything went from zero to maximum. In the case of Tom, as soon as he mentally decided someone was an enemy, and thus he could rush him, he was also going to hit him with whatever multiplier his Talent brought. He had to make sure he was barely hitting not to break skulls. His target was thrown to the ground, and she didn¡¯t wait to see as she threw another Orb in the path of the incoming soldier, dismissing the old one. She saw him dodge weirdly and realized he was the Swordbringer, and he had a Talent to avoid such ¡°attacks¡±. But before the man could re-aim, he found himself tackling an axe. In Julian Kartmann¡¯s hand, it looked smaller than it actually was, but the Contender deflected the spear, making the soldier frown as he realized the minotaur shouldn¡¯t have been able to deflect the spear the way he¡¯d moved. He pulled and speared against the tall enemy, and Kartmann put his axe in front of the incoming move, its flat side abruptly blocking the spear move and only slightly backing. The soldier was already trying to hit again when Kartmann sliced. The Swordbringer dodged again, but the axe¡¯s edge threw him. He was trying to spear again when he got kneed from behind. He tried to look behind and was surprised at Laura¡¯s presence as she backed up. He was trying to react when the minotaur¡¯s axe swept again, just twisting at the last moment to avoid cutting out his arm. But the spear was thrown out. The man hesitated for something like half a second, then let himself drop. Johanna looked back and realized the battlefield was almost wound down. Corporal Philips had tried to use his Metal Skin, she noted, but it was only partial protection, and Peter had managed to cut him, letting very red blood flow over the silvery skin. The Ranger was on the ground, his eyes rolled up in what looked like disgust rather than shock, and the Combat Fixer was trying to dodge Tom. The man hadn¡¯t realized he could instantly teleport out of the path, with multiple people wounded on the field. To be fair, that took a different mindset. They¡¯d discussed it during their journey, but Laura using it when the Adjutant¡¯s goon had come for her and Peter was¡­ edifying, in terms of potential. She crossed her arms, which she knew was supposed to be the sign of stopping everything, and had to shout immediately to attract attention. ¡°We¡¯re done.¡± ¡°That was terrifying,¡± the first officer to reach the battlefield said. ¡°And also, pathetic.¡± ¡°Honestly, I think it was good. For people who barely got their Talents. You didn¡¯t get the briefing at the Executive House, but essentially, the only way we got away with 5-on-2 advantage by the Adjutant¡¯s agents was that they were barely better than this brand new team. And a direct intervention by the Ancient.¡± The soldiers were picking themselves up as the two Combat Fixers were starting to fix the wounds, which were mostly ¡°surface¡±. If you could count bruised bones as surface wounds. Private Roald couldn¡¯t do anything about that, but Laura could. ¡°I apologize. I didn¡¯t think it would be that way. But tomorrow¡­¡± she paused for effect. ¡°Tomorrow, you will have more resources available. And some time to reflect on what happened.¡± ¡°Wait, we¡¯re doing this again tomorrow?¡± She looked at the general next to her, who nodded. ¡°I think we have. But think about it. When we make additional Talented, it will be you who molest them that way.¡± She heard laughs and realized the rest of the original squad, who were presumably the next ones to get Talents, had been there to watch¡­ and learn. General Sharpe was not looking amused, although she caught an approving nod. ¡°If that¡¯s how Talented armies face each other, it¡¯s against every military tenet.¡± ¡°The idea is that we are like them, not like our soldiers right now¡±, another added, waving at the four. Sharpe looked at his colleague and sighed. ¡°And it is Talented against Talented. I can¡¯t imagine how an army that can¡¯t match Talents will fare.¡± B3.12 - Talent War (We have) no permanent friends or enemies, only interests. Pre-Fall diplomat ¡°No, I will not arbitrarily designate people for the draft,¡± the Countess of the Rocastle Demesnes told the captain. Before Captain Hodges could start objecting, she cut him short. ¡°Last year, when you called that first draft, I called for volunteers. And I had enough to fill New Benton¡¯s quota. So, do you object to my way of doing things?¡± ¡°There is no¡­¡± The annoying woman simply waved Hodges¡¯s concerns with a flick. ¡°The Rocastle Demesnes are not what you¡¯d call an exciting and full of wondrous prospects place. What they have is plenty of Fourth and Fifth, for which the prospect of moving west is attractive. As long as they are fairly confident that their lives aren¡¯t going to be wasted but used to defend their country? That¡¯s usually good. For enough of them.¡± Hodges doubted that very much. Anyone interested in that would have had ample opportunity to join ¨C the army had started expanding its efforts to recruit when the northern barbarians had attacked, and placards extolling the virtue of the military profession and how it was open to anyone had been sent to all parts of the Marches, no matter how remote. Come to think of it, he hadn¡¯t seen any of those. They were usually at least plastered on the town hall, even if everyone ignored them. But the Countess seemed to have ¡°lost¡± them. They weren¡¯t on the manor that was her seat of command for the town nor on the single inn that his small company was using. Didn¡¯t she know she had a legal obligation in those matters? In any case, he had more to ask. ¡°In addition, there have been rumors¡­ of there being Talented people here. My superiors have made very clear that anyone exhibiting a Talent is to be included in the draft unless they qualify on the automatic exemption clauses. The army had four Talented draftees last year, and they almost single-handedly broke the tribals¡¯ offensive. People like the Sorceress of the Mists are the reason the Marches are still standing, countess. So, any local Talent must be included in the draft pool, ¡®volunteer¡¯ not-withstanding. That is now a non-negotiable policy.¡± The woman, far from repentant, looked at him with a¡­ smirk? It couldn¡¯t be a smirk, could it be? ¡°And what happened to those Talented, captain?¡± She must have heard something. New Benton had tried to censor the news, but things had leaked in the foreign press if nowhere else. Someone from general staff speaking too fast, he¡¯d heard. And the Demesnes were three days away from the frontier, after all. ¡°They were lost,¡± was all he admitted. ¡°Hardly something that I would recommend to a local Talent, then. If there were any to be had. If you are chasing rumors, you are wasting your time, captain.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not waste ours then. You have your papers, and I have a quota of draftees to get. If you can get ¡®volunteers¡¯, then so be it. If not, I have my orders. By your leave?¡± The Countess Rocastle nodded regally. It half seemed as if she thought herself the Warden instead of Maistry. Hodges was heavily tempted to stomp and leave boot marks as he departed, but the wood felt extremely dense under his feet. He wouldn¡¯t be surprised if it came from the mana zone¡¯s forests instead of genuine wood. After all, this little pile of¡­ something of a town exported timber, he¡¯d been told, wood which was plentiful everywhere usually. She wouldn¡¯t sell much if it were just the same wood as everywhere else. I give her two weeks. Two. Besides, it will be rest and recreation before the month-long trip back, he decided, and he warranted such. He threw a last look behind him, spotting the countess and one of her guardsmen watching them depart. She was still mashing that weird-looking ball, which she¡¯d called a ¡°stress ball¡±. She¡¯d claimed it was an Ancient salvage item that helped with hand problems, early arthritis. Hodges didn¡¯t feel bad for her in any way. I wonder how things are doing back in New Benton? When he¡¯d left for this mission, things were¡­ not okay. Barring the Warden pulling out a secret team of sorcerers to replace the deserters, the draft was sorely needed. ¡°You almost insulted him to his face,¡± Valentin, her guard ¨C and fellow Talented ¨C told her. ¡°Almost is the right word. It was obvious he thinks very little of my domain as if we¡¯re too backward to even notice. What do you think? Level 10?¡± ¡°Seems correct. Above anyone¡¯s around the Demesnes, and level 9 is the highest I¡¯ve ever spotted.¡± Valentin may have had the intrinsic Talent to perceive those levels, but Catherine Rocastle had a way to cheat. Her Metal Sense had led her to what she initially thought was a potential mine, and had turned into a buried metal coffin. Hundreds of feet of metal, with old skeletons in there, dating obviously from the Fall. How it had ended buried in her backyard, with everyone still inside, that was a bit of a mystery. Some Changestorm. But the coffin was a trove of Artifacts. The Changestorm had presumably infused the Ancient items, turning an ungodly amount into magically imbued items. Not many in the location where they¡¯d found the old bones, but more in the containers below them that held a trove of Ancient goods, in relatively good condition. The smooth ball she¡¯d picked from one of the deceased was the weirdest. Depending on whether she had the yellow or blue in her palm, she could either see levels like Valentin, or mana, which let her distinguish Artifacts from simple Ancient items. Or, in one case, that level 5 lumberjack who had a mana plume coming out of his shoulders. After interrogation, he admitted that cuts and little nicks when he worked healed fast, but that was it. And without the help of her Sphere of Seeing, no one, least himself, would think of it as odd. That wasn¡¯t the only one. She also wore Bracelets of Truth, just in case, and the nice captain had not noticed that her shoes, under the robe, were not quite modern. In addition to the protection against cold they provided, all she had to do was stomp her heels, and they poured heavy fogs to rival the Sorceress of the Mists¡¯ own, or she thought. Fogwalkers, she called them. Thankfully, they were almost exactly of her size, even if a bit too high-heeled for her tastes. All the other Artifacts in her hoards ¨C plural, she didn¡¯t trust putting all the eggs in the same basket ¨C were way more conspicuous. The ball was already too close. ¡°Someone talked,¡± she noted. ¡°It was bound to happen. People see Artifacts doing stuff, and if they don¡¯t know, they think it is a Talent,¡± Valentin said. ¡°There¡¯s a delicious proverb from before the Fall. Three people can keep a secret¡­¡± ¡°¡­ if two of them are dead. It¡¯s also quite modern. And I¡¯ll pass.¡± She snorted. ¡°In any case, Captain Hodges doesn¡¯t have any tangible information. If he knew, instead of hearing rumors about people doing things, I¡¯m pretty sure the Senate in New Benton would have passed a law saying that Artifacts are a state possession, and they¡¯d have come to seize them. With more than twenty soldiers.¡± ¡°So, he¡¯s just after draftees.¡± She nodded. ¡°What if you don¡¯t have enough volunteers?¡± The smile vanished. ¡°If we pull out the Artifacts and equip the guard, they have no chance,¡± Valentin said. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°Oh, no doubt. And then, when they don¡¯t show up, they send more soldiers, ¡®just in case¡¯. At one point, they realize it¡¯s not losses on the road due to some Elite roaming from the northern mana zone. The truth is, we¡¯re not those four. We have Talents, but none of them are particularly offensive, save your Disarm.¡± ¡°What happened to them, anyway?¡± Valentin asked. ¡°I got a few messages from the family. Outside of that discreet message two weeks ago with the parchment that boosted three of my abilities, that is.¡± ¡°Do you think that¡­ skeleton of theirs didn¡¯t want us to be too powerful? At least until they were gone?¡± ¡°You think so? In any case, I¡¯m pretty sure they¡¯re safe in Independence. The family rumor mill says that cousin Carlin in New Sandusky is no longer wheelchair-bound, and that would take a miracle¡­ or the workings of a Saint.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give them a year, or maybe two before I ask if they¡¯ve found more Ancient books and if there is more from what this came from. Until then, motus.¡± ¡°So, we wait.¡± ¡°I definitively do not want to enforce the draft. I had to pay bonuses to fulfill last year¡¯s, and this one is nearly triple. Now, if I could be sure that the army is way too busy with the north, I could say ¡®sod off¡¯. But once the war ends, if Maistry is still standing, there will be a reckoning. Even if we have enough Artifacts to deal with a small contingent, we can¡¯t fend off the entire army with only six of us and the few genuinely offensive Artifacts we have.¡± ¡°It could be worse.¡± ¡°Worse?¡± she said, looking at Valentin askance. ¡°If it was the reverse. If we didn¡¯t have those, and they were all Talented.¡± ¡°God, no. I can¡¯t imagine ordinary people trying to stand against a Talented army. You have way too much imagination, Valentin.¡±
Catherine ¡°Kitty¡± Rocastle Female human, 39 years, 9 months
Metal Shaper Level: 6 (13000 XP needed) Mana: 208/208 (+17/hour) Stamina: 42/42 (+18/hour) 1 unallocated skill point XP: 13034
STR: 18 (1549 XP needed) Metal Skin (42) AUT: 19 (4240 XP needed) Rust (63) Fusion (63)
AGI: 14 PER: 17 (4021 XP needed) Detect Metal (40) MANA SIGHT 101 DETECT LIES 78
DEX: 16 (2000 XP needed) EMP: 15 FOG CLOUD 110
20.1% additional lung capacity Automatic recognition of the primary metal of any alloy Bodily immunity to fire, up to 930¡ãF (499¡ãC) Grant bodily immunity to cold, down to -450 ¡ãF (-268¡ãC) Enhance your effective Perception by up to 7.8 for skill checks Detect mana flows & pools of 10 size or greater
Arturus Windmiller told the wendigo, ¡°Throw your glasses. They¡¯ll know where we are otherwise.¡± Snowbound Glatteis looked back at him with those quasi-unreadable eyes, even with the glasses on his furred face. ¡°I am never leaving the Glasses of the Hunt. It¡¯s a sacred heirloom of my family.¡± ¡°Then excuse me, but I will go my way. I am not staying with what must be a pillar of light pointing your way if what you describe can be seen from miles away. Don¡¯t follow.¡± ¡°Then go, tribesman,¡± Snowbound replied. ¡°May you find your way home.¡± The tribal chieftain did not bother replying, and he and the two tribesmen immediately started moving away from him and his other wendigo companion at a nearly straight angle compared to the path they had been taking. ¡°He¡¯s not wrong,¡± Blackleaf finally said once the three men had moved out of sight between the trees. ¡°Don¡¯t care,¡± the first wendigo replied curtly. The two wendigos kept moving as fast as they could. The pursuit had been relentless over the day and the previous night too, and exhaustion was threatening. And when he looked back, Snowbound could see through his Artifact glasses three plumes of mana moving in the woods. But he was not about to lose an heirloom that has been handed from ancestor to descendant for nearly 150 years, no matter how dire his situation was. Yesterday was the day everything turned wrong. Wendigo forces were starting to arrive again as the November weather favored them finally. Snowbound had joined the tribal main force at Kootenai, hoping that this time would be the turning point of the war. He¡¯d barely arrived when an impossible spectacle began. Off in the distance, at the edge of his glasses¡¯ perception, mana plumes started showing. Not of Artifacts, but the slightly more subdued plumes of mana users. One¡­ two¡­ five¡­ dozens slowly became visible. Nobody would believe him until he reluctantly shared his glasses with the command. The fact that scouts reported a small company of soldiers arriving from the south served to confirm the glasses¡¯ mana vision. ¡°How the fuck is that even possible?¡± one tribal commander said after handing back the glasses. ¡°Last winter, they had two new sorceresses. And they were neutralized,¡± Arturus noted, looking at Snowbound. None of the wendigos had briefed the rest of the tribal command about Snowbound¡¯s actual actions. The meeting quickly devolved into bickering, the majority of the tribal leaders suspecting some trick. It was not a trick. The army of the Kootenai poured out of its garrison barely one hour after the small reinforcements arrived at the fort holding the Kootenai Gap¡¯s entrance from the Montana. The tribal forces roused themselves to face the enemy, and that was when the actual magnitude of the peril became apparent. Soldiers dodging arrows, others walking surrounded by fire like a reincarnation of the Burning Walker, while others moved at an insane speed. Fireballs, like the ones last year, launched in straight lines into tribal formations. That particular company had split into three platoons, supported by the rest of the army, but those platoons tore into the tribal units. Snowbound watched the plumes of mana moving, with a dizzying array of offensive abilities demonstrated. Fifteen minutes after the battle was joined, it was a rout. The tribal leaders scattered, with Snowbound Glatteis and Arturus Windmiller ending up running to the side, risking the mana zone. Snowbound quickly discovered that they had pursuers, quite insistent ones. His guess was that at least one of the new soldiers could see mana¡­ and his glasses. ¡°They¡¯re nothing if not dedicated.¡± ¡°I am going to try something. But we have to split,¡± Snowbound replied. ¡°I¡¯m not a tribesman.¡± ¡°I have a trick. But I am not sure it will work, and it wouldn¡¯t if you¡¯re around.¡± ¡°And what trick can serve the Great Hunter Glatteis?¡± ¡°A trick. Now go. And if I don¡¯t make it¡­ well¡­¡± ¡°What do you mean you lost it?¡± Lieutenant Cancilla said. Spotting Artifact-bearing enemies had been a boon. They would probably be some high-ranking enemies, and capturing them would go a long way toward decisively finishing the war. ¡°I had it, but then¡­ wait, it¡¯s back,¡± Corporal Tufo replied. The Earth Shaper had had difficulties. The Artifact¡¯s mana plume had suddenly started to fade in and out. But now, it had suddenly firmed again. He knew that, based on measurements, the Talent was based on his weakest quality, -1 in Perception, but a few of the Shapers had been handed it ¡°in case¡±. If he had had more of that ¡°talent energy¡±, he might have gotten Earth Master and gotten improvements, but as it stood, he dealt with his limitations. ¡°Let¡¯s keep up. It¡¯s been nearly a day. If we can¡¯t catch those leaders, we¡¯ll have to turn back, and it will have been a waste. Colonel Markov will be unhappy.¡± The eight-man team of Talented pushed on. ¡°It seems to have stopped.¡± ¡°You¡¯re sure?¡± ¡°The plume isn¡¯t moving.¡± Lieutenant Cancilla frowned but kept his course. Worst case, he surmised, the fugitives had finally discarded their Artifact, and they would recover it. Artifacts were not as impressive as they once had been ¨C now that the 1st Talent Brigade was being built, the quantity of Talents had a quality of its own. But nobody was going to neglect the right Artifact. An Artifact¡¯s Talent did not count as one¡¯s intrinsic Talent, after all. The gap closed slowly. The pursuing team finally broke into a small hollow, where Corporal Tufo finally spotted the plume plunging at the end of the clearing. ¡°No one?¡± Lieutenant Cancilla wondered. ¡°It¡¯s there anyway,¡± Tufo pointed. ¡°Well, let¡¯s recover that at least,¡± Cancilla sighed. The team moved in, but almost immediately, a loud roar broke. The men froze, and the source of the sound came into view. A 6-feet tall Felid. Tufo immediately spotted the manalight playing on claws and eyes and felt the weight of unnatural fear come. ¡°Falter. And another Talent,¡± he immediately announced, stepping back as he locked the beast in place. ¡°By the numbers, people,¡± the lieutenant announced. The frontline spread, weapons drawn, and got ready just as the beast started to breathe a sickly yellow cloud. ¡°Another,¡± he warned. The attack took him by surprise. He felt cold metal and pain and briefly wondered how he¡¯d missed that Talent of the cat. The Fixer immediately turned in surprise, but Tufo¡¯s vision was fading fast. The last thing he saw was a furred arm drawing back across his face. The Felid was doing its part, Snowbound noted. He moved out of view and immediately faded his presence, moving carefully out. Without that old prey ¨C or rather enemy, as he¡¯d never dared actually hunt her ¨C of his, it would have been hard to do. But with that kind of distraction, even a team was hard-pressed to keep track of him. Apparently, the same soldier who¡¯d been tracking him had also interfered with the beast, and she was now released and even more furious. Snowbound slowly made his way around, watching the southron soldiers tackle the enemy. Poison clouds, claws that struck at a distance, but they were slowly grinding her defenses. One of them moved, helping stem the wounds with a touch. Empowered, all of them, he realized, as he finally reached the spot where he¡¯d left the bait for the ambush and snatched his glasses back. He just hoped they only had one tracker. Doing it twice would be hard. He did not wait to see the outcome of the fight and slowly moved. After all, he knew he had only under a dozen minutes of continuous discretion and did not dare turn it on and off at need ¨C not here, not now. Good luck, old enemy. As for me¡­ well, I might need to take Ulrich¡¯s offer, as bizarre as it is. Because obviously, others have.
Snowbound ¡°The Great Hunter¡± Glatteis Male wendigo, 38 years, 3 months
Explorer Level: 7 (21000 XP needed) Endurance: 3/33 (+17/hour) 5 unallocated skills points XP: 35,922
STR: 17 AUT: 13
AGI: 18 (3000 XP needed) PER: 18 (703 XP needed) Accurate Pierce (7)
DEX: 19 (2521 XP needed) Reconnaissance (26) EMP: 13
B3.13 - Options Specialization is for insects. Pre-Fall science-fiction writer. They expected more of the same, but things changed when the four arrived early in the morning back at the Army compound to brainstorm on how to use the capacities of the newly Talented soldiers. Johanna had brought in the book remains she¡¯d dragged from New Sandusky. There were enough for probably two more full builds and maybe some additional quality improvement parchments. But when they arrived, they found a small case full of books. Probably twenty or so, all looking very old and not all in good condition. ¡°Wish a Book is the largest bookstore in Vernon, and they have a section on antique books, which I know well,¡± General Sharpe said. ¡°Unfortunately, they don¡¯t distinguish between books that were printed before the Fall and those that were merely printed around the Wars of Unification or just before. It¡¯s just ¡®older than a century¡¯. I was there as soon as they opened, and I¡¯m not sure I got all of them. After all, you were coming back early,¡± he added. ¡°We¡¯re going to send a few officers to scour all the bookstores in the city next Monday,¡± another of the generals added. Johanna dumped her partially consumed collection next to the crate and started sorting the books. Just like they¡¯d done back when they recruited the scavengers, books were in various conservation states, and she sorted them accordingly. There were three that included a lot of central illustrations, and those she set aside, wondering if they would convert or if Moore would be unable to do anything with them, like the books that were made of pictures and illustrations back then. There might be enough actual text pages, she speculated. Then she stopped herself because she was pretty sure Moore¡¯s conversion included completely blank pages or pages with just the title at the beginning of books. She dismissed the speculation. They would find out soon enough. ¡°So?¡± Sharpe asked. ¡°Roughly, with all the additional possibly needed qualities, it takes 160 pages per Talent, on average. It takes more when you include the specialization, but that¡¯s only once per person. You¡¯ve seen it: most of your books would give us two parchments at best. So¡­¡± she made a quick estimation, ¡°we have probably builds for ten or eleven people here.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all? I spent over six thousand dollars for that, and all it gives me is ten people?¡± ¡°Including what I have already, yes,¡± she confirmed. ¡°To be fair, training a single new recruit costs that much over six months,¡± another general added. ¡°Ignoring infrastructure costs.¡± Sharpe gave him an annoyed eye, and Johanna guessed he might have advanced the cash. Well, he was a general. ¡°This is a one-time investment. The Talent House was going to charge around $300 per month over five years per fully Talented person,¡± Ulrich injected. ¡°Including additional Talents over time, if possible.¡± ¡°What? That¡¯s outrageous. That¡¯s what, 20k per person? Those books cost a fifth for ten times more.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome to ask the competition for a better bid,¡± Ulrich laughed. ¡°Oh, right, there is no competition,¡± he added after a theatrical pause, and everyone rolled their eyes. ¡°And it is about the difference per month between a sergeant and a senior lieutenant or junior captain. I doubt the difference is as good as what we¡¯ve seen those Talents give,¡± the same general noted. ¡°Well, I know a lot of veterans who would say the sergeant might be a better choice than the captain, but then, that¡¯s an opinion I don¡¯t share,¡± Sharpe countered. ¡°in most cases,¡± he added sotto voce, but the rest of the officers laughed. ¡°Let¡¯s bring back the rest of yesterday¡¯s squad.¡± That¡¯s going to go slowly, Moore noted. He¡¯d already noted that the Talent House had sent an expedition back to the Library of Congress to replace the stock of books. The generals had helpfully included it in their timetable yesterday when they¡¯d drawn up various plans for training and testing. They were planning on having a shipment of books in three months, early next year. He had no way to check on that expedition since all four were there in the state capital, but there were enough people back in New Sandusky with complete builds to do it successfully. In theory, with the power of a state rather than a, well, starting adventurer¡¯s guild, they could probably transfer the entire Library back into safe land in a year or less. They could build escort teams and send dozens of wagons on regular schedules while ramping up the number of escort teams. In time, even the Talent House could afford to do that. But given that time might be of the essence, it was a good compromise. Get enough books, like, now. Of course, that meant he had to squeeze the most out of each book despite the fact that they were making people¡¯s builds one by one. A challenge, given that the collection of books to be used was¡­ even more eclectic than what was pulled out of the shelves of Congress this summer. Well, more XP. His total was still under the 8k minimum needed for pulling at least one of the four in the Beyond. He was definitively not going to keep a hoard of personal XP to use Exchange again, at least not until they brought back all those books. For now, he would try to push them as close to level 10 as he could. One additional skill at the very minimum, and then carefully checking if there was an additional specialization tier hiding at that level. Given how inconsistent the system was, he wouldn¡¯t bet on it, nor against it. Well, Johanna was going to be it again. She had only accumulated 4k XP out of the 55k needed for that level, and he was definitively not going to find them right now. In any case, he would also need one additional Authority point for the skills he¡¯d spotted. But, with enough books¡­ The session started completely strange. With yesterday¡¯s squad aligned, eagerly awaiting their turn now that they¡¯d seen what ¡°those people¡± could bestow, Johanna had thought it would go the same way. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. But after the first soldier sat, and she carefully put her hand on a book, and nothing happened, she started to freak out. A quick check showed her that this was a ¡°brand new¡± book, so it wasn¡¯t as if she had already converted part of it. Tom couldn¡¯t get a parchment, and neither did Laura or Peter. And a second book failed to convert. ¡°Maybe Moore does not think you¡¯re a priority?¡± she finally said. ¡°Really?¡± the soldier objected. She merely shrugged. She had little control over Moore¡¯s actions, after all. The soldier finally conceded, and she shook hands with the next candidate. Nothing happened, either. By the fourth soldier, she was getting worried. General Sharpe was muttering about being broken when suddenly, the familiar cold sensation started under her palm, and the lights came up above the book. It was Gauge Stamina, along with both Level and Perception, and that would finally help. Kartmann was nice ¨C for a 7-foot tall, slightly hairy guy with 3-foot horns and a smushed nose ¨C but she was sure the army wanted that particular Talent in-house. She passed the volume to Tom, and¡­ nothing happened again. She picked another volume and tried again. She didn¡¯t have any success, but the next book immediately gave off its cold feel, and another parchment dropped. Keeper, Strength, Level, and Interrupt. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Are the books bad?¡± Sharpe asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know. They don¡¯t look that bad¡­ There should be enough left for another parchment or two, depending on how many pages are left¡­¡± She stopped, a glimmer of an idea coming up. ¡°Anyone got paper and pencil?¡± One of the generals found some almost immediately, making her nearly chuckle at the idea of having generals at her service. Back in New Benton, that had been definitively the reverse ¨C when she¡¯d been lucky to warrant the presence of such higher officers. She pulled back the book she¡¯d just converted, noting from the first page number left how many pages had been consumed in the conversion. She then got the first converted book from Tom and did the same; then she looked at the last pages. She looked at the numbers, adding and then subtracting next to the totals. If the first book had been used for the two parchments, it would have had a mere 56 pages left. That wasn¡¯t enough for a simple quality or level parchment, she knew, as Professor Gomez had done some math and figured out what were probably the rules behind the conversion process once he had had the entire catalog of requirements for each specialization and Talent. Clever girl, Moore thought. Johanna must have realized that there must be a reason if he wasn¡¯t converting books as soon as possible. He¡¯d done the same back in the Library of Congress toward the end, ensuring that there were as few pages left as possible when each book was finished. Of course, this had been way easier then. He had not been making people-specific builds, just bundles of random scrolls to be sorted and used later. Right now, it was like juggling with multiple numbers in his head, even immaterial as it was. Here, the lack of grey matter to host his mind had to help. If he¡¯d been using neurons instead of being an immaterial spirit, he was sure his memory and mental math would not be up to the task, given the lack of notepads and pencils like the ones Johanna had been using. There was something he remembered being told about being able to hold only 7 ¡°things¡± in short-term memory at any given time. His memory seemed better than that. Remembering everyone¡¯s descriptor, adding totals for setting scrolls¡­ Back when he was alive, way back, mental calculus was definitively not a skill of his. He was pretty sure he had to have learned to do that as a kid ¨C there was no way the elementary school curriculum did not force children to learn to do math the hard way ¨C but modern days provided enough tools that you did not need to do math in your head at all and, like all skills that were not used, that one went to the graveyard of recycled brain connections. The end of modern technology had to have been pretty hard on everyone. But he guessed the survivors would be those who could regain old skills. Without technology, anyone had to know how to do math. Then he had to laugh, silently and mentally, because Johanna had just needed to do math on paper rather than in her head. Welcome to the club of bad-at-math, Jo. ¡°Peter, shake the hands of everyone,¡± she ordered. ¡°Uh?¡± ¡°Moore can¡¯t see the full potential of someone until one of us touches them, remember. That¡¯s why he often waited until I shook hands ¨C if I hadn¡¯t before, he needed that first touch. I know he can see the level and specialization if you have one but for the rest¡­¡± She focused back on the newly induced Keeper. If Moore was juggling books, then she needed a different approach. She put back the two already used books, along with the nine partially consumed books she¡¯d brought with her, in front of Tom, then squared the intact ones in front of her. ¡°If I don¡¯t convert a book, then you start shuffling yours,¡± she informed her husband, who nodded back. ¡°If you get one of them, you hand it to Laura afterward.¡± Tom nodded again, and she went through her books again. The last one started a conversion, and she relaxed, sure she had the new ¡°protocol¡± in hand. The soldier received and activated an Agility-Armored parchment, and the conversion went on as Ulrich kept track of the provided changes. ¡°Welcome to the rank of Heroes, Keeper Johnson,¡± she finally said when no book would convert, and Ulrich handed him the finalized Talent House sheet. ¡°What¡¯s a Keeper?¡± Johnson asked. ¡°Kind of defensive specialization. Good for frontline. You¡¯ve seen Kartmann parrying attacks yesterday? He¡¯s a Contender, and there¡¯s some overlap. Different aspects, though,¡± Ulrich told him. ¡°Like what?¡± The thirster quickly consulted his copy of the Gomez Guide draft. ¡°You have Deflect and Interrupt, like him. However, Deflect is of tier 4 for a Keeper and only 3 for a Contender ¨C meaning you have a better ability to, well, deflect attacks and use less stamina doing it. While Interrupt, which interrupts and blocks other Talents, is only tier 2 for you and 3 for Kartmann. His own last longer.¡± Johanna could see in the eyes of Johnson that the man still had no idea what that meant. It will come. When the last soldier sat, the book stock was almost entirely depleted, and none of the four could trigger a conversion. ¡°Looks like that¡¯s all we can do today,¡± she announced reluctantly, and the soldier grumbled. There were only three of the original veteran squad left untalented, and she quickly added, ¡°If there are more books on Monday, we¡¯ll do it again.¡± And again, and again, as each batch arrives. She hadn¡¯t properly appreciated how easy it had been to convert books back in Washington. But of course, then, Moore had focused on quantity, not quality. There were enough books that you could convert them without a specific goal. Save for the handful of information dumps for Gomez¡¯s benefit. ¡°You were not kidding when you said there were all sorts of specializations.¡± ¡°And more at higher levels. I am surprised we don¡¯t have anyone level 8 since it¡¯s all soldiers, but it¡¯s not anything we can fix,¡± she said. She looked at the notes from Ulrich. Each soldier had, of course, received his sheet with the best guesses on what his build scores were. ¡°So far, two Rangers, two Lancers, a Swordbringer, a Keeper, a Deadeye, a Quick Battler, for Heroes. Two Fixers, Combat and Fast, which is good. Two Water Shapers, one Fire and a Metal Shaper, for Sorcerers. And¡­ well, call it hybrid. The Adept Sentinel Lapierre.¡± ¡°Hybrid?¡± ¡°His Talents cover both mana and stamina. That¡¯s good and bad,¡± Ulrich explained. ¡°Bad? I thought the Ancient was going to provide the best¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s good because he will regenerate both energies simultaneously, so he will recover twice as fast. But it has its drawbacks. The energy pool is smaller for both, so if Sergeant Lapierre draws too much on one single Talent, he¡¯ll run out faster.¡± Ulrich rechecked the sheet, tabulating the talent tiers in his reference list. ¡°Probably slightly more mana than stamina. There are heroic specializations that use mana too, but they usually have low tiers for sorcerous Talents. The Adept Sentinel gets decent tiers for almost all in his arsenal,¡± he completed. Johanna could see that the officers couldn¡¯t quite grasp instinctively the meaning of the explanations, but then, they were just introduced to the weirdness that was underlying the Talent system. They had had two months to start to make sense of the information Gomez had received and compiled. She hoped they could track the missing professor. He was probably a captive of the Warden. We¡¯ll be there to free him. B3.14 - The Limits of Growth It is easier to get more than it is to get better. Wisdom of the Ancients, book 3 The days blurred quickly into each other, and the week was over before Johanna could realize it. They had not obtained books until Wednesday when the scouting officers finally delivered their precious cargo. Twenty-one books. That was all that the stores of Vernon yielded. Just enough for eleven Talent builds in the end, with about three or four parchment¡¯s worth of leftovers. In a curious case of ¡°leftovers,¡± Moore sometimes created a single-quality parchment at the end of a session. She¡¯d wondered why at first since the parchment did not light in the soldier¡¯s hands, but she had a hypothesis. ¡°You might be not too far away from increasing that quality,¡± she¡¯d told the Fire Shaper. ¡°I remember back when we did our first conversions, there was a scavenger, name''s Jackson I think, who got a parchment with a Level and Fire Shaper specialization. He¡¯d been just a Shaper and under level 5. He activated the parchment one day while we were heading back home. The Ancient knows exactly how close you are to being able to gain something, so he probably did something in advance for you,¡± she added. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Same thing for me. Back in Washington, he made me a Talent parchment in advance; I could use it two weeks later,¡± Ulrich remembered. ¡°Yes. Authority is your primary quality, and this will slightly improve your Burning Ground,¡± she completed. The Fire Shaper winced at that. Although he was newly Talented, he¡¯d watched his predecessor¡¯s test of the same. Burning Ground was, indeed, the Burning Walker¡¯s legendary ability. Fire Shaper Mercola could surround himself with a large, extremely hot disc of flames reaching up to his head. As he walked, the fire followed and remained in a circle centered around him, leaving everything burning in his wake. Unfortunately, the Talent did work exactly like the legends said. It also burned one¡¯s clothes. There were very few garments that could resist the estimated 900¡ãF that the inferno-like circle generated. The sorcerer might be immune to his own fire, but his uniform was definitively not. There had been laughs when the Burning Ground turned off, and Mercola was left with smoking and burning tatters on him, trying to cover himself. Not that it was the only thing left burning; the edge of his circle of devastation had caught at least two practice targets that were now burning, and people had to rush and smother the fire and salvage whatever they could. Johanna now knew why the stories she¡¯d heard about the Erlang fire sorcerer said he had fought naked. It wasn¡¯t to disturb his enemies or any form of psychological warfare; it was just to save on clothing costs. God knew she¡¯d complained more than once about the damage their own clothing suffered, and there was no Fixer Talent for that. After dodging the complaints about that little ¡°side effect¡± ¨C ¡°No one had that one at the Talent House, we didn¡¯t know¡± ¨C she went on to suggest less destructive options for Mercola. Fireball and Flaming Blade were more common, and she knew exactly how to use them. The other thing she realized, almost simultaneously with the officers supervising the creation of the original Talent core for the army, was that all specializations seen so far ended up suspiciously similar. While there was a variance, all of the builds provided by Moore involved a core of similar talents. It seemed that when the brass had complained about overly specialized Talented, he¡¯d taken that into consideration when creating each soldier¡¯s build. After she intoned her customary pronouncement, ¡°Welcome to the rank of Sorcerers, Water Shaper Henry Signi,¡± she reflected on that third water specialist. So far, all of the army¡¯s water specialists ran with Frostbite, Mana Sight, Frozen Body, and Ice Blade, making them more front-line fighters with freezing spears rather than true sorcerers. This particular Shaper had, in addition, Liquid Fire, which was an odd one, giving Private Signi the ability to turn flames into a sort of liquid, potentially in addition to making the Talented immune to fire as well as cold. She suspected the man had too small Agility or Strength to allow a better dispersion of Talents. They did not do a measurement cycle for the future Talented, letting the Ancient work directly from his own invisible summaries. But she suspected the man¡¯s build was now complete, pending another future Level. The second Water Shaper had had Soften Mud in addition to the four others, while the first had her old Steam Breath. The two Fire Shapers also shared multiple talents, including Mana Sight. She¡¯d wondered about it before remembering that Gomez had noted that both Mana Sight and Gauge Stamina were the odd Talents that he did not receive a minimum in any quality, just levels. If the sorcerers did not have much in Perception, they could still get a Talent in that branch, and Moore clearly favored spreading Talents across all qualities. She knew that after a while, you couldn¡¯t get a Talent with every level ¨C she had tried everything after her adventure in Moore¡¯s realm, where she¡¯d seen the mention of one ¡°free skill point¡± on Moore¡¯s equivalent of the Talent House summary for herself, but she hadn¡¯t found anything. Gomez had thought that each Talent made the others more expensive, at least within their main quality. Progression-wise, the soldiers were increasingly better at using their own Talents. The mock battles ¨C now plural with more soldiers raised to Talented status ¨C once intended to get them used to fast combat and quick adaptation, were turning out increasingly less lopsided in their favor. The one thing they had for themselves was their advanced specialization. A quarter of the soldiers had gotten a level 7, but only one so far had gained a level 8 and the matching specialization. Earth Master Gared Beckstead was the winner of the Talent lottery so far. Unsurprisingly, he was one of the oldest veterans, in his late thirties, and had served two tours of duty in the regular actions where Independence helped the forces of the Marches of the Star against the aggressive Sinaloa state south. Beckstead was a mixed bag when fighting. He had, unsurprisingly, Earthbind like Petra, but also Stoneskin, which turned him into a good fac-simile of a marble statue, complete with golden veins that appeared to follow the actual veins under the normal skin. He was the only one who approached having serious resistance against Tom¡¯s attacks and was pretty hard to hit in general, although stabbing and slicing could leave their mark. The marks, if superficial enough, didn¡¯t bleed as long as he remained in his Stoneskin shape and only started to when he relaxed the Talent, preventing any Fixer¡¯s teleport. However, even light bleeding wounds remained bleeding when he turned into stone, which was pretty bizarre to see. An animated marble statue was pretty weird, but a statue that bled red? Utterly strange. He also had Tremor, which was about as horrible as she remembered in Petra¡¯s case, but at least was not made even worse by his Master¨Clevel specialization. Stoneskin also seemed to help in balancing himself against the buckling of the ground. Nobody managed to stay up within his circle, and he almost never did, but he kept trying it. ¡°I¡¯ll master that,¡± he insisted. Privately, Johanna doubted that. Talents did not work naturally, and what they did could not be simply ignored. In any case, he had a wide space, outside of the army compound, to test. The army engineers definitively did not want him to wreck the place, which looked likely, given the initial results. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Johanna was almost surprised that Saturday evening to see the Executive pop up at home. His wife had informed them that Harold ¨C Wexler ¨C was horribly busy and worked late these days, often eating in the kitchen when he came home at night. The head of Independence State did not look that tired, at least not until he spoke, and she could hear the fatigue in his voice. ¡°I have more than my usual rounds of meetings. Thanks to you or the Warden, or both, I think.¡± ¡°How are things going?¡± ¡°I¡¯m juggling all sorts of balls. The first is books.¡± ¡°Looking for more.¡± ¡°And it is not as easy as you¡¯d think. Most pre-Fall books that were salvaged or kept around after the Fall have ended up in private libraries and collections over the years. And we have no idea where those are. I¡¯ve set the combined forces of Katia and Jared ¨C he¡¯s the Undersecretary for Trade ¨C to get stuff, but¡­¡± ¡°They can¡¯t simply get them, I suppose?¡± she asked. ¡°The issue is that we can¡¯t simply tell everyone they¡¯re necessary. People will ask why, and then will tell you ¡®okay, but it¡¯s $2000 per book¡¯. Or more, trying to probe why or how hard we want their old fancy book.¡± He raised his hand, staving off the next question. ¡°If you tell them what they¡¯re actually for, they will still ask for money. You can¡¯t simply seize them ¨C there are no laws for seizing someone¡¯s movable property under eminent domain. We can seize someone¡¯s house, or farm, or anything like that, sure. But the content of someone¡¯s bookshelf? No way. They¡¯d tie the State in court for years, and trying to ignore the law is a desperation move that will probably end up badly for the State. Short-term maybe good, long-term catastrophic. My generals can think of just the war; I have to think of the aftermath.¡± He sighed. ¡°I¡¯ve spent enough time with all my best lawyers to figure out how to cut that Gordian knot. Emergency legislation from the Assembly, which means it will still take a couple of weeks at best. And once we tell people what their books can be used for, they will want that for themselves. Good for your potential future business, sure. Less so for us.¡± ¡°Surely¡­¡± He looked at her with obvious pity. She blinked. ¡°Yes, they¡¯re that bad. People seeing an undue advantage usually are.¡± ¡°And if we keep it secret?¡± she asked. ¡°We may get more. But it will be costly. Right now, I¡¯m digging into the Executive discretionary funds, but ¨C again ¨C I will have to ask the Assembly for a budget appropriation once that dries up. And that means telling them ¨C and that means telling everyone, in practice ¨C why. ¡°In any case, we¡¯re trying to locate every significant store of Ancient books we can, before we can figure out how to acquire it. If we had time, we¡¯d be scouring other states as well, but sending agents there with money and instructions, plus the time you need to find there, plus, plus, plus¡­¡± He spread his hands. ¡°Oh, we¡¯ll be doing what we can. But I¡¯m afraid your expedition to the East Coast will be the primary, no, the only significant source of Ancient books for the near future. Ask me for anything but time, the saying goes.¡± ¡°And we don¡¯t have time,¡± Peter asked. The Executive turned his head toward her friend. ¡°No. Robert ¨C Robert Henley, the head of intelligence you met once ¨C has guesses. Depending on how they made their getaway, the Warden might be getting those stolen crates right now or in the coming weeks. And you have, what, thirty¡­¡± ¡°About that, yes,¡± Johanna confirmed. ¡°Empowered. In a week, he¡¯ll probably start making his most reliable troops into Talented. Our only relief is that he needs to deal with the tribal war first before he can free his army to do anything else. Then, he¡¯ll have a winter campaign if he wants to move immediately.¡± ¡°He needs how much time?¡± ¡°Conventional wisdom is that you can¡¯t project much force in the winter. Even your traditional foes, the northern tribes, don¡¯t do much.¡± ¡°At least until they allied with the Wendigos,¡± Peter noted. ¡°Well, at least we don¡¯t have to worry about them joining forces with the Warden, do we?¡± Wexler laughed. ¡°True,¡± Peter admitted. ¡°But, in any case, logistics are against him. That¡¯s the big sunshine ray in the situation ¨C we should have enough time to prepare and get those Talents before the Warden¡¯s troop show up. Should.¡± Wexler sighed again but didn¡¯t comment further, nibbling his meal. ¡°Well, at least the first Talented are adapting well,¡± Johanna said. ¡°I got the reports. You¡¯re doing well.¡± Monday saw another small batch of books delivered. The collection was as eclectic as the previous ones, mismatched books, including apparently parts of novel series, and also several illustrated books. Johanna realized she¡¯d never told the procurement agents that such types were apparently impossible to convert. She was unsurprised to find them remaining untouched by Moore¡¯s conversion. With enough for a new dozen soldiers, they also started to take a lesser role in training. The first squad might be a bit green in the mastery of their Talents, but they were good and they learned fast. It also helped that Moore kept making the same type of builds over and over again. The existing Talented could easily explain and demonstrate most aspects of their Talents to the new batch. This was what the generals had intended, after all. The four of them still helped. The general battle was a daily fixture now, although they¡¯d increased the team sizes, with more people on both sides. This increased the chaos at first, with almost an entire squad on both sides, and the four ramped up the use of their abilities. The officers still goggled at the insanity that was the primary battle. Johanna figured they were slowly realizing that Talented armies were not simply soldiers with bigger weapons. ¡°This might be a boon and a problem,¡± she finally confessed to General Sharpe during the end-of-day debrief. ¡°Meaning?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how the Warden will build his armies. From what you said, redundancy is good. If you have losses, new squaddies will have familiar Talents, and they¡¯ll know how to fight together effectively and quickly. But if the Warden¡¯s army has extremely varied profiles¡­ well, all your soldiers, they will face all sorts of Talents they¡¯ve never seen.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve looked at your list. There are a¡­ lot of them. Over 400.¡± ¡°411. That¡¯s only the low-level ones.¡± He frowned. ¡°Moore used extremely high-level ones when he fought in my stead. I¡¯ve seen mention of¡­ more advanced ones. Things not on the list, like Triple Strike. Or Anti Mana Sphere. Whatever these do.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°If we have people with higher levels and qualities. We had received parchments that are up to level 9, I presume because we only had people well under that level, and that¡¯s good enough to start. But there are Talents that require level 10¡­ level 13¡­ even level 16.¡± ¡°Are they more powerful?¡± She remembered the display. ¡°They are far more significant. He¡­ he could fly.¡± ¡°Fly? Like the Ancients?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s the same. But yes.¡± Seeing Sharpe¡¯s face, she immediately downplayed the risk. ¡°That required level 16, if I remember right. The Warden can¡¯t have those. He only has access to the basic ones that Moore made this summer. But if we have someone at level 10 or higher, then Moore can give them some of those better Talents. Quality, not quantity.¡± ¡°And how do we find soldiers with such levels?¡± ¡°The only things I know that help are¡­ fighting. You need people who fought Changed Beasts or other people. That¡¯s why your soldiers are already level 6 or 7 for the most, even if they didn¡¯t have Talents before.¡± ¡°Well, most of them never did actual battles.¡± ¡°Earth Master Beckstead did, and that¡¯s why he¡¯s 8. You¡¯ll have others, I¡¯m sure. The Warden¡¯s force may have the levels, then, but never the Talents.¡± ¡°Time to recall the forces abroad then,¡± Sharpe said. ¡°The southern Marches will be pissed.¡± Another week passed, and the Executive finally showed up again for dinner, this time on Thursday. He still looked fresh and sounded tired. ¡°More balls to juggle,¡± he simply said. ¡°I thought I hated meetings, but you¡¯re in a worse position,¡± Johanna said. ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t do my job if you don¡¯t at least tolerate meetings. I tend to hate those that do not help anything moving, but those are much rarer. Thankfully.¡± ¡°I assume those ¡®balls¡¯ are still ours.¡± ¡°And you¡¯d be mostly correct. My army is still trying to figure out how to deal with the perspective of the Warden coming at them this spring. Or worse. It¡¯s like squaring the circle.¡± Something Johanna had never understood why this particular thing was considered impossible. Or even what it was, if it wasn¡¯t just making a square around a circle. She assumed Mrs. Vanu had been correct in skipping that lesson for the kids of Anasta. ¡°What is the problem then?¡± ¡°Nothing you can solve. My generals did warn me repeatedly that we do not have enough troops. The last actual war that Independence State was directly fought by us was¡­ the Third War of Unification. With our central position and all the other states surrounding us being members of the Union, all we¡¯ve done is helping at times other States, mostly the southern ones, with problems on their border.¡± He sighed, as he often did. ¡°So, we have professional troops, but not many experienced ones, and not enough. We need a mobilization effort, but we would need those soldiers last summer to train them. And apparently, you said, the more veteran they are, the better.¡± ¡°We¡¯d speculated that fighting people gave you more talent energy, more experience, but I can attest. I could see it grow when Moore dispatched the Adjutant¡¯s agents. Just them fleeing was enough for some to add in.¡± ¡°Well, that leaves me little choice in any case.¡± ¡°Meaning?¡± ¡°Independence State cannot stand alone.¡± ¡°Uh? But how are we¡­¡± ¡°We will need some help from the Union, which means talking to the Senate in Nashville.¡± He smiled at that, a rare sight these few days he¡¯d been there. ¡°You¡¯d better pack. Of course, you¡¯re coming with us.¡± Oh, they¡¯re moving already? Moore realized as his four started preparing bags. It was a bit too early to move against their enemies, given the reduced force they had available. At least this will stop those battles, he thought. At first, it was good because they got XP from ¡°defeating¡± the soldiers, around 100 per level ¨C even if the others on their ¡°side¡± got shares. Then, the soldiers started getting partial wins, and he realized they could also lose XP. Peter being rooted, knocked and dazed and disabled had cost him a whopping 800 XP, lifted straight from his pool! Thankfully, the XP exchange seemed to happen only once per person. They couldn¡¯t defeat the same person twice and couldn¡¯t lose to the same person twice. They also lost only once per battle, but having even a single new combatant on the other side meant they lost the entire XP chunk. What had seemed to be a good source of XP was turning into a washout, and Moore was pretty happy to see it gone. B3.15 - Song and Dance I came to Nashville, not to bring inspiration, but to find inspiration. Pre-Fall minister. Nashville, Johanna vaguely remembered from history lessons, had been a major Ancient city. But it had not left ruins. Instead, a gigantic Changestorm had wiped it entirely, center and surroundings, leaving instead a compass-perfect circular lake 20 miles wide, with just a little irregular side where a pre-Fall lake had been located and incorporated into the new Nashville Lake. A few ruins of minor cities were left next to it, but the entire area had been erased. In practice, that meant the modern Nashville wasn¡¯t the Ancient one; it just took the name. People had managed to make a refuge on its new lake shore, make it through the chaos of the Fall, and build up from there. Seeing the lake, she wondered now if there was a colossal ruin deposited on the other side of the world, like the foreign village on its mesa-like plateau near Zahl. Or maybe it had been split worldwide, and some parts of the former city ended up making up the unnamed ruin near Valetta. Talent House of yours will qualify if you¡¯ve expanded to another city already. And that extends to all four co-owners. So, I hope the National League will find your vote. I¡¯m nominally apolitical now that I¡¯m the Executive, but I still remember my affiliations,¡± he laughed. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.
Note for the current edition: This entry has been only certified by a single Sorcerer. Full certification requires a second certified corroboration. Johanna Marcia Milton, tier 8 fire Archmage. Johanna Milton is the second youngest sorceress recorded, at an incredible age of 19. Born April 9th, 2154, in Anasta, near the city of Valetta in the Marches of the Montana¡­ ¡­ Johanna Milton is the first recorded tier 8* archmage, with a continuous casting time of around two hours and forty-one minutes. This is due to also being the first archmage to exhibit four sorcery Talents at the time: Ground lock ¨C a semi-common earth talent (see page 396). Flaming hand ¨C one of the most common fire talents (see page 384). Flame blade ¨C a rare fire talent, the second recorded occurrence (see page 382). Mana sight ¨C a rare mind talent, often associated with dual or better mages (see page 422). *See the chapter on sorcery tiers. Tier 7 and 8 are currently tentative, as tier 8 is uncertified, and tier 7 is a mathematical assumption, based on increasing tier times.
Note for the current edition: This entry has been only certified by a single Sorcerer. Full certification requires a second certified corroboration. Laura Anna Donnall, nee Vogel, tier 6 mind sorceress. Laura Donnall is the youngest sorceress ever recorded, at an incredible age of 18. Born November 19th, 2154, in Virtu, near the city of Valetta in the Marches of the Montana¡­ ¡­ Laura Donnall is the first recorded sorceress also to exhibit Saintly aspects* alongside sorcerous Talent. She is not currently affiliated with any religious order and has not been ordained a Saint by the Pope in New Rome (Eagle Republic). Despite having only a single sorcery Talent, she is still ranked at a solid tier 6. Dreadful Gaze ¨C one of the rarest mind talents, the second occurrence at the time (see page 370). *Professor Ernesto Gomez of the Nashville Academy of Post-Fall Physics is one of the proponents of the theory that Saint¡¯s miracles in this post-fall world, rather than being a sign of divine help in times of tribulation, are merely an aspect of sorcery and expressed his opinion that Laura Donnall might be an archmage rather than a simply extremely talented sorceress. This 11th editor notes that there is a precedent for a single-Talent sorceress to be at tier 6 with Elena Worchester and, therefore, takes no position on the issue.
¡°That looks very dated,¡± Ulrich commented over her shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s from when we were drafted in New Benton, I think. The biography does mention that part. I know the Sorceress of the Mists sent mail about us to the Society¡­ but it looks as if she never updated anything. I mean, she was there when I lost the Earthbind and gained Fireball.¡± ¡°Then you fled,¡± Wexler noted, remembering their story. ¡°That, yes.¡± ¡°She probably did not want to be associated with the debacle¡­ although that¡¯s a bit bizarre. Why would she suddenly clamp on that information?¡± Ulrich speculated. B3.16 - Ringside Seat The Senate is the last primitive society in the world. Pre-Fall Senator. The Senate of the Union was probably the holy of holies. After all, it was the place where all disputes between the States of the Union were arbitrated. Its word was absolute law in every matter between individual States or the Union as a whole. The Senate Chamber reflected that. It was a half-ring. When the Senate assembled, seats were attributed to each Senator in the inner ring at random. There was a huge earthen bowl covered by a piece of cloth in which little wood chits sported a seat number each. When coming for a session, each Senator went there to pick one such chit and then take the appropriate seat. ¡°People thought of that one to ensure no one would get a permanent prime choice seat and cause friction. Even back then, there were larger and smaller States, and the Treaty stated that they were all equal regardless. They even change the chits once a year to ensure no one starts recognizing them by touch once they start getting worn out,¡± Senator Alberich had told her. True to the fashion, the man headed immediately for the ornate and decorated recipient, sliding his hand in and immediately pulling back and checking the chit he¡¯d picked. With ease borne from a long familiarity with the Senate, he immediately headed to a place three seats from the left of the ring, where he hung a small banner bearing the five-color of Independence State on a small steel pole bolted to the seat¡¯s arm. ¡°Don¡¯t come with me,¡± he¡¯d warned. ¡°Stay with the Executive. I will call for a petition, and then the Executive will descend to the center to present his request while I stay silent, as befits my neutral role, and whatever. Then, you do¡­ the demonstration as planned. And reply to the questions directly addressed to you and nothing else. I already know there will be plenty.¡± A few more Senators came in, accompanied by their staff. There was little point for their helpers to arrive too early, as the staff would generally stay behind their boss, and they wouldn¡¯t know where to go until the Senator himself or herself arrived. As each group came in, Johanna caught surprised glances thrown their way, or rather Wexler¡¯s way. That the Executive would be well known was not surprising, but that he was there rather than back in Vernon would be. The State was represented here by its Senator, not the Executive, so, if the man himself was present, that meant something was afoot. And the Senate didn¡¯t know what yet. The inner ring ¨C the one that was reserved for the Senators themselves ¨C was almost full when the huge brass monstrosity that apparently served as a clock made a loud chime. One of the Senators simply stood up and walked down to take position behind the lectern at the center of the half-ring. Johanna briefly wondered how the leading Senator was picked. Was it an election of sorts, whenever, or did they choose the leader randomly for each session, like the seating arrangements? Or even simpler, was whoever was seated in her position automatically the president of the Senate for the session? The woman rang a small brass bell on the lectern before calling out with a remarkably powerful voice. ¡°The Senate of the Union of States is now in session. We do have a few minor matters, including the tax dispute¡­¡± she started while casting a side glance toward the group gathered around Wexler. On cue, the Independence Senator raised his hand. ¡°The Independence State would like to introduce an extraordinary request.¡± ¡°Does the matter need an immediate resolution?¡± the president asked back. ¡°It is a major matter impacting the Union that requires immediate attention,¡± the Senator replied. All the back and forth was made in a simple, understated, almost bored tone that told Johanna it was probably formal and maybe even routine. She wondered how often ¡°extraordinary requests¡± were introduced. She suspected no one would anticipate how extraordinary this one would turn out to be. ¡°Any objection to this addition?¡± the president asked. There was none. She thought the Senators would probably be as curious as anyone about what it was. Wexler had not wanted any warning¡­ she suddenly looked around until she spotted the banner of the Marches of the Montana on one seat. She¡¯d missed it when he and his staff entered, but it did look like the Senator from her birth State was there after all and was simply watching the proceedings. And why not? So far, the Warden had done nothing. ¡°Independence State has the floor,¡± the president said before she relaxed in her chair behind the lectern. On that cue, Wexler started down, along with General Sharpe, and the four of them followed. Well, three of them. Peter was nowhere to be seen, which was all part of the plan, after all. They came down and took seats on the small tables in the middle. Wexler, for himself, went just under the president¡¯s lectern and turned to face the Senators. ¡°I am Harold Wexler, Elected Executive Officer for Independence State. And I stand here to talk about the Fourth War of Unification, one which I fear will happen as early as next year.¡± While the Senators were spaced widely enough that they couldn¡¯t mutter between themselves, the rest of the assembly made for it in volume. ¡°Last year, the Warden of the Marches of the Montana started investigating the use of Talents in war. The support offered by Elena Worchester, the famous Sorceress of the Mists, has been widely thought to be a significant strength in blunting the offensive from the north. ¡°But Edgard Maistry has not stopped there. He has sought a new way to support his war. Rather than merely enlisting Talented ¨C something that was already attempted as part of his draft ¨C he now seeks to create Talented soldiers.¡± The mutters rose again, and one of the Senators raised a hand, interrupting the petition. ¡°I thought that Talents, let alone the significant ones like an Erlang Burning Walker or the Earthbreaker, were extremely rare.¡± Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°They are rare when spontaneously occurring. But not if you can artificially force them. And that is now possible.¡± The president rang her bell again as the woman seemed to be preparing for another question. ¡°The honorable Senator should let the petitioner from Independence finish his introduction before starting questioning.¡± Johanna tried to remember the banner. She¡¯d had a geography course back in Anasta, of course, but she¡¯d never been that interested. It was Cheyenne, she thought, one of the states they¡¯d barely crossed on the way to Independence. Not that it truly mattered. ¡°That lets me get ahead of myself. Talents have always been the province of the legends. Rare, whimsy, and unreliable. People like the Burning Walker and the Sorceress of the Mists are the exception, the once-in-a-decade legends, not the rule among sorcerers. And they have limits ¨C both would exhaust their abilities in an hour or so. You can use them to turn a battle around, but you can¡¯t base your strategy for sustained war around them. ¡°Until now. Because, as I said, there is now a way to reliably make those Talents, to turn an ordinary person not into a Burning Walker¡­ but far more than one. And Edgard Maistry has those means. He can make not a Burning Walker but a hundred of them. Not an Earthbreaker, but a hundred of them.¡± Another Senator did not wait and interrupted Wexler. ¡°And yet, four months ago, the Marches came here to remind us of our treaty obligation. To petition officially to come to his help, which we finally granted, and our armies are already getting ready to march, if not on their way to his help. If the Warden truly has those means, would he need to ask us for help?¡± ¡°Well, that is a recent development. Allow me to introduce you to the people behind this, Independence State¡¯s own Talent House,¡± Wexler said with a flourish. The entire Senate was silent. The big surprise was, of course, Peter putting his hand on the president¡¯s bell to ring it, and everyone suddenly realized he¡¯d been there all along. Even now, Johanna¡¯s Blazing Orb still floated in the middle of the cupola, adding its flame to the incoming sunlight to light the Senate chamber. Letting it float unattended while she was otherwise occupied demonstrating helped cement the unprecedented breadth of Talents someone like her could marshal. But Laura¡¯s gaze, brief and immediately canceled, was what made them truly realize what was happening. parchments, but after writing plans and options during yesterday¡¯s evening, they¡¯d made a list of a few simple ones for Moore to create using one book. Wexler had brought one, apparently anticipating the need for a demonstration, and the Senator had concurred. parchments, of course, one of the Senators consumed one, prompting incredulous looks as the sheet burned up without heat and vanished. Wexler simply made a loud ¡°tsssk¡± noise and let the rest check the feeling that accompanied the sheets. ¡°The Talent House harvested enough materials to create hundreds of thousands of those parchments. Enough to convert thousands of soldiers into Talented like those four young people. Enough to convert the whole of Montana¡¯s professional army if he wants to, and the force multiplier alone will be significant,¡± Wexler stated. ¡°We¡¯ve strategized this,¡± General Sharpe pursued. ¡°Even a single small company should suffice to turn around the stalemate in the Northwest before the armies supposed to come to his help will even arrive. Our estimate is that one small team, one like the four founders of the Talent House, has between a twenty-to-one and a forty-to-one ratio of effectiveness against ordinary troops. That can go higher with training, adapted tactics, and other non-classical tactics. ¡°Making even a single company of Talented will completely shift the balance in the forces of the Montana, let alone a regiment¡­ a brigade¡­ or two. Or three¡­¡± There was complete silence as the General explained the potential before he turned back to the Executive. ¡°Once the Warden deploys this capacity, he¡¯ll have the most powerful military force on the entire continent¡ªpossibly the entire world. There will be no limits on the traditional ambition of the Maistrys. When I spoke of the Fourth War of Unification, I spoke of this,¡± Wexler concluded. One Senator stood, and Johanna recognized him as the Senator she¡¯d spotted, the one from the Marches. ¡°That is a very nicely polished presentation, I grant you. One would almost imagine you¡¯re sitting in the Warden¡¯s councils, so convincing you feel. As my colleague reminded you, my State petitioned for just a simple application of the Treaty, which was finally granted ¨C at last, after far too many delays and dithering ¨C over two months ago. And now, you claim he¡¯s already seeking to break that same Treaty.¡± ¡°The actions of the Montana speak of their intentions. Why else would agents of the Warden¡¯s own Adjutant attack the Talent House and steal literal crates of those parchments you¡¯ve just seen?¡± ¡°I have no knowledge of any such attempt, and I sincerely doubt that it happened or that those strange Artifacts you¡¯ve circulated do whatever you claim they allow. A simple paper that reacts to thought by burning isn¡¯t enough to start a war.¡± Johanna turned briefly to check on Katia. Undersecretary Michaelson¡¯s eyes shone with a light that she knew was invisible to all but herself. Surprisingly, Katia¡¯s nodded slightly. Detect Lies didn¡¯t register anything then, and it looked like the Senator was not lying. The Adjutant might not have shared anything with his State¡¯s representative in the Senate. Mana pulsed briefly around her. He doesn¡¯t know, she heard silently as the Undersecretary confirmed. ¡°It may be that you are not aware of this,¡± Wexler said, having probably been notified of the fact as well. ¡°But I would not be in front of you if I did not have information and confirmation. At least one of the people killed in the heist was tracked back to the Embassy of the Montana, where he apparently routinely met with the staff there. And we have two others that were registered in Independence as former citizens born in the Marches.¡± ¡°So you say.¡± The debate degenerated quickly after that, leaving Johanna as a mere spectator. It was certainly not going to be decided promptly, she realized. No wonder the news about the Adjutant¡¯s coming to Nashville reported the talks had taken weeks. She wondered what Moore thought of the spectacle. The one thing that bothered Moore was that if he had to suffer through a fantasy version of C-SPAN, he could not unmute the channel to follow the actual discussions or go to some more interesting streaming. He¡¯d known a few things since Johanna and the rest had been studying for the presentation during their trip on the train ¨C with sails, which was still awesome ¨C with various books on the functioning of the modern-day ¡°Senate of the Union¡±. The commonalities to all the politics were enough to make the difference jarring. At least the Senators didn¡¯t wear jackets and ties, and the modern version of a suit looked a bit more varied than the near-uniform worn by every politician of the 21st century prior to the Fall. The overall setup and ceremony looked more like some videos he¡¯d seen of high-level diplomatic, UN-style meetings from all over the globe rather than some federal institution. It was way too small an assembly and only served to highlight that the USA, the way it existed and worked, was dead and had been dead for a century and a half. The fact that the largest State had less than a million people in it, and what remained of Florida barely topped 22,000 people, was a sober reminder that the 22nd century was hell, or at least only recovering from hell. At least the silent Senators had looked suitably impressed by the demonstration of the skills. And the four had yet to use the joker they had decided on, a setting scroll Johanna had underlined in her list for a Shaper plus Fire Handling. She probably had explained her reasoning, but he couldn¡¯t hear anything. He had to laugh at the idea of a random Senator suddenly becoming a sorcerer just for the purpose of the demonstration and then getting conscripted to fight. Some politicians are firebrands, and for once, that can be literal. B3.17 - Lost and Found To know your Enemy, you must become your Enemy. Pre-Fall Strategist. ¡°You won¡¯t be required to attend the other sessions,¡± Wexler told Johanna, immediately adding, ¡°Although you might be called for if they have a specific question they want you, and no one else, to answer.¡± ¡°How long is this going to take?¡± ¡°My guess? At least a couple of weeks. We have gotten a few States worried, though, so it is moving. But having the Union as a whole acting against one of the members is not... it is unprecedented. ¡°There is a mechanism, but it¡¯s based on expelling the State from the Union, requiring a three-fourth majority. Without that, moving unilaterally against the Montana is doomed to failure.¡± Johanna made a grimace. ¡°We¡¯ll have support. Enough to be effective. I¡¯ll have an escort for you, of course.¡± Really? ¡°In case there is a problem, and we need to know quickly,¡± Wexler added, showing he¡¯d spotted her frown. ¡°But for now, well, you¡¯re free to go around. Enjoy the stay in Nashville. All I can tell you is that it will take some time. Hopefully not next year because I can¡¯t really afford to stay here either.¡± She looked at Wexler, who was heading straight toward a side hallway, just in time to see Katia Michaelson come out and meet him. ¡°So, what do you want to do?¡± Ulrich said, rejoining them. ¡°Probably, as he said. Sightsee Nashville?¡± She stopped. ¡°I have an idea. They probably know at the Residence.¡± The Residence did indeed know, and she and Laura got a guard from the Senator¡¯s staff to escort them, which was better, as the man didn¡¯t really need a map of Nashville to find an address. This is how they found themselves on a side street with many five-story buildings and in front of a door with multiple copper engraved plates with names. The third floor had two different plates. One was ¡°Frederick & Muriel Remodels¡±, and the other was ¡°Society of the Sorcerers and Sorceresses of the Americas¡±. The two and their guard started climbing the stairs, but to Johanna¡¯s surprise, the third floor had only a single door. She exchanged a look with Laura, then knocked on the door. Almost immediately came an answer, ¡°open, come in.¡± Johanna pushed open the door and found a very short hallway leading straight into a large and well-lit room. The room was full of three things. Chairs. Shelves. And paper. The large table behind which the only occupant of the room was seated was full of all sorts of papers strewn around, not just on the table but pinned on the wall, left on chairs, and, well, everywhere. Johanna had a look and saw what looked like pencil drawings. It wasn¡¯t too hard to find out the source, the woman who¡¯d welcomed them in still had a pencil in her hand and was finishing yet another drawing. She dropped the pencil, stood up, and swept up a few of the drawings from chairs, pulling them next to the table. ¡°Sit up, sit up. So, what can I do for you?¡± Before Johanna could even respond, she added, ¡°Note that we do have a four-month pipeline for the actual remodeling. So, nothing before April next year.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ we are not there to¡­ well, whatever remodeling entails?¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± She looked at both of them and the guard. ¡°Sorry, but two young women with good dresses and fancy Ancient fashion, bodyguard. You do look like clients for interior remodeling.¡± ¡°Ah, no. Definitely not that.¡± ¡°Well, we¡¯re the best in Nashville, you know. Old and grand cities like Nashville are hell for real estate. When you¡¯re up and coming, moving to a new and better place is almost impossible, so remodeling it is, and my husband and I have both the talent to make your interior, your lair, exactly as you want it to be.¡± ¡°Well, we were coming for the Society.¡± ¡°Ah. Oh.¡± The woman straightened and raised her hand, moving as if she were shifting an invisible hat or something. ¡°Then, allow me. Sandra Muriel-Frederick, secretary of the Society of Sorcerers and Sorceresses of the Americas and current editor of the Mages of Americas and Beyond, at your service. By the way, did you know the new edition is out this year? You can find it or maybe get a bargain price for the previous one in almost every bookstore in Nashville. Can¡¯t sell it directly due to publishing agreement, but if you want a signed edition, you can bring it, and I¡¯ll be happy to dedicate it.¡± ¡°Well, yes, we¡¯ve seen the eleventh at the house we¡¯re staying at. I¡¯m well familiar with the tenth, though. That was the first edition I saw, and I got a copy at home.¡± Far away, in New Sandusky. ¡°Well, well, what can I do for you, then? The Society always welcomes new supporting members, and we have light yearly dues. There are not many expenses; the Society actually owns this floor and has done that for over seventy years. I just use it as an office so it¡¯s convenient to switch between my jobs. Like now.¡± ¡°Dues?¡± ¡°Well, all supporting members of the Society contribute. We try to invite all the Sorcerers every ten years or so, but there are so few of them. There¡¯s about thirty-five living in the Union, and that¡¯s all. Of course, they all are automatically members, without dues, and the only ones with voting power. Like, I can¡¯t legally do anything with the floor, not even remodeling, without a vote from the Society. So, this is about $20 a¡­¡± Johanna raised her hand to stave the flood. ¡°I think we should have started by introducing ourselves. My name¡¯s Johanna Milton, and this is Laura Donnall.¡± Sandra stopped, and her mouth froze in an ¡®O¡¯ shape. There were four glasses, and she¡¯d pulled out a weirdly shaped bottle full of a weirdly sickly green liquid, insisting that even the bodyguard was allowed one. ¡°Sorry, not on duty.¡± ¡°Your loss. This is fine stuff, straight from the dwarven distilleries of the Sawatch in True Colorado. No one not of dwarven stock is allowed to know what it¡¯s made from, although my sister-in-law swears it¡¯s distilled grape brandy with at least half a dozen of herbs added before ageing. Probably harvested from a mana zone, which gives it the unique flavor.¡± Johanna took a sip, and the bite was harsh¡­ and absolutely flavorful. She couldn¡¯t even begin to guess what went in it. Well, worst case, Laura would have to Cleanse Toxins later. Alcohol itself did not seem to count, but the by-products would. ¡°I knew I should have followed Elena¡¯s advice. She told me to wait a while, and she¡¯d visit with you before I locked the new edition.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°Yes. But she stopped sending anything after her last message about your tiering up. And she didn¡¯t answer my messages either. News in the press seemed to say that the war had heated back and, well, you were mentioned as being in the armies of the Marches. So¡­ I assumed you might have been killed there. So, even if it wouldn¡¯t be possible to confirm¡­¡± She shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not a confirmed sorceress or a sorceress, period, but I can do the formal confirmation. Perks of the station as secretary and editor, and all that kind of thing. Although, if you could¡­¡± Johanna stopped and realized what the chatterbox of a secretary was asking. She turned her palm up and flexed. ¡°Whoa. Definitively big. Bigger than previously recorded. She wasn¡¯t lying.¡± ¡°Actually, I think it was smaller when she reported it. It¡­ grew again, later.¡± And you wouldn¡¯t believe where it did. In the middle of the largest Library in the world, straight in the deadliest mana zone of the continent. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°How large is that flame? For the record. Oh, wait a sec¡­¡± She scrambled under the table and pulled a copy of the Mages of America, whose coloring indicated the new 11th edition. She unerringly opened it to a page and grabbed a pencil. When Johanna looked surprised, she explained. ¡°I use one as a note for changes in the next edition. Plus additional paper inserts, of course. The reference for the flaming hand needs more data. It¡¯s commonly seen but with all sorts of variations.¡± ¡°Ah. It¡¯s 9 inches and a bit, then. And around 1300¡ãF.¡± Sandra scribbled furiously, and before Johanna could add any detail, she turned toward Laura. ¡°And you? I should, I don¡¯t know, brace myself or something? Dreadful gaze is reported to be nasty.¡± Laura shrugged and looked at Sandra. She pushed back her chair, her eyes going wide, gulping. Johanna noted the surprised look of the guard, but of course, he wasn¡¯t in front of Laura and couldn¡¯t even guess what was going on. ¡°I think that¡¯s okay,¡± Sandra whispered. ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it,¡± Laura told her. ¡°Even soldiers have problems with Falter, even with their training.¡± ¡°Falter?¡± ¡°Yes. That¡¯s the official name. Not as fancy as the dreadful gaze, I agree, but it¡¯s descriptive.¡± Sandra frowned. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not the one who picked the name.¡± ¡°Well, name or not, congratulations on being confirmed. So, you¡¯re tier 6?¡± Laura and Johanna exchanged gazes. How to tell her? ¡°Not exactly. I¡¯m a bit¡­ higher,¡± Laura admitted. ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°How much did we clock it in New Sandusky, Jo?¡± ¡°The guard stopped at¡­ seven hours? They said they weren¡¯t taking it anymore. There is something about being deathly afraid for hours upon end that doesn¡¯t fit people.¡± ¡°So, a bit over seven hours,¡± she directed at Sandra, whose frown was deepening. Johanna wasn¡¯t about to let Laura get the upper hand. ¡°I still beat you. Eight hours and over with the Fire Handling.¡± ¡°And you get cramps at the end.¡± Sandra¡¯s eyes moved between the two repeatedly before she frowned even deeper. ¡°Are you joking? I mean, I can confirm you¡¯re the ones in the official register, but¡­ eight HOURS?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve grown a bit since you got that last letter from Elena,¡± Johanna added, then she sprang her surprise. Sandra backed up, her eyes growing as she looked at the Burning Orb a couple of feet above her desk. Even from there, Johanna assumed she could feel the heat coming up, so she turned it off to avoid setting fire to all the papers around. ¡°That¡¯s Burning Orb. My latest Talent, after we left the Marches.¡± She turned and looked at the guard who¡¯d drawn his sword. ¡°No worries, that¡¯s me. Next¡­¡± She looked around, finding a safe direction, and took the slightest breath, expelling an ultra-short puff of cloud that seemed almost innocuous. ¡°Steam Breath. Nasty stuff, too. Perfect for melting snow in the wilderness or¡­ melting faces off bandits.¡± She grimaced at the memory. ¡°I¡¯m not even trying to demonstrate Cinder Circle or Fireball. These would wreck the Society¡¯s headquarters.¡± Sandra was trying to speak and somehow, incredibly, failing, her jaw moving up and down. ¡°You have EIGHT Talents?¡± ¡°No, actually seven. I lost Earthbind ¨C sorry, ground lock as you call it ¨C and got it replaced by Fireball.¡± ¡°But no one ever lost a Talent. That¡¯s impossible¡­ but those two¡­¡± Johanna could tell Sandra¡¯s brain was melting or something. The Society secretary tried to think about what she¡¯d seen until she stopped. She bent over the table, grabbed the still-untouched glass for the guard, and brought it in front of her, gulping it almost entirely. ¡°Okay. Okay, okay, okay. Tell me¡­ tell me everything. How is that possible?¡± Here we go again. ¡°We don¡¯t actually break the rules, as much as we¡­ stretch them,¡± she started with. ¡°But when we¡¯re involved, things go differently than expected. First off, what we do is something nearly anyone could potentially do. It¡¯s just that almost no one managed to get there and stumble upon the perfect combination. But if you know and can¡­ well, tier 6 archmages with three Talents¡­ we call them beginner sorcerers.¡± If Sandra still had any of that dwarven liquor in her mouth, she would probably have spewed it in shock. ¡°Three Talents and over an hour of continuous casting is something anyone, and I mean anyone, could potentially achieve at 18,¡± she pursued. ¡°And it only goes up from there when you get the Talents as soon as possible instead of lucking out on them. We had two, I think, eighteen months ago. Three a few weeks after. Four when we were drafted; that¡¯s when you got the messages from Elena. Five by the end of the year. And well, now we¡¯re at seven since the end of summer.¡± Sandra grabbed her weird bottle and poured another glass, although she didn¡¯t immediately jump on it. ¡°Granted, we¡¯re a bit of an extreme case. But archmages, we know a lot of them. Laura, how many so far?¡± ¡°Catherine in the Montana, metal? Petra, of course, earth. Miles, metal, too. Ulrich wood. Jorieke is earth, and Uther Wilkins is water. Weird for a cook, but that ice cream was the¡­ top. Then Jackson, who¡¯s full fire now, and guardsman Alten for earth again. And all those in Vernon.¡± ¡°The thing is, it is possible to make people sorcerers. To grant them Talents, without being tributary to the whims of luck,¡± Johanna said. ¡°But how? Would Artifacts help? I don¡¯t know, maybe they can help get a Talent?¡± ¡°Why do you think that?¡± Johanna replied, intrigued. ¡°I know the Erlangs use those as tokens to help their kids get Talents. There were two in the Society. The Burning Walker and another, Feixing. They think if you¡¯re exposed to an Artifact as you grow up, it will be easier to gain a Talent later.¡± Johanna shook her head in denegation. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. The requirements for a Talent are fairly fixed and measurable. Having an Artifact won¡¯t change those. In fact, Artifacts seem to duplicate Talents, and they neutralize each other. If you have a Talent that¡¯s the same as an Artifact, then you can¡¯t use your Talent or the Artifact.¡± She wondered briefly about that. Would holding an Artifact block your ability to use a parchment for the same Talent? They had never tested that. They¡¯d accumulated a lot of Artifacts for protection and occasional use but never needed to check, even when they knew specific Talents that matched those. ¡°Then how? If Talents can be unlocked, why¡­ it would change everything.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a bit more involved than you¡¯d expect, but¡­¡± She pulled her wildcard. They hadn¡¯t brought all four of the parchments made from Wexler¡¯s book to the Senate, and she¡¯d kept the last Authority one, in case. In her experience, everyone without a history of parchment absorption could activate one of those basic qualities versions, no matter what. Knowing better about costs from her sojourn in Moore¡¯s realm, she had no difficulty accepting that. ¡°This is what we use to do it. This one does not have a Talent on it, but it can be used as a prop to get a Talent later.¡± Sandra looked at the exotic parchment and then took it. Unsurprisingly, it lit up, the usual blue streaks of light coursing along the lines until they started rotating around the center, with the Authority bizarrely lettered word being regularly highlighted. Instead of dropping it, which oftentimes happened, Sandra¡¯s grip tightened. ¡°You will feel like you need to confirm something. By the way, I would like very much to keep it, so don¡¯t accept it. We have nothing to follow up with, so it¡¯ll be wasted on you.¡± There might be an Ancient book somewhere in the chaos that was Sandra¡¯s office, but she also had strict orders to keep the actual source of the parchments under wraps. Independence would try to get as many of them out of the market before the news came out and the rush began. ¡°I¡¯ve heard of bizarre artifacts, but this one is even stranger.¡± ¡°If it included a Talent and you could activate it, then you would gain the Talent. And with a proper specialization, you¡¯d become a sorceress rather than a simple adept. Or a Heroine. Or a Saint. Depending on what path you¡¯d be able to take.¡± ¡°You are not bullshitting me, are you? This is real?¡± ¡°Yes. Twelve-fifteen parchments, and you¡¯re near our power level. For all the archmages Laura mentioned, we provided the parchments to make them. Along with as many Heroes and a few Saints.¡± ¡°You make them? You don¡¯t just find them? With that Mana Sight of yours?¡± Johanna had to reflect again on the fact that, despite their similarity to Artifacts, the parchments didn¡¯t draw in mana and didn¡¯t disturb it. Even when people activated them, even when she made them, her Mana Sight did not see anything. The blue light she associated with mana was visible to all in that case. She started to explain the principles and goals behind the Talent House. How they¡¯d intended it to become a source of Talents to beat against the wilderness created by the Fall, the threat of the mana zones, and their Changed beasts. While the plan was now suspended, if they won this war, if they managed to neutralize the Warden, then the plan could restart. Probably in a slightly different way. At best, they¡¯d restart the company¡¯s operations under some form of control from the government. Ulrich had spoken the word ¡°regulation¡±, making it very obviously a dirty word. At worst, it would become a government institution, with the four of them the core agents. But Ulrich was pretty sure Independence would never be able to keep it under wraps. The war would tell anyone paying attention that there was a way to turn people into Talented, if nothing else, and that was done right here in Independence State. Keeping it a state monopoly would trigger¡­ well, the Fifth War of Unification. It was a grim possibility, but they were in a position to shut that down if it happened. Once the emergency passed, if they stopped making parchments, if Moore didn¡¯t cooperate, Wexler would fail at that. ¡°Hundreds of Sorcerers.¡± ¡°Next year, certainly.¡± Johanna hesitated. So far, no one had heard of the impending war. In fact, it was still theoretical ¨C everyone acted as if the Warden would rush to press his advantage. She thought it likely, too, but things could change. Sandra poured another glass from her dwarven bottle. Somehow, the content of the glass disappeared mid-conversation. Any more of that, and Laura might need to do something. ¡°The Society¡­ is obsolete. That¡¯s what you mean.¡± ¡°Besides, it was always a special case. Heroes and Saints are basically the same, just with a different path. That¡¯s why Laura looked bizarre ¨C she mixes Talents that some claim are the province of Saints and some that are sorcerous. But it is actually the same thing.¡± ¡°You know, there¡¯s a famous scholar of Talents right here in Nashville, and he did theorize the same thing.¡± ¡°Professor Gomez? No kidding ¨C he basically wrote the reference we use to make someone Talented.¡± ¡°You know Gomez?¡± ¡°He went with us on an expedition this summer. We were¡­ working on the raw materials for the parchments. He got enough to make a fairly advanced guide to how and when to have Talents.¡± ¡°I need to talk to him, absolutely!¡± ¡°Wait, he¡¯s still there?¡± ¡°Uh, why wouldn¡¯t he? He¡¯s teaching at the Nashville Academy of Physics.¡± ¡°We were told he had problems and got kidnapped. That¡¯s not true?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ I don¡¯t know. I mean, I haven¡¯t spoken with him for a long time.¡± ¡°When was the last time you spoke to him?¡± ¡°Last¡­ September? He was just back from some book expedition and seemed to be pretty excited about new theories. I just had finished the final edited copy of the eleventh edition, and it was going to the printers already, so I told him that whatever he wrote, it might go in the twelfth, but that didn¡¯t seem to be a problem. ¡®it¡¯s too early, I need time to pick the right subjects anyway¡¯ he said¡­. Wait, the expedition¡­?¡± ¡°Was ours, yes. So, yes. He seems to have disappeared.¡± ¡°Oh, no. That¡¯s terrible.¡± ¡°He had parchments to work with. Somebody found out and kidnapped him to find out what he knew, we think happened.¡± Sandra slumped. She seemed to realize that her world had ended. Or at least half of her world ¨C the remodeling business was not going to be touched by the upcoming Talent War. Maybe if there are craftsmen Talents used, Johanna realized. That was one of the topics Gomez was interested in ¨C the obvious parts were Talents could be used to make things instead of fighting and some of the slightly exotic specializations that seemed to be outside of the regular quality-based sets. Fusion, the Talent that had been given to Catherine, was nearly useless for combat, except for burning up people¡¯s ringmail at very close range, but for a crafter? ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯re seeing the twelfth edition,¡± Johanna told her friend as they descended the stairs. They¡¯d left the slightly slumped woman with glass and bottle. She was doodling things ¨C Johanna hadn¡¯t seen what ¨C as they excused themselves, a morose expression on her face. ¡°No. But she cares about that stuff, obviously. It¡¯s not just an office that can be used for free.¡± ¡°You know what I think?¡± ¡°No?¡± ¡°Nashville branch.¡± Laura looked at her, then realized what was implied. ¡°It¡¯s not for now. But later, we¡¯ll eventually need some presence here, even if they don¡¯t need a real force. There are mana zones south, but far away, and almost no Changed beast roaming. But, well, it¡¯s the Union capital,¡± Johanna said. ¡°It¡¯s not just to give her a job?¡± ¡°No. But if she¡¯s already the kind of person you¡¯d need for managing a branch, why not? I¡¯ll have a word with Ulrich.¡± B3.18 - Undersecretary Duties You see, but you do not observe. Pre-Fall mystery writer. Johanna was astounded to discover that the local press was a daily affair. The Nashville Crier was out every day, save Sundays, and even delivered to the house of premium subscribers. With the city¡¯s size and importance, there were probably enough items to fill every issue. Of course, Senator Alberich was a subscriber, and so when they came down for breakfast, he already had today¡¯s issue open, which he immediately pushed at her.
Chaos in the Senate! Yesterday¡¯s session of the Senate of the Union was quite unlike any other. Harold Wexler, the Executive himself, came to provide an extraordinary petition. Not only that, but he came accompanied by an archmage demonstrating fire powers to strengthen his position. Among the people enlisted was a mysterious Hero whose stealth could suggest he was the California Ghost himself. However, the man looked so young that he was probably not even born when the legendary assassin vanished from the scene. ¡­
The article went on to speculate on the exactitude of the claims on the Warden¡¯s aims, the likelihood of Talents being so readily available, and cast many doubts, even as the journalist ¨C called merely N.R. ¨C admitted that Senators were ¡°greatly disturbed by the perspective¡±. The article even went on to notice that Johanna might actually be the ¡°most recent and powerful archmage recorded in the Mages of America¡±, given her name. There was even an entire, albeit small, side article devoted to figuring out who she exactly was, wondering why a sorceress from the Marches of the Montana would be there to agitate for war against her home. Thankfully, the reporter didn¡¯t have much besides the brief bio in the 11th edition. ¡°Chaos in the Senate?¡± she finally said. ¡°Big titles sell better. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they didn¡¯t print a larger edition and were looking to sell more all over the capital.¡± ¡°Sell what?¡± the voice of Wexler came from the entrance. Johanna pushed the newspaper toward Wexler and he sat and started to read, neglecting the breakfast. ¡°That was to be expected, of course,¡± he finally commented. ¡°Expected?¡± she asked. ¡°Senate sessions are a matter of public record. I would have been surprised if there was not at least one reporter there or at least an aide working part-time for one to take notes of what¡¯s happening without waiting for an official record. That¡¯s also partially why I was very cautious about saying from what exactly the Talents parchments were made. At one point, I may have to explain why we don¡¯t have made those Talents yet, but not right now. Too early.¡± She pushed herself back into her chair, contemplating her toast. ¡°Welcome to being famous. At least people don¡¯t yet recognize you. I¡¯ve had enough drawings of me that almost anyone can figure I¡¯m the Executive.¡± She grabbed and poured more coffee, as the Senator and Executive wolfed down their own breakfast, then excused themselves almost immediately. She spotted Katia finally coming down. ¡°You¡¯re not with them?¡± ¡°They can deal with the Senate, they don¡¯t need me for that. I have my own things to do.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°Well, most cities don¡¯t have a real bureau. Places like your New Sandusky, I use local informants, but Nashville of course has a real office at the City Hall. I was there yesterday after the Senate session, see what reports haven¡¯t made my way yet, and check on their latest mission.¡± She paused dramatically and added, ¡°Hunting books, not subversives.¡± ¡°Ah. Of course.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve sent dispatches to every major area with the same instructions. And orders to ship everything to Vernon as soon as they get hold of books. In the case of Nashville, I¡¯ll have to unlock additional funds from the local Treasury office. I¡¯ll do that later, though. Any projects? Visiting Nashville is a treat.¡± ¡°Laura and I went to the Society yesterday.¡± ¡°Society? Oh, you mean the Society of Sorcerers and Sorceresses?¡± ¡°That one, yes. Officially, to get confirmed as such.¡± Katia tried, but failed to refrain from smiling. ¡°You¡¯re probably a bit much.¡± ¡°We listed a few more archmages.¡± ¡°I hope you didn¡¯t list me,¡± she started immediately, alarmed. ¡°Harold made sure we didn¡¯t leave any sign I was more than just help during the Senate initial session.¡± ¡°Lord, no. We mentioned briefly some, but learning that basically, the number of such will go from two currently recorded to, well, several hundreds¡­¡± ¡°Well, if she hadn¡¯t learned it from you, she¡¯d learn it soon enough,¡± Katia gestured at the newspaper. ¡°She also mentioned Professor Gomez. You have any news?¡± Katia made a face. ¡°Not much more than what was in the reports I got in Vernon, I¡¯m afraid. By the way, I got some items from their investigation, and I was wondering if a parchment could be¡­ altered. Or destroyed?¡± ¡°What?¡± Johanna blurted. ¡°They had some items that weren¡¯t shipped along the report, and one was this one. I¡¯m not sure what to think about it.¡± She pulled out a paper and pushed it across the breakfast table. The paper did look exactly like a settings scroll. Same size, same circular designs, same font, with a Level, Strength, Shaper, Earthbind labels in the proper position. Johanna hunched over it, letting Moore get a better view. Wrong ink, he realized. And, assuredly, the wrong paper too. When she tried to fold it, it bent very easily. Moore had noticed the scrolls created from Pre-Fall books were far more rigid than their thickness would suggest. You could fold them with effort, but they immediately bounced back to complete flatness when left alone. No creasing allowed. Of course, Johanna had noticed as she pushed away the false scroll and leaned back into her chair. Where did that come from? Is someone trying to make counterfeits? Already? Moore thought. ¡°It¡¯s a fake,¡± she pronounced. ¡°That¡¯s what I thought, but I wanted to be sure. You¡¯re the expert, after all. Nobody had been able to activate it, and since, based on what you say, it should be trivial to use, I thought it might be broken.¡± ¡°It does look exactly like one, but it¡¯s¡­ not as material. It does look exactly like one, but it¡¯s not the right support, the right parchment.¡± ¡°Too flimsy. To be fair, they also had two that I think are real, but no one could activate either.¡± ¡°Got them?¡± She pushed two more pieces of paper, whose appearance was more in line with what was possible. The first was labeled Level, Strength and Fast Skirmisher, which she recognized immediately as a level 8 specialization. The other was a simple Domain of the Forest, which rang a bell, but she couldn¡¯t place it. Except¡­ domains were level 9, right? There were five of them, she thought, one per elemental specialization. She didn¡¯t have a reference to check; Ulrich was the one with a copy. ¡°No wonder. They¡¯re high-level. Unless one of your agents had the right levels and qualities, there was no way they could activate any.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ll probably pass them to the army. They can use those, right?¡± ¡°If we find the right veteran for them, sure. They came from Gomez, right? I thought he had taken mostly moderately low-level parchments, unlike those two.¡± ¡°Yes, they found it in his home. Along with the one you say is fake.¡± ¡°I wonder if they didn¡¯t miss more.¡± ¡°Well, we can always check,¡± Katia said. ¡°You¡¯re the experts, maybe you¡¯ll find something the city police or my agents missed.¡± ¡°Hello,¡± Johanna said. The receptionist in the tall building smiled back. ¡°Hello. May I help you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Johanna Milton. We were on the expedition to the east with Pr. Gomez.¡± ¡°And the answer is still no,¡± a voice came from behind her. She turned and spotted a woman with a giant frown coming out from a hallway to the side. ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°You want our books; the answer is no.¡± Johanna frowned, too, then realized what must have happened. The Executive¡¯s office must have realized that Gomez¡¯s trove of Ancient books was there in Nashville at his university. And of course, Katia¡¯s agents had come back running when she gave them instructions to round up everything they could. She dug into her memories for Gomez¡¯s discussion of his teaching job. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°You must be Mrs. Miller. Gomez spoke about you, when he sorted the books we found east.¡± The head librarian frowned. ¡°You¡¯re one of those Talented he said assisted him to go there?¡± Johanna was ready to correct her, but she stopped herself. The woman had it backward, but that was understandable from her perspective. ¡°Yes. Ulrich, the one who contacted him, isn¡¯t there, but I was on the expedition.¡± ¡°Well, I will thank you. We got over 250 books from this endeavor, including many that were never seen after the Fall, like the Mobile Hydraulics Handbook and physics and engineering coursebooks and reference works. Some were used as the basis for modern books, and some books no one knew ever existed. But the answer is still no.¡± Johanna snuck a look at Katia, but the woman betrayed nothing. ¡°You had lots of Ancient books before?¡± ¡°Well, our library has always been good. That¡¯s why the Academy is famous, its quality and library. But we had only fifty books that pre-date the Fall. Most of our books are later works, or in three cases, copies of the original that we don¡¯t have.¡± 300 books, she heard. She could tell when someone spoke and when telepathy was involved somehow, even if she wasn¡¯t looking at Katia and didn¡¯t see a mana pulse when she used the Talent. Peter scouting with the helm made her more used than anything else. ¡°Well, we¡¯re not there for the books,¡± she said. I think. At least me. ¡°Then what?¡± ¡°We were still collaborating with the Professor on matters relating to Talents, actually, before¡­ you know.¡± ¡°Ah. He was pretty excited when he came back. I sometimes think he only brought back books so that the Dean wouldn¡¯t complain.¡± ¡°Well, he didn¡¯t mention the Dean, but he sure mentioned you.¡± The librarian harrumphed. ¡°We wanted to see if he didn¡¯t leave any clues on his work in his office.¡± ¡°Well, the police came. Twice. No, three times; to check and recheck everything. I don¡¯t think they missed anything¡­ but maybe I can let you in? Wait here, I¡¯ll get someone.¡± The two were left waiting in the academy¡¯s reception. ¡°300? Really?¡± Johanna asked. ¡°You do realize you probably brought a significant portion of all the Ancient books available in Nashville right now?¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to get them back, then?¡± ¡°We will try. We¡¯re not going to force the issue too much. 300 is a significant amount, though, 150 soldiers, maybe?¡± ¡°Potentially. Between a hundred and 150, yes.¡± ¡°I hope your expedition will bring orders of magnitude more.¡± ¡°Well, Gomez¡¯s books were on the large side. Before we left, Ulrich gave instructions to Petra to get the smallest and thickest volumes she can find. Height and width don¡¯t matter; only the number of pages.¡± ¡°The idea is to pack as many for the same weight,¡± Katia nodded, looking approvingly. A young man was approaching, so they shut up. ¡°Misses? I¡¯m Gordon Moore,¡± he introduced himself. Johanna had almost a start. But it had to be a mere coincidence. Hey, he¡¯s got the same name as dad, Moore thought. But what interested him was the descriptor. Seeing the listed ¡°level 4 maker¡± had forewarned him.
Gordon Stanley Moore Male human, 20 years, 8 months
Maker Level: 4 (5000 XP needed) 55/55 stamina (+16 per hour) 55/55 mana (+14 per hour) 2 unallocated skill points XP: 4543
STR: 16 AUT: 17 (2807 XP needed) Mend Object (55)
AGI: 17 (2807 XP needed) Sharpen (55) PER: 14
DEX: 16 EMP: 15
55% better vision 55% hand coordination
Now, isn¡¯t that interesting? he pondered. The probability of having two skills with high multipliers for the specialization was very low, especially for someone who was only twenty. But having the exact same amount of XP earned in the stats after obviously gaining one point in each? That could only mean having been acquired at the exact same time. If he had a head, he would have shaken it. This has to be Gomez¡¯s university. ¡°I am¡­ was in two of Professor Gomez¡¯s classes. Applied power transmission as a major, automation as a minor,¡± the man was explaining. He¡¯d introduced himself as a student, sent there to escort them around. ¡°Power transmission?¡± Johanna asked. ¡°Wind-powered machinery, usually. Not just how to make better windmills, you know, but other industrial setups. The academy produces the finest people for that type of work. Any carpenter thinks they can make a few gears and slap them together and get stuff working, but it takes real engineers to squeeze the most out of the wind. Torque and all.¡± Johanna made an approving nod, but she had very little idea of what the ¡®major¡¯ entailed. From her chats with Pr. Gomez, she knew that his academy specialized in engineering, which involved making all sorts of devices, and physics, which¡ªshe believed¡ªwas about how things worked¡ªor didn¡¯t, post-Fall, which was in the establishment¡¯s title. ¡°We had a replacement because the Professor wasn¡¯t there at the beginning of the year. Then he came back from that sabbatical or something he¡¯d done and took back over the courses ¨C for all of three weeks until he disappeared and his office got ransacked.¡± The young student stopped at a door, and brought out a big brass key, unlocking it. ¡°Here we are.¡± He preceded them and moved to the side of the door inside the office. Johanna thought Professor Gomez¡¯s office was barely okay. She had pictured it larger, befitting the stature of a major scholar, but most of the offices back at the Talent House¡¯s headquarters were as large or larger. It was also very bare: a desk with nothing on it, a chair pushed to the wall, an empty coat hanger of all things. She looked all around. ¡°I don¡¯t understand why the police insist we don¡¯t do anything with it. I mean, they took away everything they could find, at least whatever the people who broke in didn¡¯t get out.¡± ¡°Do you know what he had in here?¡± Katia asked. ¡°His coursebooks, his lecture notes, all that. No assessments because we didn¡¯t have any yet. All of his research materials, too. You have to understand he¡¯s a theoretician, primarily. All he needed was paper. Lots of it. The rest he needed was in there, he always said,¡± the young man said, tapping his finger on the side of his head. ¡°And what do you think would interest any thieves?¡± the Undersecretary pursued. ¡°My guess? His research on Talents. Dozens of people who work in physics and teach engineering, including here. But he was famous when it came to Talent stuff. The faculty indulged him because he¡¯s a good teacher.¡± ¡°Did you like him?¡± ¡°Well, he had this talent ¨C lowercase ¡®t¡¯ ¨C to make you feel that if you didn¡¯t care about his stuff, he didn¡¯t care about you. That¡¯s very off-putting. But if you liked studying and working with him through all sorts of exercises, he was the man to learn from. I¡¯m probably in the minority, but yes, I liked him. I hope you find whoever did that.¡± Johanna realized that Katia had manalight around her eyes, which had probably constantly running since they had been around. Why not? Like any third-tier specialization with full Talents, at level 8, she could sustain a single Talent for hours. ¡°He¡¯d been working on Talents for a long while. Why now?¡± Katia asked. ¡°Well, after the summer, he was sure he had ¨C I quote ¨C a general framework for Talents. The Unified Framework, he called it. It would shake the world, he said.¡± ¡°He told you that?¡± ¡°Well, when he returned to relieve his replacement, he said the class that¡¯s what he¡¯d been working on. Watch it, he told all of us: the world will never be the same.¡± ¡°Did you believe that?¡± The young Gomez hesitated, then answered, ¡°He was never one to overplay. If he said he had cracked something, he had. So yes, I believe that. The professor never disappointed.¡± ¡°And three weeks after he came back, he got attacked. Do you know anyone who would have helped that?¡± ¡°You¡¯re the first one to ask any of us that question,¡± he laughed. ¡°But no, I don¡¯t think anyone would have done that. Well, maybe there is a scumbag among the students who would prefer Duncan ¨C that¡¯s his replacement ¨C and wants a better grade on his finals. But what would anyone in that position be able to tell anyone that would be interesting?¡± ¡°Location? Schedules?¡± The man laughed. ¡°Anyone can find that; no need to be a student. You ask for directions at the entrance, and usually, they¡¯ll point you there. I¡¯m just here because it¡¯s been under lockup and stuff. Otherwise, they¡¯d have told you the office number and wing. I mean, it¡¯s an academy. What is there to steal? Drafts for the Vernon Society of Science?¡± ¡°Yet people did that.¡± He gestured toward the cabinets in the room, and Johanna realized they had locks that had been ripped out. ¡°Well, they even took the physics books. The Head Librarian was furious.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°Mostly useless. He was genuine, I¡¯d say. Not a single lie. He genuinely doesn¡¯t know how that happened; he just has guesses,¡± the Undersecretary said. ¡°So, dead end?¡± ¡°My agents checked everything already. You didn¡¯t spot anything?¡± Katia asked. ¡°You have Mana Sight, too. If there were any hidden Artifact or something, we¡¯d see it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve spotted six around the city when we arrived, but nothing over the Academy.¡± ¡°Same for me,¡± Johanna confirmed. ¡°What next?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get an agent to open up his apartment. Maybe there is a clue they¡¯ve missed.¡± In a mirror of the Academy of Post-Fall Physics, the agent who¡¯d unlocked the door stepped inside and moved aside to let Johanna and Katia in. The difference inside was considerable. Where the office had been completely bare, the apartment still had lots of things in it. Katia looked at her agent. ¡°We left it as much as possible, just in case, ma¡¯am. Unlike the academy, no one else has access here.¡± ¡°This is where you found the parchments?¡± ¡°Yes. In the washroom, actually. They were behind the sink, easy to miss. That¡¯s when we suspected that it was very, very out of the ordinary because, you know, the way one lights up. I didn¡¯t make it work, but Hector did. That¡¯s why we sent it to Vernon.¡± ¡°Thankfully, he resisted the impulse of accepting it.¡± ¡°You find an Artefact that lights up and seems to talk to you without words weirdly? Nope, definitively nope. It¡¯s like finding a contract from the devil, and you have no idea what¡¯s on it.¡± Johanna walked around, looking. There was a central small dining table, clean and empty, and a side desk as large as the table, with a handful of things on it: books, pencils and fountain pens. She looked at it, then startled. ¡°It¡¯s exactly like you found it?¡± she asked for confirmation. ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± the agent replied immediately. ¡°It looked like they¡¯d taken a few things, but not much. I don¡¯t know if the books were like that before or if it¡¯s how they left it.¡± ¡°Katia, look at this.¡± The Undersecretary came over, and Johanna showed her the book cover, Typographic Work, a reasonably modern book. She then reopened it to where the book had been left. Tangerine was the page¡¯s title, and Katia startled. Wait, that¡¯s an actual font? Moore would have goggled if he had eyes, but the surprise at seeing the font that made up the setting scrolls demoed in the middle of the book was still real. It was called Tangerine. The book on which it was listed had a short description and a full list of characters. This font was used in Pre-Fall times, he learned, to balance between handwriting and print format. The reference work said it was there for historical purposes, as it was highly impractical in the ¡°modern¡± printing industry, like most cursive fonts. Okay, that¡¯s fucked up. He¡¯d accepted the weird and fucked up gamelike interface that reigned supreme over his interactions with the real world. All of its stupidity and things that wouldn¡¯t pass muster even in an early access game. But here was direct proof that this had roots from before the apocalypse that had befallen Earth, back when he suffered from the stroke-like death and decomposition that had left his skeleton behind. Because if this insane skill System used a font that came straight out of whatever online foundry that made it, then it had to be part of it. This System uses regular resources. It¡¯s not an alien thing. Someone made it. ¡°Looks like we have our forger,¡± Johanna said, pointing at a paper beside it. The paper held penciled lines and a partial ¡°Shap¡± world made using the very font she¡¯d seen in the book. ¡°Why would Gomez try to reproduce a parchment?¡± Katia asked. ¡°Surely, he couldn¡¯t think it would work?¡± ¡°Remember what that student says? He was writing papers. He¡¯s a very meticulous person. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he wanted to reproduce exactly how a parchment looks for his work.¡± Katia snorted in disgust. Johanna looked again at the various papers that the agents had left in place. One in particular attracted her attention. A handful of notes. ¡°Base is 15, not zero.¡± ¡°They all start at 91.¡± ¡°Mana is Perception, Stamina Strength. Completely independent.¡± She turned to the next page and found one of Gomez¡¯s prototypes for the recording sheets, except that he¡¯d added ¡°15+¡± on all the qualities. At the bottom, he¡¯d done some obscure calculations: ¡°16 ¡Á 3 + 4 = 522¡±. ¡°What¡¯s all that?¡± ¡°Probably some calculations on Talents. Before he left us, he said he had a good intuition on how our mana pool worked. He had all that old data and said it fit the data Moore ¨C ours, not the student ¨C gave him.¡± She turned the sheet, uncovering a five-pointed star diagram with arrows and familiar labels: Metal, Earth, Fire, Wood, and Water. ¡°That¡¯s the basic Shaper specializations,¡± she told Katia. ¡°Why the diagram?¡± ¡°He said it was related to the Erlangs. Their homeland uses that system of five elements. I don¡¯t know what the arrows mean, but he thought it could be significant that the Erlangs had way more sorcerers than anyone else relative to their population.¡± They finally left. ¡°So, nothing much,¡± Johanna noted. ¡°You always check. But I had low hopes for this. When they kidnapped him, I doubt they let him leave a clue.¡± ¡°Why, though? He can¡¯t make them new parchments, after all.¡± ¡°They probably didn¡¯t even know that when they broke in. In any case, they could still pick his brains for ideas on how to best use the parchments they got. Back to square one,¡± Katia said as she descended the stairs from Gomez¡¯s apartment. ¡°Now what? We wait?¡± ¡°Politics don¡¯t move fast. Let¡¯s hope your expedition doesn¡¯t do as bad.¡± B3.19 - Camp David Charity is only a waystation on the road of Justice. Pre-Fall minister. The Camp of the Mooneyed felt like a hybrid of the city of Cheat and a classic farm complex. While there had been no obvious path leading there, Monica Silvers had been able to guide the two wagons across the forest and up the hills that surrounded the area. Mid-way, they¡¯d met with a scout of the Mooneyed keeping watch. The diminutive woman on her Canid mount had prompted him to seek them out rather than stay hidden, and he¡¯d wasted no time rushing to the Camp while the slower-moving Talent House expedition carts followed. The Camp was surrounded by a handful of fields, all fallow. Everything had been harvested long before, although Miles spotted what looked like an orchard of sorts, given how heavy the apple trees looked. They were not aligned like you¡¯d expect a proper orchard, but still suspiciously well-spaced. The main structure was large, with well-cleared spaces around it. It was a mixture of stone and an enormous wood trunk palisade with an upper walkway and parapet. ¡°Where¡¯s everyone?¡± ¡°It¡¯s daytime,¡± Monica replied. Miles almost facepalmed. The fact that the 3-foot-tall woman wore permanently heavy glasses with side shields that enclosed her face entirely was so now familiar that he forgot the Mooneyed were actually nocturnal. There was a Talent that was supposed to provide similar night sight without the drawback of being half-blind in daylight. Sweep was in the repertoire of one of the guards back in New Sandusky, and while he suspected the passive was not quite as good as the native Mooneyed¡¯s eyesight, Stu would probably find himself at ease in that environment. Once they reached the camp gates, Miles immediately realized the problem. While the gates were large, probably to allow for the harvests, they were also scaled for Mooneyed use. The large wagon used by the Talent House was certainly not going to fit. Monica immediately apologized. ¡°We don¡¯t have beasts of burden like you do. Some of the mounts that are not used by scouts, but that¡¯s not the same.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll make a camp next to the door. Hopefully, it¡¯s not too risky.¡± ¡°Almost all buildings in the camp are Taller-sized.¡± Miles thought for a few seconds before laughing. ¡°We¡¯re not staying long, hopefully, but I suspect we can keep watch on the draft teams during the day and your people at night.¡± ¡°That works.¡± The inside of the Camp was quite unlike cities or farms. Some buildings looked almost modern rather than Ancient, but they were widely spaced with lots of room. Pathways crossed the interior. The only trees were all clumped into a small mini wood to one side, which also looked like an orchard of sorts. It was almost like being in the countryside, yet in a town, in sight of a wall at all times. A duo of Mooneyed, wearing farmer-style overalls and large dark glasses, came out of one of the low-lying buildings and beelined toward Monica. She exchanged a few quick sentences while the scavengers took the sights. ¡°I don¡¯t think the elders will be up and around already. Why don¡¯t you settle down? Marcus and Yves will be showing you.¡± The building they were led to had normal-sized furniture, although it was a bit dusty. ¡°I apologize. The last Taller¡­ died a few years ago. There¡¯s been no one since.¡± ¡°What happened? Monica mentioned that some of the people did not get Changed after the Fall.¡± ¡°The Four Families were not, yes. No one knows why everyone in that building stayed unchanged. There were six men and four Taller women.¡± ¡°They were inbred?¡± ¡°It¡¯s more like there was only one woman born in an entire generation. And she did not want to go on to mother dozens of new Tallers.¡± Ouch, he realized. ¡°The Mooneyed had sworn to protect them, but now, we have no one. Well, until you showed up.¡± Miles restrained a laugh, as this was not a laughing matter. ¡°I guess we don¡¯t need much protecting.¡± ¡°Are there that many¡­¡± the small man asked. ¡°Way more than that. A few million, even with just this continent.¡± The lighting in the building was subdued, and the four older Mooneyed seated in front of Miles and Petra did not need to wear glasses. Monica did not either, nor the two men sitting on her side. Miles found their eyes slightly unsettling. They were huge for the head, far larger than eyes ought to be. The proportions of the Mooneyed body evoked children, but the face was very different and unmistakably Changed. Monica introduced the two men. Hank Marek and George Silvers were the other two scouts who had followed them to Washington D.C. Hank had obtained Spotter ¨C an Agility and Empathy specialization apparently based around spears, Miles remembered from the lists ¨C and George was an Explorer, a more basic and generic Agility one. ¡°I¡¯ll have to take stock of what potential you have. At least you have some basics. You lucked out that the Ancient was making self-serve sets for the first days. The later parchments require knowing what to do with them.¡± They finally started the actual discussion. Two of the elders were also named Silvers, which seemed to be a common name among Mooneyed. That was not surprising; Monica had told Miles that there were less than two hundred Mooneyed overall, and everyone was a distant relative of everyone else. That had made him wonder how they fared. Marrying was probably a bit difficult, with few prospects, and some of them very closely related. ¡°So, you can help,¡± John Silvers started. ¡°Somewhat. We did not have too many problems, only a few Canid packs, which we drove away.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not going to be the same if we move.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been in the eastern coast zone before I was even a Metal sorcerer. I can only admire how you survived here.¡± ¡°Survive is the word. Our people rode the early Fall out, before that freak storm came and left us, and our dogs Changed after a month. Then, the beasts started to rise, and we held out. We had a sacred mission then, protecting the President of the United States.¡± Miles hesitated briefly. ¡°The old United States no longer exists. We have the Union of States, but it is not the same one.¡± If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°We guessed,¡± John Silver sighed. Even after the old President died, after his wife died, we could only endure. People had been attacking us to get at the resources we stockpiled just before the Fall, and we repelled them until no one came anymore. The Great Beasts are not as numerous as they once were, but they¡¯re still there. The same mana that allows our mounts to rise allows the fauna to rise as well.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a bit of a surprise there. Monica told us how she could feed the same parchments of the Ancient to her mount.¡± ¡°That people could have the same skills was a surprise for us. And we need those.¡± John turned toward Monica. ¡°While you were away, Hiram Marek got almost killed by an Ursid pair. His mount dragged him back, but she got mauled, too. Neither will do scouting anymore since Wounds died six years ago and isn¡¯t there to help. And that could have been worse.¡± ¡°Ouch,¡± she said. ¡°That is why we¡¯ll do whatever it takes. I, for one, am tired of seeing a scout die every year. Even on relatively good years, which this one isn¡¯t.¡± Time for negotiation, Miles thought. ¡°We need some additional strength to get to Washington again. While the road was okay, we discovered significant threats closer to the city¡­¡± ¡°And the ruins themselves had lots of what you call Greater Beasts,¡± Petra added. ¡°And if you raise our scouts, they will help,¡± John Silvers confirmed. ¡°So we have thirty build bases, one for each combination of master qualities. Your roster is 21 scouts, including you and the other two,¡± Miles prompted Monica. ¡°And excluding Hiram. I mean¡­¡± ¡°If we had a Fixer with the right level and build, he¡¯d probably be up and around in a month. But that requires a fairly high level, a build that we¡¯re unlikely to get, and a parchment that we don¡¯t have. After the expedition, maybe.¡± A handful of Mooneyed drifted in. They were all bright-eyed, he thought, even with their weird, large eyes. Mutters started upon hearing Miles¡¯s pronouncement. ¡°Some of this would be easier if we had Foster here for Gauge Endurance. We¡¯ll make do until we have someone.¡± He whipped out some of the talent tracker parchments. ¡°Monica, organize your fellow scouts in age order. It¡¯s relatively fast, as you¡¯ve seen, but we need to check everyone first. I won¡¯t explain this time.¡± ¡°Very odd,¡± Petra noted as Miles tried to sort the intake. ¡°Nearly one-third with Agility as a primary, and another third with Empathy.¡± The assembled scouts of the Mooneyed, save for the hospitalized Hiram, waited with bated breath for the pronouncement of the two Tallers. ¡°You said that Hank has Agility and Empathy,¡± Monica observed. ¡°And we¡¯ll have to measure him as well. And your cousin.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll fetch them.¡± John Silvers just arrived as Petra and Miles finished sorting. ¡°Your scouts are odd,¡± Miles said. ¡°There is a lot less diversity than we¡¯d have expected.¡± ¡°Is that why we never had any Talents?¡± ¡°Possibly. You might have had a Hero one day, but it would have been tricky to spot. But here¡¯s what we think will be the best spread of specializations. It is heavy on support and front-line, with very few with ranged capacities. ¡°What I¡¯d like is to test for Deadeye ¨C that¡¯d be Norris? ¨C and give him Gauge Endurance. It¡¯s the only heroic specialization that fits your scouts which provides a second-tier competence in that Talent. That will give us a better view of who can get what, or rather how much. Your scouts all have rough lives against Changed Beasts, which means higher potential in our experience. But that¡¯s not a guarantee.¡± ¡°I have absolutely no idea how any of that works. As I said, we need you.¡± Petra and Miles started going over the specializations they¡¯d selected. ¡°Overall, that makes 13 Talented scouts, plus the three that came with us. With potentially 3 to 6 Talents each.¡± ¡°Each equivalent of a mount-skill.¡± ¡°Correct.¡± At that moment, Monica re-entered the barracks, dragging both Hank and George. ¡°They thought they could wait it out, as they were already raised.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a bit awful,¡± Miles said. ¡°Either your scores are horribly low, or your level is also too low,¡± Petra explained to George, who sported a pinched face. ¡°I¡¯d use a Level parchment. With Zoom, you should have 17 in Perception, but you don¡¯t seem to have more than 16, so I suspect you can¡¯t take an additional Talent in that area.¡± Miles whipped out a basic parchment. He had an extensive store of the basics since the advanced build sets he had brought were mainly without qualities and certainly without levels. ¡°Well, that kills that option,¡± Petra noted as the parchment failed to light. Miles dug into the box of the parchments and pulled out the Deadeye one to verify, and sighed when he spotted the Level that was there. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t give you an upgrade.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s still three mount-skills more than anyone else.¡± Monica squeezed her cousin¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. There is time for that later, they say.¡± John waved the scout away. ¡°You still have that far-sight ¨C Zoom, I assume. This will go well when needed. Does this change anything?¡± he asked Miles. ¡°No. And I have Deadeye out, so let¡¯s start with Mr. Crosby Norris.¡± The scouts were fascinated with the process and the flaming burn of parchments. They¡¯d heard of it from the three original scouts, but that was the first time they¡¯d seen it happen. The newly raised Deadeye got a handful of archery skills and the Perception-based Gauge Stamina. The sensation of power levels almost freaked him out, but he quickly figured out the relative power levels of the present. Unsurprisingly, John Silvers, the elder Mooneyed, was above all the other¡¯s levels, although the Deadeye could use Petra¡¯s level 7 as a reference. The scouts ranged from level 2 to 6, and he confirmed Miles¡¯s previous guess of a level 6 for Monica. ¡°Raising levels is easy when they are low,¡± Miles announced. ¡°Just because you¡¯re currently level 2 does not mean you can¡¯t rise to the minimum level expected.¡± After concurring with John Silvers, Miles pulled out the various parchments, starting with the highest levels, which, unsurprisingly, were almost all the veteran scouts in their mid-twenties. Of major interest for everyone was the Stock Fixer candidate, but unfortunately, he was capped at level 6, one short of the level 7 required for Regrowth. With more talent energy and a parchment for that one made, however¡­ ¡°So, 11 scouts final. Plus, a few adjustments for both Monica and Mr. Marek. Too bad Ms. Jonas ¨C the other Ms. Jonas, I mean ¨C doesn¡¯t have enough talent energy to raise Strength as she¡¯d be a good backup choice.¡± ¡°Will this be enough?¡± John asked. ¡°It¡¯s not that balanced. You do have two sorcerers, an Earth and Fire Shaper at least, with the Deadeye as another range combatant, but the rest are all close combat.¡± ¡°With names like Blade Whirler and Swordbringer, that¡¯s obvious.¡± ¡°Sharp Discreet and Spotter, too. Thankfully, you do have a Combat Fixer and two more Fixers.¡± ¡°Barring a mass attack by beast hordes, you can probably safeguard a medium group just fine,¡± Petra added.
Monica Silvers Female Mooneyed, 20 years, 11 months
Improviser Level: 6 (8000 XP needed) 106/219 stamina (+15 per hour) 0 unallocated skill points XP: 5796
STR: 15 (2000 XP needed) AUT: 13
AGI: 17 (880 XP needed) Fast Draw (40) Deflect (58) PER: 16 (2000 XP needed) Accurate Pierce (38)
DEX: 18 (1822 XP needed) Reconnaissance (60) EMP: 17 (1296 XP needed) Precise Hand (23)
+6.0 Perception for skill checks Unshakable grip on a weapon under 40 pounds +11.9 Dexterity for skill checks
George Silvers Male Mooneyed, 20 years, 6 months
Explorer Level: 4 (5000 XP needed) 79/79 stamina (+16 per hour) 0/20 mana (+17 per hour) 0 unallocated skill points XP: 4351
STR: 16 (1946 XP needed) Blocking (36) AUT: 14
AGI: 18 (1516 XP needed) Steady Shot (22) PER: 17 (1055 XP needed) Zoom (21)
DEX: 14 EMP: 16 (2000 XP needed) Insight (20)
Require 21% less light to see 22% less fatigue +3.6 Strength for skill checks +2.0 Empathy for skill checks
Hank Marek Male Mooneyed, 21 years, 3 months
Spotter Level: 5 (8000 XP needed) 142/142 stamina (+15 per hour) 3 unallocated skill points XP: 1300
STR: 15 (2000 XP needed) AUT: 14
AGI: 19 (2000 XP needed) Jolt of Endurance (43) PER: 14
DEX: 14 EMP: 17 Anticipate (56)
+5.6 Perception for skill checks +43 stamina
B3.20 - Varangian Guard Neutrality always swallows all things mighty. Pre-Fall Musician and writer. Getting an invitation to dinner from a Senator surprised Johanna but not Ulrich. ¡°Politics,¡± he simply commented with a distasteful look. The Senator from Cheyenne, the one who¡¯d been immediately skeptical when the Executive started his presentation, was an older woman with outdoorswoman-weathered skin and incredibly thick curly black hair. She also invited her outdoors, rather than to the official Residence of Cheyenne. Tom had merely grumbled since it was clear he wasn¡¯t included in the invitation. She hugged him in apology, but it was what it was. Wexler hadn¡¯t joked when he spoke about that restaurant when they¡¯d arrived in Nashville. She¡¯d been to a few establishments since she¡¯d thought of Valetta¡¯s Wandering Inn as the best inn possible, and while she was not that high-society seasoned, she could tell it was way above the best of what she¡¯d seen so far. She also did not want to know how much the invitation would cost. Thankfully for her state of mind, the carte did not include prices. The older woman suggested they wait to order, and started with some general chat before slowly coming to the subject. ¡°Wexler is cagey, but it is obvious the war is about you,¡± she said. ¡°That¡¯s correct,¡± Johanna answered immediately. The Senator looked at her expectantly, but she did not elaborate. She¡¯d been drilled already about the limits of what she could say, particularly in a non-official setting. ¡°Since people realized that Talents existed following the Fall, people have been fantasizing about getting these, becoming powerful Talented. It¡¯s what¡­ one in a hundred thousand people?¡± ¡°A bit more, I¡¯d say. Magical-type Talents¡­ they¡¯re obvious, usually. Heroic Talents are usually a bit less obvious. That¡¯s why Heroes are considered rare ¨C there are probably dozens of people around that don¡¯t even realize they are one. They might think they¡¯re just that good¡­ at something.¡± ¡°Truly?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re good at dodging a sword attack, unless you¡¯re in the military, you might not notice it. And even then, you¡¯re just a good or lucky soldier.¡± ¡°Dodging a sword is a Heroic Talent?¡± Johanna smiled. ¡°And if you¡¯ve got the right specialization, it becomes hard not to dodge a sword.¡± Senator Nokomis frowned. ¡°I would think you really want to dodge that.¡± ¡°Not if you don¡¯t want people to know you¡¯re a Hero.¡± The waiter came back, and they stopped briefly to order. Johanna still had no idea what to pick, so she simply settled on something different from the Senator¡¯s, just to avoid looking as if she was copying her. ¡°I still find it difficult to wrap my mind around the fact that becoming a sorceress is as simple as holding a paper and accepting its gift,¡± Senator Nokomis said. ¡°It¡¯s the only reliable method there is. Otherwise, it is luck, at least mostly.¡± ¡°And you are the only ones who can make those. No one else,¡± she stressed. ¡°So far, yes. The Executive¡¯s intelligence service has reported they¡¯ve tried to reproduce our success but failed, repeatedly.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s why Wexler tells us they¡¯re coming this way. The Warden cannot let you operate independently.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the gist of it, ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°I was skeptical, you know.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a bit hard to believe. That¡¯s why we brought the parchments Wexler showed. A simple one anyone can use, and one with a specialization, so you can see the difference, how it works.¡± ¡°That was the Shaper one, right?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a relatively basic version. So he used it after all?¡± The Senator raised her hand, and Johanna saw the mana gather on her palm before the flame from Fire Handling sprung. The Senator immediately realized where they were and shut it down before anyone could notice. ¡°Congratulations,¡± Johanna said with a straight face. ¡°We actually rolled dice when Wexler said we could use it only once. Although the first winner couldn¡¯t light it up, so I won the next round.¡± ¡°So, you know what we say is true.¡± ¡°A few Senators still don¡¯t think that Maistry would dare an intra-Union war, but if there are truly a hundred thousand of those parchments in his hands¡­¡± ¡°There are. Alas.¡± ¡°Before the draft, the Marches of the Montana had about 10% of the total military forces of the Union. The only States with a bigger standing army are the Southern Marches, the Star and the South ones. My own State has a bit less.¡± She¡¯d seen the analysis by Independence¡¯s general staff. 40,000 professional soldiers vs. 4,500 ¨C or less, depending on the losses they suffered during the course of that last northern war against recruitment efforts. From what she understood, it was the maximum professional army the modern Union economies could sustain long term, at around 1 to 2% of their population. The draft, like what the Montana was doing, could swell that to 7-8% at the expense of the quality of the troops. Any more, and you¡¯d possibly cripple your State for decades, if not generations, because once farm hubs got conscripted and left unworked save by the elderly and the kids, it was a matter of victory or death, and victory would leave you worse off than when you started. ¡°It¡¯s not impressive in itself,¡± the Senator contemplated her now empty hand before continuing, ¡°but Wexler said it was a herald of things that could be done.¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°Do not underestimate it. I killed a Canid once with just that Talent. It¡¯s not just a flame, it¡¯s a fixed size and shape flame. Things like a gullet do not fully deflect or reduce it, so it burns through. Also, if you haven''t noticed, it only works with your main hand.¡± The senator frowned at Johanna¡¯s explanation, looking again at her own hand. ¡°And you¡¯ve got more Talents. Way more.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve seen our demonstration. We¡¯re a bit of an extreme case, but yes. I also have a better specialization, which means a bigger flame.¡± The entrees came, and they stopped talking, taking a little nibble. The egg dish was absolutely divine. Johanna didn¡¯t know you could even get eggs to taste that way. They made chitchat, and the Senator probed more, so Johanna ended up explaining the goals of the Talent House in more detail than Wexler¡¯s quick presentation during the initial Senate hearing. ¡°But of course, that¡¯s now for later. Much later,¡± she ended up. ¡°With such a war, then yes.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to support Independence State, then?¡± ¡°With what remains, yes.¡± ¡°What remains?¡± The Senator made a face as she put her napkin aside on the table. ¡°You realize the Senate just agreed to help the Warden less than three months ago.¡± ¡°Yes, the news were all about it.¡± ¡°Now, I don¡¯t know how much the Military Command will have done. But I would guess that at least one-third of our military marched out this fall to reinforce the Marches of the Montana for their winter campaign.¡± Johanna blinked. Twice. ¡°What do you think¡­¡± ¡°Best outcome? They shoved them to some safe outpost, cut off from any contact, and unaware of what transpires. Worst? They ambush them and slaughter them. Fifteen hundred troops that aren¡¯t available. Probably.¡± She swallowed, and the Senator gave her a sad look. ¡°And if they¡¯re coming straight at Independence, we will be on the way. Home probably needs Talented, but I guess I¡¯m no longer that exceptional and a bit too old now for war.¡± The first invitation unlocked the floodgates, and it now seemed all of the Senators wanted to meet them individually and personally. She shuffled the invitations to Laura and Peter and almost did the same with Tom, imagining her stoic husband eating out a Senator¡¯s food with short and curt minor replies, if any. But there was one invitation she was not going to foist off to anyone. She still debated even accepting it, but Ulrich pointed out that accepting was not agreeing to anything. She wondered if people had noticed her invitations to Wexler¡¯s favorite Gold Maple Inn and were copying, or if it was genuinely so above the rest that it was the obvious choice by all the upper-class people like the Senators. A few more invitations, and she¡¯d probably know the carte by heart. At least this meant she could try different things. She already had her favorites, like the shirred eggs or that insane tangy-sauce sirloin, but there were so many things to discover. However, as if to highlight the occasion, the darkening skies were heavy with clouds, and a very cold wind whipped around. Without a Talent with cold resistance, she was very pleased to arrive at the restaurant and left her inevitable guardsman at the entrance before being brought inside. The Senator for the Marches of the Montana was gruff-looking but seemed well acquainted with the establishment as well. He also didn¡¯t waste time. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°Here as in this nice establishment or¡­¡± ¡°In Independence. You¡¯re from the Marches, after all. You should know that the tribals north ¨C or worse, the Changed there ¨C are savages. And they attacked the Marches as soon as they sensed a vulnerability, banking on the abrupt succession of Edgard Maistry. So, why aren¡¯t you bringing your powers to the help of the Warden?¡± Johanna had to stare. ¡°You really don¡¯t know?¡± ¡°No. When Elena Winchester, the biggest sorceress the Marches ever had, learned of the Warden¡¯s plight, she immediately headed north to support her home. So, enlighten me, then?¡± ¡°Well, first off, we were drafted. Last year, when we were still in Valetta, we got snatched at home, brought to the Adjutant himself, and marched off to New Benton without even an apology.¡± ¡°And if I remember right, 2173 was after the first winter offensive, with the Wendigos¡¯ alliance. You had to know a draft would be inevitable. Why not volunteer, then?¡± ¡°I apologize if we don¡¯t get all the news back in remote Valetta and aren¡¯t up to what the capital does.¡± ¡°Well, Valetta¡¯s smithies are renowned across the state. And your city did warrant being on the Adjutant¡¯s itinerary, if he was overseeing the draft there.¡± Johanna merely shrugged. Valetta had been, well, just the city next door. Anasta used to be her home until people fearing Change drove the four of them out. I wonder what they¡¯d think of it now. ¡°Oh, I will admit they didn¡¯t lump us with the rest of the conscripts, and they had good ideas about how to use our Talents back then. But we never got offered a choice. And in fact, they made sure we would never get the opportunity. ¡°It¡¯s only when we were at the Kootenai Gap that we found out that Laura and I were dosed with contraceptive drugs. To avoid even the slightest risk that we might weasel out of the draft.¡± The Senator frowned slightly. ¡°You were what?¡± ¡°The label said ¡®zeroluck¡¯. It¡¯s apparently a famous anti-conception drug from the Eagle Republic.¡± ¡°That sounds absolutely asinine.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not lying.¡± ¡°If you tell me you found that bottle, and I hope it wasn¡¯t just some coincidence, then it is stupid.¡± ¡°How so? The Montana law says we become exempt if we have kids.¡± ¡°And you would abandon your husbands?¡± Johanna stopped there. ¡°That¡¯s why I say this is stupid. Definitely not something that New Benton would pick as a means to keep you involved in the war. I think someone in the general staff has had big problems after you deserted.¡± ¡°You know we did.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m not that stupid. I read the press, and it¡¯s not hard to link ¡®powers¡¯ that deserted with four majorly Talented showing up in the Senate a year later.¡± Johanna had to frown. Then she realized the Senator might not know. While he¡¯d worked for the Warden, and the Adjutant had been there and presumably engineered the theft, none of them might have bothered keeping their Union Senator in the loop. ¡°Well, any loyalty we might have harbored for the Warden pretty much ended then. You can be thankful that those drugs don¡¯t interfere with the Talent system. It would have been doubly stupid.¡± The waiter came for the orders, and she definitively did pick the eggs and sirloin. ¡°And that¡¯s why we¡¯re in Independence, not the Marches. And that¡¯s why your boss stole our parchments, and your goons tried to kidnap us.¡± ¡°So you say.¡± ¡°The agents sent to New Sandusky admitted to working for the adjutant when they thought they were still winning. That¡¯s good enough for me. And Katia confirms their association with your embassy.¡± ¡°Always keep in mind that, by nature, such people will tell you what they want you to hear.¡± She shrugged and sipped the last of the cocktail drink. ¡°So, according to you, the Marches of the Montana will go to war against another State of the Union.¡± ¡°Stealing was the first step. The Warden can¡¯t let us remain here.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re so sure Maistry will wage war over you, why don¡¯t you stop it?¡± ¡°We¡¯re powerful, but not that powerful.¡± ¡°I¡¯m saying you wage war, but stop it. If the reason the Warden is coming is because you¡¯re here, why don¡¯t you come back to the Marches? If there is a war, people will die, inevitably. If you work for the Warden, that¡¯s not necessary.¡± ¡°And the Warden would not go on to conquer everything?¡± ¡°Contrary to what everyone will tell you, there is a difference between the civilized parts of the world, like the Union, and the wild savages around the continent. While people do disagree on how to run the Union best, the fact that they can disagree is the hallmark of civilization.¡± ¡°Well, the mere fact that the Warden will go to war proves that some people are not willing to disagree, then.¡± ¡°Will. At least in the Executive¡¯s opinion.¡± ¡°Well, I am certainly not going to give Edgard Maistry control of the Talent House.¡± ¡°And you are not giving Harold Wexler that?¡± ¡°That¡¯s different.¡± ¡°Not really. You need to realize that if you are the only source of Talents, as the Executive tells us, then your choice is who is controlling you, not whether or not you will be controlled.¡± Johanna¡¯s distaste must have shown, because the Senator concluded, ¡°People who are irreplaceable always end up locked up. In a gilded cage, if any. Make sure you choose your cage carefully, Mrs. Milton. The Wardens have never been stupid about people of worth. Unlike whoever gave you that drug.¡± There were already two inches of snow in the street as Johanna and her guard found themselves under the porch of the Gold Maple Inn. And more was falling in, a thick snowfall streaking across the street, pushed by the still-strong wind. It was almost like a blizzard, even if it was only early December. ¡°Well, isn¡¯t that grand,¡± she sighed. ¡°The Independence Residence is not that far.¡± She briefly contemplated her arsenal. Almost everything was aimed or static. She finally removed her glove, turned up the palm, and pulled out the flame. ¡°At least we won¡¯t freeze,¡± she said. ¡°I have to admit, Talents are grand,¡± the guard replied. ¡°I feel warmer already.¡± ¡°Well, now you have a reason to stay even closer.¡± B3.21 - War Footing Knowing a Talent is only part of knowing yourself. Wisdom of the Ancients, book 3. The storm clouds were slightly dispersed, yet despite the officially mild winters of the center of Independence State, the deep cold was setting in. Frosted snow was everywhere in the streets. ¡°Pack your stuff,¡± Wexler announced that very morning. ¡°We¡¯re going to take the opportunity and return to Vernon while the weather is decent enough. We¡¯ve been there for far too long.¡± Johanna did not need to be told twice. She and Tom bolted immediately to the upper floor and their guest bedroom, and they packed quickly, a habit borne of so many trips across the entire continent. When they stepped out, she wished again she had one of the cold-immunity Talents. But Steam Breath, despite being partially associated with the Water sorcery specializations, did not carry that advantage. She did not have proof, but she suspected it was about having more breath capacity, which would actually help with the active aspect of the Talent. The wind across Nashville Lake was biting, and she shivered under her heavy vest. None of the others were much more comfortable, and as they moved out toward the distant train station, she did note that the foot traffic was almost non-existent. When they reached the train station, they found one of Wexler¡¯s guards had been preceding them there and held up the train. Being the Executive Officer of the State had its privileges after all, or the train might have left already, taking advantage of the winds that were still going good. ¡°If that stays up, we¡¯re in Vernon in three days,¡± the conductor informed the Executive, who nodded approvingly. ¡°Good. Just in time for Christmas, then,¡± Wexler announced, satisfied. ¡°So, now what?¡± Johanna asked. ¡°Back to work, of course. General?¡± ¡°I got a few dispatches while we were there. There will be a big chunk of books waiting for you four once we¡¯re back. They¡¯ve also spent the time using that set you made to gauge the troopers, although it¡¯s stopped now.¡± ¡°Stopped; why?¡± ¡°Some no-gooder decided he could use those to get Talents early. He consumed one. So, we now have an Explorer without a Talent¡­ and no Agility-Explorer parchment for calibration on that scale. They stopped doing the measuring rather than trying to improvise something.¡± ¡°Well, now that Moore knows about the problem, he¡¯ll fix this. Besides, he doesn¡¯t need the measuring set.¡± ¡°Well, we were using it to pre-slot potential Talented into complete teams. That will make a mess of things if we have to pick at random. And meanwhile, the private will still get his Talents. Along with every shit duty we can find.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t let people think that if they just consume the measurement set, they get out of the upcoming war. They signed for duty, and they will do their duty.¡± Well, it¡¯s not conscripts, at least. She would have totally understood a drafted conscript trying to get out. And some people, like that wagon driver this summer, definitively did not want the added responsibility that came with accepting Talents. If we had known, would we have gone into Moore¡¯s room? If she was honest, knowing what came after they outed themselves¡­ maybe. The draft had been coming, after all, and they might have escaped the first wave by still being residents of Anasta rather than the main city, but the extension this year would have struck any ¡°non-essential¡±. And she would rather be a Fire Master than a camp helper or whatever most women drafted ended up being affected. At last, Moore thought. The trip to Nashville ¨C which was absolutely bizarre, considering the fact that the Nashville he¡¯d expected had been erased ¨C had been bad for the four¡¯s progression. No books to convert for personal XP, and most of them had slacked in the use of their Skills. But back there, there would be books waiting. Books to be made into skills and specializations. Books to be rendered into XP. And hopefully there would be not too many training sessions where they lost XP. ¡°Milton! You¡¯re there for the Christmas gifts?¡± Sergeant Golden said as she came into the admin building. The Sergeant had been the main organizer for the preliminary force, even if he had been skipped over for Talents so far. While the general staff still showed up regularly to check, he was to one to help them ¡°process¡± the new Talented soldiers. ¡°It¡¯s only in two days. Although if you have gifts for us, I¡¯m sure we can make gifts for you.¡± ¡°I hope so, I hope so. But first, we have to fix that measurement set.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got books?¡± ¡°Close to five hundred.¡± She gasped. ¡°That many?¡± ¡°A bunch of crates arrived yesterday. We should be good for the 19th Battalion to officially form up with two full companies. We¡¯ve even had admin creating arms.¡± He pointed to the wall, where there was a banner hung featuring a flaming sword and an icy spear crossed over a skull. The words ¡°Fight With Talent¡± were drawn in a circular fashion around the skull, in a blue lettering reminiscent of a parchment¡¯s circular triple. ¡°A skull?¡± ¡°In reference to the Ancient guardian.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°Ready to start?¡± Golden asked. She looked at the other three. ¡°Bring them in.¡± Johanna was sorting the books, or rather the remains. They¡¯d done fifty people before the sergeant called it a day. ¡°We don¡¯t need to rush this.¡± In the previous sessions, she¡¯d found out that sometimes, you ended up with a book that had leftovers. Usually, Laura went at it. All it took was 60 pages or so to make a parchment with qualities or levels. While Moore was making tight builds, you could sometimes squeeze an additional quality ¨C rarely a level ¨C after a few days or weeks, so they now had a stack of things to squeeze more performances. A foot of range here, an additional five minutes of mana use there, everything might end up being useful. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. She was stacking the handful of unused books for the session when she got caught by surprise. When she grabbed one book, she got her hand locked in the usual manner, and lights poured out. What? She waited the twelve seconds or so that were needed for the conversion to finish, then grabbed the parchment that had dropped. And blinked. The parchment was definitively not the usual. FireHandling, barred, and FireSpray. That was it. But more surprising was that the parchment immediately lit over her hand as it fell on her. She squinted at the square of paper, confused. Some of the quality parchments would light up after Laura made them, but given the rules she knew, that was easily explained. Usually she made the ones with Talents and sometimes specializations, and those never light up. Oh. The parchment had turned off. Right then. She blinked again in confusion, then remembered the first day in the Library of Congress, when she¡¯d first made Fire Master. It had lit up, then stopped, and her Talents had been briefly interrupted. That was when most of her Talents jumped up. So, that meant Moore was warning her. And, she remembered that one parchment used to remind her of when he¡¯d removed Earth Grasp and replaced it with Fireball. So, he¡¯d removed Fire Handling this time. Wait, what¡¯s Fire Spray? The Gomez list was mute on the topic. Fire Spray was nowhere to be seen. She set down her manuscript copy and pondered the fact. She realized that the list of Talents that the Ancient had provided for Gomez had stopped at level 9. Except for a handful of Talents over it, which she now recognized as Talents Moore had intended to use if he ever needed to swap with her and thus warned them about their existence in advance. She also remembered the dream sequence in the Library, where she¡¯d seen the carrousel of Talents and specializations whose names were also conspicuously missing from the list. Things like Fire Sovereign. Investiture of Fire ¨C a counterpart to the level 13 Investiture of Ice Moore had used when he took over her body? Of course, there are many Talents beyond level 9. Moore just limited himself to what we could use easily then, she realized. Then she stood up abruptly because it implied something. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re somewhat¡­ stronger than when you left,¡± Private Manuel Silveira said, frowning. She¡¯d barged into the barracks where the various Talented were billeted and found out their first Deadeye, who had Gauge Endurance. There were plenty of soldiers with Gauge now since Moore tended to use it on a handful of specializations, but Silveira was more used to that Talent. You needed to learn to translate the impression from the Talent into strict numerical values. ¡°So, I¡¯m now level 10,¡± she muttered. ¡°Well, you¡¯re above the previous level. Did you just use¡­ ah, of course, the Exemplars don¡¯t need one.¡± ¡°No. Although the Ancient gave me a warning, he was adjusting things.¡± The private looked at her in wonder. Despite the familiarity brought by regular training, the rank and file seemed to hold the four of them on some kind of supernatural pedestal. The name of Exemplars, the half-joke from the original scavenging team, had spread like, well, fire. The idea that they were under the constant supervision of some protecting angel from before the Fall made them into more than they actually were. And, she realized, she was probably going to add to the mystique. Because she needed to test something. The usual Talented training grounds were almost deserted in the late afternoon. People could only train so far, after all, and today¡¯s new intake would start in earnest after Christmas. But the entire barracks had followed her once she¡¯d blurted she needed to ¡°test things¡±, and they wanted to see what new tricks she could have come up with. Finding that the range was unused was good. She steeled herself. If her old Talent was gone¡­ She raised her hand, as she would do for a Fireball, but instead, reached to where her old flame would be¡­ would it work? It usually did. The spray of fire reached dozens of feet in front of her, taking her by surprise and making her jerk a bit. The flow of flame followed her near-uncontrolled move, and she steadied herself to avoid putting the entire range to fire. It was not uncommon these days, and Army beancounters grumbled at the cost of almost rebuilding the entire range periodically. ¡°It looks like a flamethrower,¡± one of the soldiers behind her breathed.
Fire Spray (tier 20) Requires: Authority 22/Dexterity 19/Level 10
Effective: N ¡Á Authority + Level (adds mana) Passive: Grant bodily immunity to heat up to (300 + 10¡ÁEff) ¡ãF, and your aim is (Eff)% better. Active: Projects a straight line of flame from a palm up to (Eff / 3) feet. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds.
Fire Sovereign AUT 28/DEX 22/Lvl 16 N=5
Fire Ruler AUT 25/DEX 20/Lvl 13 N=4
Fire Master AUT 20/DEX 18/Lvl 8 N=3
Fire Shaper AUT 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=1
¡°Is it what happens when you gain that experience you talk about? Our Talents improve like that?¡± ¡°No, it is a different Talent.¡± She noticed the Deadeye, looking at the flames that were slowly going out now that she¡¯d turned the spray off. ¡°When I was telling you the Ancient had warned me¡­ this is what he warned me about.¡± She looked at her palm as if she could see the difference. But, of course, there was nothing. ¡°I was complaining it was getting impossible to cook with my old flame¡­ well, I¡¯m definitively not cooking anymore.¡± ¡°You can get that Talent?¡± one soldier asked. She tried to recognize him and thought he was a Fire Shaper. That would account for his interest. ¡°Level 10, I think. You¡¯re far from that. Wait, you got Fire Handling?¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am, I mean¡­¡± She pulled out the parchment used to notify her. It was inactive now, but if someone had the Talent¡­ and the requirements. ¡°Then you have something to look forward to,¡± she said, showing it to him. ¡°Really? You can change Talents?¡± ¡°You or whichever Fire Shaper beats to you to 10. I suppose.¡±
Johanna Marcia Milton Female human, 20 years, 7 months
Fire Master Level: 10 (89000 XP needed) 411/486 mana (+18 per hour) 0 unallocated skill point XP: 48 + 20196
STR: 18 (6960 XP needed) Blazing Orb (46) AUT: 22 (12952 XP needed) Fire Spray (98)
AGI: 18 (4752 XP needed) Cinder Circle (46) PER: 18 (3665 XP needed) Mana Sight (64) Domain of the Ash (46)
DEX: 20 (8000 XP needed) Flaming Blade (70) Fireball (70) EMP: 18 (4190 XP needed) Desiccate (46)
Bodily immunity to fire, up to 1280¡ãF (693¡ãC) Detect mana flows & pools of 15.7 size or greater 46% better sight Sweatless 98% better aim Bodily immunity to cold, down to -130¡ãF (-90¡ãC) Water needs lowered by 46%
Domain of the Ash (tier 22) Requires: Authority 22/Dexterity 18/Perception 18/Level 10
Effective: N ¡Á Perception + Level (adds mana) Passive: Grant bodily immunity to heat, up to (300 + 10¡ÁEff) ¡ãF and bodily immunity to cold, down to (100-5¡ÁEff) ¡ãF. Active: You are surrounded by a light cloud of ash, up to (Eff / 2) radius. All fires within the radius behave as if they are (Eff¡Á4)¡ãF colder. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds.
Fire Master AUT 20/DEX 18/ Lvl 8 N=2
Wood Master AUT 20/PER 18/ Lvl 8 N=2
Wood Shaper AUT 17/PER 16/Lvl 5 N=2
Fire Shaper AUT 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Desiccate (tier 21) Requires: Authority 22/Dexterity 18/Empathy 17/Level 9
Effective: N ¡Á Perception + Level (adds mana) Passive: Your water needs are lowered by (Eff)%. Active: Water in a volume of (Eff)% cubic feet evaporates as if it was subjected to a temperature of (7.5¡ÁEff)¡ãF. Active cost: 1 mana per (Eff) seconds.
Fire Master AUT 20/DEX 18/Lvl 8 N=2
Water Master AUT 20/EMP 18/Lvl 8 N=2
Fire Shaper AUT 17/DEX 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Water Shaper AUT 17/EMP 16/Lvl 5 N=1
Shaper AUT 16/Lvl 1 N=1
Status update - notification of a small hiatus Yes, unfortunately, that is the dreaded status update. If you''ve noticed no scheduled chapter listed on the fiction page, well, you probably guessed. The last month, month and a half, has been pretty busy, and my writing has slipped. I don''t have enough time, so much that I can''t even play Manor Lords! The backlog of relatively complete chapters has emptied, and it''s now finally empty (I do have a few chapters that are near complete, but they are all at the end of the book). This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. I''m taking a couple of weeks to try to rebuild that backlog. If that doesn''t work, I''ll switch to an irregular publication schedule instead, and I''ll put chapters when they''re ready. But I hope - I really do - I can rebuild stuff now that war is looming. This note will self-destruct when the next chapter appears. Update and Diversion As you can guess, the "small hiatus" has been greatly extended. I have a complete writer''s block when it comes to the last arc - the war against the Warden''s forces. I know what goes in it - roughly - and I''ve written the end. But I''ve written a whole two chapters since May. To restart the writing juices, I''ve resurrected an old draft of a story, and it does flow way easier, at least so far. But there is a catch: it''s a contemporay military-fiction LitRPG, and so, has a lot of politics. Even though it is a fictional and different Earth than our real one, and the politics are, shall we say, a bit different (in particular, none of the actual political figures extant appear here, and events unfold very differently - no Ukraine war, no withdrawal from Aghanistan, different Middle East mess, etc), the rule for Royal Road is "no significant politics", and this falls outside of the limits (I checked with mods). If you want to read something different from me; a faction-based LitRPG where super-hero teams battle for territorial control on Earth, head to Patreon. There is no paying tier, the entire story is free, but I can''t put in on RR, so there. I encourage you to subscribe on the free tier (there is a free tier showing up, right?) to get notified of new chapters. You have the first 3 chapters (different edit) here: Old version. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Based on Eternal Reader''s suggestion, here''s a link to Space Battles for a different location for the story. Patreon will have a few advance chapters (all free), but you can follow it on SPB if you like it better.
NATO was founded to counter all threats to its members¡¯ existence. They¡¯ve dealt with many over the decades, but one they never anticipated was super-powered rogue groups trying to take over land bases in a display of abilities worthy of a movie or videogame. They acquire weird skills, they level up, and with each ratchet, the threat level rises. To face this new menace, NATO needs its own empowered units. The Master Force is their answer to the plague of super-enemies. Carolus Zimmer of NATO¡¯s Security Directorate hopes that the elite force led by Captains Varanson and Zacharias will be enough to keep the momentum on NATO¡¯s side. But it is hard to play in a game whose rules nobody really understands against all forms of enemies, small and large. And when the Master defenders of NATO realize what might be at stake, they may end up starting World War Three. With real super-beings. On all sides.
B3.22 - Spy vs. Spy Every man is surrounded by a neighborhood of voluntary spies. Pre-Fall writer. The day after Christmas was not an occasion to indulge in rest but brought back the dreaded large meeting at the Executive House. With more snow on the way, after the brief respite while they came back from Nashville. ¡°Well, let¡¯s see where we stand,¡± Wexler wasted no time starting. ¡°Robert?¡± Robert Henley, the spymaster of Independence State, pulled up his stack of papers, nodding. ¡°Well, I am starting to receive more reports. So I can confirm this one first ¨C they have parchments now.¡± ¡°Was there any doubt they¡¯d stolen them?¡± Johanna asked. ¡°You never know. They split the parchments stolen from the Talent House into multiple smaller packages to dilute any risk of interception. It seems the Adjutant wanted to ensure no one could recapture all of the stolen goods, even if Independence knew about it and reacted quickly. That¡¯s why he got his agents to split as soon as possible, to make sure some at least would end up in the Marches.¡± ¡°So, how much did they get?¡± Wexler asked. ¡°They made eight packages total, and the first arrived in early November, followed by two more. They got four out of eight as of December 8th.¡± ¡°You got that much intel?¡± Katia asked. ¡°We do have a few sources in the Marches. I have had one for five ¨C no, six ¨C years now that¡¯s relatively close to the Warden, although not in his complete full confidence. Maistry works like his father, he always do one-to-one, not large meetings like, well, this one. It is suitable for compartmentalization and against spies but not as good for overall efficiency and coordination. I suppose this usually serves him well. ¡°But, well, what I have is enough for some solid things. Although, of course, like everything in intelligence ¨C distrust and verify.¡± ¡°In this case?¡± Wexler asked. ¡°Well, I have two separate sources in the army. Not highly placed, but reliable for logistical issues, so¡­ They deployed a ¡®special¡¯ reserve as early as mid-November. Something like a hundred people.¡± ¡°The main front?¡± General Sharpe asked. ¡°My second army source confirms they smashed the Kootenai Gap¡¯s forces. They forced extensive losses before the tribals and the Wendigo reinforcements there were thrown in disarray and routed. And yes, that special reserve exhibited all sorts of Talents. They tried to capture tribal chiefs, to decisively end the war, but a handful managed to slip through.¡± ¡°Good. The more problems they have, the easier it is for us,¡± Sharpe commented. Henley looked at his notes. ¡°According to the source, one group of pursuers tracking one group ¡®emitting a lot of energy¡¯, assumed to be high-ranking enemy commanders, ran into trouble and lost them. So there are at least a few out at large.¡± ¡°Lots of energy? Mana plumes?¡± Johanna asked. ¡°That¡¯s what the report says. Your guess is as good as mine.¡± ¡°They shouldn¡¯t have many high-tier specializations, especially not capable of directly detecting enemy sorcerers, which would be relatively faint in any case, so that might be an Artefact that they were tracking¡­¡± she mused. ¡°Looks like Snowbound might have been there and escaped.¡± ¡°Snowbound?¡± both Wexler and Ulrich asked simultaneously. ¡°A Wendigo of high rank or status, or whatever they have. He¡¯s the one who¡­ prompted us to run away,¡± Johanna said. ¡°Snowbound was always a bit unconventional. His family has status, he claimed, mostly around his heirloom. That¡¯s an Artefact that¡¯s been in their possession since after the Fall,¡± Ulrich explained to the Executive. ¡°You know of this¡­ Snowbound, how?¡± ¡°Nearly two decades ago, when he was still mostly a kid, he went through a rather extreme form of ¡®wandering hunt¡¯. The Wendigos are nomadic hunters since they can¡¯t digest plants, and they have this trial when they come of age, where they go far from their territory and return with grand prizes. The farther and bigger, the better. He was a scavenger with us, actually, for a few years. Try to imagine a Wendigo in the summer in southern Independence or northern Lone Star. And his Artefact was how we found more, enough to retire early and take less stressful occupations.¡± He laughed. ¡°I was not too surprised to see him involved in the war. The world is small, the Ancients used to say. It still is today.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s hope he will cause more problems for the Warden, then,¡± Wexler said. ¡°Right now, they¡¯re sorting their troops and inducing them to Talents, company by company. Almost exclusively professional soldiers, they¡¯re not using parchments on conscripted troops. My main army source says the plan is about three companies per week, 300, 400 people.¡± ¡°I wish I could do the same in the long term,¡± Sharpe commented. ¡°We¡¯re waiting for more books,¡± Johanna said before looking at Katia. ¡°Speaking of which, I noticed a book titled Mobile Hydraulics Handbook, whose name I remember.¡± Katia simply looked back. ¡°You really got those books back from the Nashville Academy?¡± Johanna insisted. ¡°I¡¯ve checked the reports from Cheat; I¡¯ve insisted on getting regular status reports. Your expedition departed for the coast five weeks ago. It¡¯s not too worrying; you said two weeks of travel across the ancient roadways. But the weather is already abominable back there¡­ and Cheat was since attacked by small beast hordes coming out of the zone. They had Lepuses ravaging an outlying farm, which is always a pain for the farming, less of a menace for the farms themselves, and now they had a dozen Felids show up. They got repelled without losses, but Cheat was under siege for a couple of days. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°So yes, I¡¯m not confident we¡¯ll have books fast. I know this isn¡¯t enough. But I¡¯m getting everything I can find, no matter what.¡± Johanna frowned, but Katia didn¡¯t seem to be saying anything further. Ulrich simply waved off the concern. ¡°We trust Petra. They have at least one Fire Shaper to help against wintertime difficulties, and heavy weather means Miles can use his best attacks against any Changed beast assault. Plus, whoever they can recruit at Cheat.¡± ¡°We¡¯re lucky Miles had a set of templates with him when he went to establish the Cheat branch. Did he find volunteers?¡± Johanna asked. ¡°Yes. The Mooneyed in this case,¡± Wexler told her. ¡°What?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the agreement Versant ¨C the ambassador I sent to talk to them ¨C bartered. They help secure those books, and we help them relocate out of the mana zone. We would have, in any case. That¡¯s going to be quite the achievement for history books: getting a brand new population of Changed to settle in Independence.¡± ¡°Well, that achievement might be overshadowed by the rest of what¡¯s going on,¡± Sharpe replied. ¡°It might be,¡± Wexler admitted. ¡°Which brings me to the state of the preparations,¡± the general immediately started. ¡°We¡¯re going a bit more slowly than the mass induction Mr. Henley reports, but we¡¯re having a better time. We¡¯ve switched to a standard squad size of six based on the Talent¡¯s quality system. One soldier per quality, so a Battler, Explorer, Discreet, Shaper, Sentinel, and Fixer variant per team. Mr. Moore¡­¡± The general briefly nodded in the four¡¯s direction, knowing the Ancient was looking through all of them at the same time. ¡°¡­ gets his job cut for him. Four squads per daily session, then we move them to the training. We¡¯ve had to expand the training fields; the Talented need a lot more room than normal troop training. We¡¯ve also restructured some squads to make ¡®elite¡¯ ones with the handful of level 8 advanced specializations we have. Same six-team structure, hopefully.¡± ¡°Where do we stand?¡± Wexler asked. ¡°We do have two-thirds of a company ready now. Twelve complete teams. Once we finish the inductions with what we have in terms of books, we should have two full companies, and we¡¯re going to try to develop a doctrine for large-scale combat. Maneuvers and fights between the two.¡± ¡°That¡¯s understrength compared to those forces from the Montana.¡± ¡°Until we get more books, no need to rush.¡± ¡°How many elites?¡± ¡°Five now. What throws us is when someone gets promoted in levels twice. We know which level they have, not which they can have. And it¡¯s not balanced yet. We have two Earth Masters, for instance, and a Fast Skirmisher and a Battler Ace, which are listed as two Strength-based specializations. But if we can get seasoned troops back from the south¡­¡± Wexler sighed. ¡°Not that easy. I¡¯m tempted to send one of our soldiers to the two Marches of the South to sift for people with high levels at the garrisons there.¡± ¡°But we can expect reinforcements, right?¡± Sharpe insisted. ¡°Yes.¡± The Executive turned back to Johanna. ¡°Speaking of reinforcements¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve gotten a level, yes. And some new Talents to go. All new ones, none in the Gomez list.¡± Wexler¡¯s eyes sparkled. ¡°I have a long-range, very hot torch ¨C a flamethrower, the soldiers called it ¨C along with an ability to dry out things, and something that smothers fires. Possibly, in case someone wants to attack us with fire-based powers. I¡¯m immune, but that¡¯s just me.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s good, but you¡¯re too important to risk on the battlefield. We¡¯re getting all sorts of Talented, but there are only four Exemplars,¡± Wexler immediately countered. ¡°You said that leveling slowed, and you needed to fight beasts ¨C or people,¡± Katia asked her. ¡°But it¡¯s different with Moore. We actually all leveled twice in two weeks back during the expedition to Washington, and Pr. Gomez speculated that Moore could provide experience from other sources, like the books.¡± ¡°The books you¡¯re converting,¡± General Sharped immediately realized. ¡°I¡¯m expecting the other three to level relatively soon¡±, she told him. Edgard Maistry, Lord Warden of the Marches of the Montana, looked at the two men in his study. ¡°I got the latest take from Senator Gordon. While nobody has made it an official vote on the Senate for censure¡­¡± ¡°They better, we haven¡¯t moved. Yet,¡± General Adorno said. ¡°Wexler has secured a few alliances. The two southern Marches are officially on his side, but they don¡¯t count. Sinaloa is getting antsy again, and they won¡¯t weaken their borders. Cheyenne and Dakota will lend their help. Winnebago and Yellowstone are also on the go, but they don¡¯t really count. I mean, they have armies, on paper, but those are dysfunctional to the extreme.¡± Adjutant Agnello tapped lightly on the table. ¡°The size doesn¡¯t matter. It¡¯s how you use it, and we have ¨C so far ¨C the advantage. I have a few people who keep watch on what¡¯s going on. Their Talent House is currently shuttered.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because the four so-called Exemplars are cooperating with Vernon,¡± Maistry replied. ¡°Gordon did talk with Milton after she did her demonstration in the Senate. He tried to push her to distance herself from the Independence State¡¯s authority.¡± ¡°Good man,¡± Agnello commented. ¡°Even if he¡¯s not read into the Ancient¡¯s existence and capacities, he can deduce what¡¯s best for the Montana.¡± ¡°He¡¯d better. After all, his family has always been good at managing the Senate here. Being good is in his blood.¡± The two men snorted in repressed laughter at the pronouncement. ¡°Floriano?¡± ¡°We¡¯re still dealing with the partial success of the Kootenai. You said that Cheyenne and Dakota are allied with Independence; well, their armies aren¡¯t in the know, at least for now. I¡¯m deploying Dakota on the eastern front near the Blackfeet and placing the Cheyenne troops on ¡®garrison¡¯ in the Kootenai,¡± the general stated. ¡°You¡¯re sure you¡¯re locking them out safely with that?¡± ¡°As long as we can cut their communication lines home and are kept in the dark, that¡¯s perfect. They don¡¯t suspect how we managed to break through before they arrived, and they joked about not being needed. But they can hold the line against the remaining tribals easily. It would have been better if we could decapitate them, but¡­¡± ¡°You deal with what you¡¯ve got. I understand. But the situation with the so-called ¡®allied troops¡¯ is a big risk.¡± ¡°The less it lasts, the better.¡± ¡°Taken into consideration,¡± Maistry acknowledged. The two men were left alone after the general had gone with his orders. ¡°Now what?¡± the adjutant asked. ¡°We can¡¯t afford to delay too much. I wish we had more of those parchments.¡± ¡°Got the sixth crate this very morning. Two more, and we¡¯ll have all of them safely tucked here.¡± ¡°Well, leave those alone.¡± ¡°Uh?¡± Agnello startled. ¡°We need spares to replenish the troops in the future. If I had a real source, enough to sustain the army, I could do miracles. But despite all of the powers granted from those, we will have losses. And once they¡¯re gone, they¡¯re gone unless we secure the skeleton¡¯s agents.¡± ¡°The name is Moore, apparently.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not relevant. Wait, they can communicate directly? I didn¡¯t know that,¡± Maistry startled. ¡°It appears so. We knew of the Ancient taking over Milton¡¯s body, but it seems to have been able to do more than just that. I don¡¯t have much more. At least I have their actual Talent list now. Something I wish I had known back when I sent my agents at them.¡± ¡°Sometimes I wish you didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s not a mistake. The fools that made the Union still believed in the Ancient ways of peace. No one realized that the only way the continent could remain stable was if it was united. Look at all the problems with the north and the south. But now, with those Talents, we have the means to complete the Unification. The true one, not the one leading to the Union.¡± Both men raised their fists in agreement. ¡°Meanwhile, we have an army to prepare and move. How are you with the current stock?¡± ¡°Doing my best. We don¡¯t have all the pieces, just a stock of Talents, and some vague notes.¡± ¡°Well, all the intel I have from Nashville says they don¡¯t have any idea whatsoever where that Professor is gone.¡± ¡°They don¡¯t need him, not if they can talk to the skeleton.¡± B3.23 - Last Chance May all your troubles last as long as your New Year¡¯s resolutions. Pre-Fall saying. The New Year was rolling out, and Johanna had managed to negotiate a stay-out from the Executive. The hospitality at Wexler¡¯s residence was lovely, with all the staff and privileges, but from time to time, they were reminded that this was not their home or their family. They were hosted there because they were critical to the upcoming storm, not for any other reason. But for once, they would stay out for the evening and night and return only in 2175. They had an invitation from Julian Kartmann and Ulrich Sengfield. The former salvager ¨C a much more reputable term than scavenger ¨C had his home in a separate district of Vernon, where his store was located. They found it easily and left their inevitable escort at the inn right next door to enjoy their separate New Year¡¯s Eve. With less alcohol. ¡°Welcome, welcome,¡± the Contender said, hugging them all. The Kartmanns had reorganized the store¡¯s ground floor, leaving a large table with benches. They found the rest of the family hurrying to finish the preparations. Julian¡¯s wife looked, well, very minotaur. Tall and muscular, with a pair of horns barely smaller than her husband and slightly darker coming out from a mop of short hair, over a face that reminded Johanna of her mom. A trio of smaller forms rushed back and forth from the floor above, bringing all sorts of food bowls. ¡°Your kids?¡± ¡°Well, duh,¡± Julian replied. The three young minotaurs did look like ordinary ten-year-olds, with only three-inch horns to differentiate them from unchanged kids. ¡°Three sons,¡± she noted. ¡°Yep. That¡¯s often the case among us. You always have either boys or girls. Unless you have twins, then it¡¯s one and the other.¡± ¡°And you have lots,¡± Laura said. ¡°Well, we decided we¡¯d abstain after the third. We were already a bit on the old side.¡± ¡°At thirty-four,¡± the minotauress interrupted. ¡°Well, you weren¡¯t saying that when Oscar was doing the 90-decibel nights.¡± She snorted in mirth and turned back to arranging the dishes. Johanna realized she had no idea what minotaur cooking was. When they were on the expedition east, Julian ate the same chow as everyone else and enjoyed the ice cream their Water Shaper cook made. At least they did not seem to have special diets, like the Wendigos, who were pure carnivores, or the Dryads who were the very opposite. ¡°They all look the same¡­¡± ¡°Ah, but minotaurs grow up different from humans. They grow fast. Oscar is six, while Rory is eleven in two months.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Laura asked before Johanna could. ¡°Grow up like weeds, then nothing for eight-nine years, then puberty hits, and next year, they¡¯ll be full grown. And we age gracefully, too.¡± The snort from the side belied the affirmation. ¡°Where¡¯s Ulrich?¡± Johanna asked. ¡°Out. Don¡¯t worry, he¡¯ll be back soon.¡± ¡°Can we do¡­¡± ¡°Nope. You¡¯re guests; let the kids work.¡± It was a bit weird to see a household with kids like that. For a brief moment, she felt nostalgic for home. Her nephews and nieces would be growing, even if they were still a bit younger than the Kartmanns. As a fifth, she had grown up with only older siblings until her oldest brother started his family. ¡°Drinks?¡± the wife, Celeste, asked them. In no time, they all got silverware goblets full of a punch mixture. She sniffed and then tasted it. It had all sorts of strange fruity flavors ¨C and a strong rum base. ¡°You know, I was hoping to get this at home in New Sandusky,¡± she confessed to Julian. ¡°Last year, we were stuck in an inn in the middle of winter in the Marches of the Dakota, running away from Montana.¡± ¡°Well, this time, you¡¯re stuck in winter in Independence, but with people you know!¡± Julian thumbed up. She looked at the scene. The end of the table was now covered in various bowls and plates full of snacks. She then looked around. ¡°That¡¯s your store, then?¡± ¡°Herbs and remedies. The Ancients had entire industries dedicated to making medicines, but half of what the doctors prescribe, we make on demand. We get things we can¡¯t compete on mainly from the west, almost all from Eagle. Plus, of course, supplements, like any self-respecting minotaur does.¡± ¡°Does it really work¡­¡± Laura asked. Julian rolled his eyes. ¡°They see the horns; they see the loads of kids; of course, it works. It has to. Wouldn¡¯t make sense otherwise. And if it fails, then there¡¯s always a good explanation why.¡± His voice lowered into a theatrical whisper. ¡°I also always add dried powdered ginseng, just in case. Can¡¯t hurt.¡± ¡°You said that¡­¡± Laura asked, looking at Celeste. ¡°Well, my horns grow back fast, but sometimes not fast enough. Don¡¯t tell anyone, though!¡± A knock interrupted him, followed by an even louder knock. ¡°Ah, here they come.¡± ¡°They?¡± The door opened, revealing a heavily wrapped thirster and an equally padded but much smaller figure. Johanna blinked at the bald head once the hat came out before she realized it had to be a dwarf, similar to the one they met what seemed a lifetime ago back in Valetta. This one was slightly older, although it was hard to tell with the heavily weathered face. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Dat them?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t look much. But then, you don¡¯t look much, and your now a big sorcerer.¡± Ulrich laughed, and the dwarf simply thumped his snow-covered boots on the entrance mat ¨C which she realized now included a faded pair of horns as a decorative motif ¨C before starting to shed his wool and fur padding. ¡°May I introduce you to Keegan Vekanson, salvager emeritus in the big expanses of the Sawatch.¡± ¡°Ah, one of your team. I remember the stories,¡± she said. ¡°Good ones, I hope?¡± the diminutive salvager said, grabbing a thimble handed out by one of the kids. ¡°Smell blood orange? You still have some?¡± ¡°That we do,¡± Julian confirmed. ¡°Of course, your shipment never lasts.¡± ¡°If I¡¯d known I¡¯d be there, I¡¯d have sent more on the way. But I was supposed to find that guy here near the big lakes, and I show up, and they tell me he¡¯s gone haring to the capital!¡± he said, slapping Ulrich¡¯s arm. Johanna frowned. ¡°I sent a message to all of the old team,¡± the thirster confessed. ¡°Told them some of it.¡± ¡°Have you heard from Sethek-Eshes?¡± Julian asked. ¡°They haven¡¯t answered.¡± ¡°Incubi¡­¡± Julian sighed theatrically. ¡°And Snowbound is probably way too busy with the war northeast,¡± Keegan added. ¡°He¡¯s going to be way busier,¡± Ulrich said. At the dwarf¡¯s apparent surprise, Ulrich started explaining the way things were unfolding. ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me when you came pick me at the inn!¡± Keegan protested. ¡°Lots of things have been happening.¡± ¡°And they stole your Talent thingies,¡± he said, looking at Johanna. She simply nodded back. ¡°Stop talking about bad things, and come. Drinks are ready,¡± Celeste said. ¡°That wasn¡¯t drinks?¡± Johanna asked. ¡°Real drinks!¡± Keegan exclaimed. The Minotaur¡¯s New Year party was very different from what Johanna was used to. It was half buffet, half sitting dinner, with food on the side, and you went, loaded yourself with whatever, and came back to chat, unlike the full six-course meal that was the tradition at home. The three former scavengers were mostly reminiscing about their old salvage expeditions. Johanna noticed they always avoided that last one; from some hints she¡¯d picked up during the expedition to Washington, that was when their missing team member had died. Miles had mentioned getting some vengeance against the Aranea where they¡¯d found one Artefact on the way, although it certainly wasn¡¯t the same Changed beast. They spoke a bit about some interesting loot they¡¯d found. ¡°Remember that building in the middle of the Huntsville ruins?¡± ¡°The ones no one had ever wanted to loot?¡± ¡°Because it looked like each floor came from a different building. And no one trusted it to remain stable. Henry¡¯s team told us about that.¡± ¡°The armory on the second floor was top loot. We even came back a second time.¡± ¡°All the town missed was an artifact.¡± ¡°Henry had found one a decade before we came.¡± Johanna paid some attention to the chatter, leaning against the drink table. Tom moved and slipped behind her, wrapping his arms around her. ¡°It¡¯s nice.¡± ¡°It is,¡± she admitted. ¡°Is it?¡± She sighed slightly. ¡°I had really hoped we¡¯d have a real New Year party. Just us. But instead, we¡¯re still running around.¡± Tom didn¡¯t reply, just putting his chin over the top of her head. ¡°Still better.¡± Ulrich waved at the two of them, and she untangled from Tom¡¯s arms and took back a seat. ¡°I was telling Keegan how he picked the parchments more or less at random,¡± Ulrich said, slapping Julian¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Not surprised,¡± the dwarf admitted. ¡°I¡¯m not as flashy as ¡®Mr Tree¡¯ here, but some of it was useful. I can still even tell when that small guy tries to engage his sneak.¡± ¡°But only if you¡¯re looking,¡± Peter countered. ¡°Too bad this Talent House of yours is on hold. We could use some help in the Sawatch. I¡¯m a good hunter meself, but we always have some Changed prowling around come winter. Traps only go so far ¨C some are capable to bending metal easy, and your beartrap gets broken. Which means you have to hunt close, not kill them safely from a distance.¡± ¡°About that¡­¡± Julian started, but Celeste interrupted them. ¡°You know what time it is?¡± ¡°NEW YEAR!!!!!¡± the kids exploded. They all stood and started kissing and hugging. ¡°May the year end the troubles,¡± Peter whispered to Johanna as he hugged her. ¡°Next year at home,¡± Laura added. Tom didn¡¯t make any wish. He didn¡¯t need any. They were still drinking the ¡°New Year special,¡± which was a recipe both alcoholic and supposed to clear the brain, according to ancient minotaur lore. Laura laughed and pointed out that minotaur lore couldn¡¯t be more than 15 decades, to which Julian countered that the first minotaurs were changed in the Mojave in September of the Fall year, ¡°so more than 150 years now¡±. ¡°By three months, you mean,¡± she laughed again. ¡°Well, minotaurs are always prepared for anything. Speaking of which, before my wife decided to rudely¡­ sorry, diplomatically interrupt me¡­¡± He sprang and climbed to the stairs. He returned almost immediately with a large brown bag sporting the Kartmann store logo. ¡°I got this prepared when I came back after the expedition¡­¡± ¡°And I told you no,¡± Celeste immediately stopped him. ¡°Besides, you said yourself, the kids at ¡®level zero¡¯, as you say. They¡¯re way too young. And not everyone needs to be a salvager.¡± Johanna straightened herself, guessing immediately what the bag was going to contain. She was not disappointed when Julian pulled out a stack of ancient-looking books. ¡°Well, we do have a guest that was invited to partake, no?¡± he said to his wife. ¡°Wait, what?¡± Keegan said, straightening himself in his chair. ¡°That was before the troubles, anyway. And a dozen books won¡¯t change the war, right?¡± he said, looking at Ulrich, then Johanna. The table was cleared, and the kids had climbed on various chairs to watch. Johanna had already shaken hands and hugged the dwarf, but she still formally held his hand before placing it alongside hers on the first of the small paperback from Julian¡¯s secret cache. Level, Strength, Impale. Looked like a real martial specialization, she thought.
Keegan Vakanson Male dwarf, 41 years, 9 months
Fast Skirmisher Level: 10 (89,000 XP needed) Stamina: 2/425 0 unallocated skill points XP: 14,141
STR: 20 (8,000 XP needed) Grueling Pace (90) Impale (50) AUT: 16 (5,000 XP needed) Disarm (42)
AGI: 17 (3,000 XP needed) Reflect Strike (44) PER: 17 (2,000 XP needed) Finish (61)
DEX: 19 (5,000 XP needed) Dual Slash (48) Instant Pierce (48) EMP: 16 (2,000 XP needed) Next Target (42)
450% more running endurance 50% less sleep required (capped, 90%) Enhance your effective Strength by up to 9.4 for skill checks Unshakable grip on a weapon under 42 pounds Enhance your effective Dexterity by up to 9.6 for skill checks 61% higher strength for holding weapons Enhance your effective Perception by up to 4.2 for skill checks
¡°So, he¡¯s now level 10?¡± Ulrich asked. ¡°He was six when we started. And yes, he¡¯s at Johanna¡¯s level now,¡± Julian confirmed. ¡°I still have no idea what this means, but the names are particularly¡­ gruesome,¡± Keegan said. ¡°Finish? Impale? Next Target?¡± ¡°Beware, or they¡¯re going to recruit you,¡± Julian said, smiling. ¡°I would have liked something more¡­ remote. Like Bullseye or something.¡± ¡°The specialization depends on a base we don¡¯t really control. But Moore knows better.¡± ¡°We all forgot about the Ancient,¡± Celeste suddenly realized. ¡°He¡¯s there¡­ you¡¯re there, right?¡± ¡°Not fully, but yes. He¡¯s... behind us four. All the time, even today,¡± Johanna confirmed. ¡°Then move together, right there,¡± the minotauress ordered. When the four were gathered and standing, the rest gathered in front and raised their glasses. ¡°To the last of the Ancients!¡± ¡°CHEERS!¡± Moore had not realized it was the New Year until he saw the decorations and the 2175 all over the minotaur¡¯s home. The beyond in which he was floating bodiless didn¡¯t have a clock or anything, after all. This was way better than the inn in which the four had celebrated the previous New Year. At least there wasn¡¯t a drunk fight to involve Tom and Peter. And the surprise gift for the mystery dwarf was unexpected. The sneaky minotaur had obviously stocked before the rush and was sticking it to the man, even in the 22nd century. He couldn¡¯t hear any of the talk, but it was obvious this was an old friend of the others, maybe even one of their scavenging comrades of old. He also obviously had a much more adventurous life, seeing the enormous amount of XP he had accumulated without a specialization or a skill. I should be in NY with the others. We always did that sphere drop. It was sometimes hard to think that everyone he knew was almost certainly over a century dead. And so was he. B3.24 - Siege To come under siege was the inevitable fate of power. Pre-Fall writer. Everyone was happy to see the walls of Camp David, the Mooneyed scouts more than the rest of the expedition. The weather was abominable. Snow covered everything, and the ancient roadway they were relying on to get to and from Washington, D.C., was almost invisible. Without the expertise of the diminutive Changed, it would have been nearly impossible. Both Miles and Petra were delighted to have them along. ¡°Never been to the old capital before your previous expedition,¡± Monica Silvers had said, ¡°but everyone memorizes all the landmarks and ancient maps. Scout job.¡± The weather had turned as soon as they¡¯d entered the city through the same highway they had taken the first time, and they had had to camp inside the Ancient library, even to the point of pulling the oxen inside for safety. While the blizzard raged, they¡¯d started selecting books based on Johanna''s established criteria: the most pages per volume. A lot of the bookshelves had larger books, but once they located some stacks of smaller books, it was merely a matter of bringing them to the entrance hallway, which they¡¯d reinforced with tarps while waiting for the storm to subside. Once the worst had passed and the snow stopped, the two Fire Shapers, Jackson Lloyd and one of the Mooneyed scouts ¨C Nothon Marek ¨C united their efforts to clear the snow piles without torching the wagon. Then, it was a matter of transferring the books they¡¯d stockpiled into the crates, checking everything, shuttering the Library of Congress again, hitching back the lumbering beasts of burden, and heading out of the Ancient city. They were pretty happy to do that, finally. The musky smell of the Canid mounts did not disturb the Mooneyed riders in the slightest, but it felt very off to the human contingent. Now freed from the confines of the Library, the Canids were happier too, darting everywhere like oversized happy dogs even with the bizarre sight of their riders on them. The first section of the return trip was a slog. The oxen didn¡¯t like pressing on with the snow cover much, and while the dozen Mooneyed provided advance scouting, the actual expedition moved only slowly. ¡°We¡¯re two weeks late,¡± Petra noted as the walls of the Camp came into view. ¡°Can¡¯t be helped. Usually, we would also hunker down. The last two years also had early hard winters,¡± Monica replied. ¡°We can¡¯t stay long,¡± Miles added. ¡°We should have been back to Cheat already.¡± This time, they moved the entire caravan inside. The main door of Camp David was barely large enough for the wagon. There were some covered open barns where the draft teams would be better protected for their quick stay. The Mooneyed never had cows; their primary meat sources were chicken and rabbits, with the occasional beast from hunting. The Canid mounts usually ate Changed deer meat, which were numerous in the woods around the place, and which they tolerated perfectly even if their diminutive readers would get sick if they tried it. That had been a bizarre factoid for Miles. Most of the Changed could eat some, but usually not all of the flora and fauna from the mana zones, where Changed beasts had zero problems with those. The biggest exception was the Wendigos, who could eat anything they could kill. Most of the scouts headed immediately to their houses. Out of deference to the humans, most of them had kept a day schedule, but they did not like it. The salvagers headed to the Taller building. They found Marc Versant, looking sleepy-eyed. ¡°I got into the whole nocturnal schedule,¡± the diplomat explained. ¡°Much easier with that.¡± ¡°You made progress?¡± Miles asked. ¡°Most of everything has been hashed out. It is now more of a get-to-know-each-other than practical steps. The Mooneyed have been cut out of the wider world for fifteen decades, and they need to know where they¡¯re going to land once they move.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve decided how and when?¡± ¡°There are several areas in Independence State that are suitable for relocation. There aren¡¯t that many Mooneyed, so they can transplant easily. No, the biggest culture shock they¡¯ll have is that their mounts won¡¯t be the same ever again.¡± ¡°Meaning?¡± ¡°They use the mana zone here to awaken their so-called mount-skills. Without mana zones, they¡¯ll be¡­ lesser.¡± ¡°They won¡¯t need them as much,¡± Miles noted. ¡°It¡¯s a big part of their culture. I don¡¯t think they will abandon them in any case. John Silvers knows it is overall progress for their race, but it will still feel like a loss,¡± Versant said. ¡°In any case, we move out tomorrow.¡± ¡°Good. Not to disparage my hosts, but the Camp is a bit stifling. Someone ¨C me, probably ¨C will be back in the spring to finalize their exodus.¡± ¡°Maybe you¡¯ll hire the Talent House for additional escort.¡± Versant looked like he was going to answer but stopped himself. ¡°You leave in the morning, I suppose. There goes my sleep schedule. I think the Ancient called it jet-lag, and I have no idea where that word came from.¡± The Talent House party took refuge in the Taller-sized building. There were multiple bedrooms, and it was warm, which was a change from camping on the snowy road. ¡°Halfway back,¡± Petra said as she settled next to Miles, who was watching through the window as the afternoon light dimmed and snowflakes started to appear again. ¡°Not quite. Maybe two-fifth,¡± he replied. ¡°Still. How many books we got?¡± she asked. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°12-13 thousand? The wagon is packed; I think we¡¯re carrying almost three tons, including the last of the food.¡± ¡°That¡¯s, what, 25,000 parchments? 30,000?¡± ¡°With the book size, possibly. Having them converted already made it way easier to transport.¡± ¡°Will it be enough?¡± ¡°It has to be. That¡¯s less than a third of what we originally had before the Warden¡¯s agents stole that. My hope is that there is a transfer wagon ready at Cheat, and we can come back immediately for more.¡± ¡°Jo said the Ancient guaranteed ¡®quality¡¯.¡± ¡°Did he?¡± Miles snorted. ¡°I guess we¡¯re back on the customized version, like all of us here. It will take a long time to do it individually, then.¡± Miles Bertram was not used to be awakened by a giant bugle sound, but that¡¯s exactly what roused him from the single bed he was in a shared room with Cameron Scott in the other. The Swordbringer was equally startled, the blade left at his bedside jumping ¨C not seemingly, actually jumping ¨C to his hand. ¡°What the¡­?¡± he mumbled. Miles ran out and stumbled out in the night. The snowfall had stopped, and the camp was mostly in the dark, as the local Mooneyed didn¡¯t need much light to see, and the nearly full moon, now visible, provided ample illumination. In fact, he could discern movement as the locals seemed to rush out, too. One stopped, and he belatedly recognized Monica Silvers. ¡°What is¡­¡± he began, but she cut him out. ¡°Great Beasts alarm. Long call, multiples.¡± Miles immediately turned back, finding Cameron following him. ¡°Get everyone up. We¡¯re under attack!¡± He rushed, catching up with Monica, who ran up a small but useable ladder up to a guard path on top of their palisade. He had to crouch a bit, as the battlements were sized for the tiny Mooneyed. ¡°I can¡¯t see anything,¡± he confessed to Monica. ¡°Not much. I wonder¡­¡± She caught a sprinting Mooneyed and asked him a quick string of questions. ¡°Nora Marek came back. Her Courser is bleeding badly. She¡¯s the one who raised the alarm.¡± ¡°Shit.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got three Fixers now we¡¯re back,¡± Miles noted. She blinked, then facepalmed. ¡°It takes a while to get used to having Talents around,¡± he said. ¡°Worst case, Ignacio is a Deep Fixer, too; he can help.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Then Miles snapped back because there was a light at the edge of the fields surrounding the camp¡¯s fortifications. As he watched, a long, sleek silhouette appeared, highlighted by reddish glows coursing around its skin. ¡°Fire Felid,¡± Monica warned. ¡°Burning Body,¡± he guessed. Nobody he knew had taken that talent, but it was an obvious conclusion. And if the Changed Beasts simply had the same Talents as people¡­ The light extinguished as the shape moved into the field, but Monica stiffened. He squinted as he spotted another similar shape coming in under the moonlight. ¡°Three more,¡± she warned; he hadn¡¯t spotted them yet. He looked up, but the skies were now clear after the afternoon snow. Not a cloud visible, just when he needed one. ¡°And it¡¯s commonplace?¡± he asked. ¡°Not every year. This one might be a surge year. They¡¯re less common, but they happen. For some reason, lots of Beasts become Greater, which causes their population to explode the following year, and then they pour out in search of a new territory. We keep the area clear, so it¡¯s a tempting target.¡± ¡°Well, this time, you have a bite,¡± Miles said. ¡°Not much ranged. But for now, we wait to see what they do. With luck, they¡¯ll sniff and ignore us.¡± ¡°Is that likely?¡± ¡°No,¡± Monica admitted. ¡°Not without trying.¡± ¡°If they try to get in, we¡¯ll be more than ready,¡± he reassured her. ¡°Just that magic healing changes things.¡± ¡°Not just that,¡± a scout said, and Miles realized he hadn¡¯t noticed him. Then, he recognized Jonas Silver, the Sharp Discreet. ¡°I snuck in. They don¡¯t even smell me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s how it works.¡± ¡°There¡¯s only the four. No other tracks.¡± The bugle sounded again, and both Mooneyed abruptly stiffened before looking around. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Another alarm.¡± A shout sounded from a different direction and the diminutive scouts jumped off the ledge, sliding down the ladder. ¡°Keep watch!¡± she yelled back before he could try to copy them. Miles left them rush to the other front and turned back to the moonlit flats. There were now all four of the Felids prowling and looking at the fortified camp. He flexed his hands, getting ready to bring the chains. Let them try to climb the wall, he had some range with these. Just as he was getting ready, one rushed and jumped, claws digging into the hardened wood. The Felid was halfway up, and his chain materialized as he made a whipping motion. The burning chain hit the Felid sideways, and he yowled, losing grip and falling. Alas, cats, even Changed ones, fall on their feet all the time. He made the chain move to show them he was ready and let it vanish to conserve mana. The four cats were watching him very carefully. He half felt a presence and looked to the side. Petra and Ignacio had just joined him. ¡°Told me to reinforce you,¡± she announced. ¡°With Ignacio has backup in case we need heals.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on out there?¡± ¡°I have no idea. But the wall is slightly dented, as if something tried to ram it. They¡¯re on top and firing bows and fireballs at whatever.¡± ¡°They know the area; let them deal with it,¡± he said, looking back at the four Felids. Three of them were sitting on their rear while one was prowling, possibly trying to steel himself for another try at climbing. ¡°If that¡¯s how they live, I can¡¯t fault them for trying to leave,¡± Petra commented. ¡°Now that they know the west is safe, the mana zone eventually ends, and the world isn¡¯t all this.¡± There was a massive crash, and Miles squinted. Even with the moonlight, it was hard to see what was happening. He was tempted, but the cats were still looking. Thankfully, the cats weren¡¯t as smart as the unchanged ones in New Sandusky, or they¡¯d try to go around. ¡°Fuck,¡± Petra said, and he turned back to the camp. The Changed beast had antlers. The Cervid was also probably 10 feet tall, and was trailing a rope tangled with its antlers and a splinter of a tree trunk still attached as he shook his head furiously, trying to dislodge. ¡°Did it blow¡­¡± Ignacio whispered. ¡°Fire elemental too,¡± Miles said, pointing at the smoke pouring from the hooves and the snow cover melting. The Cervid stopped abruptly. ¡°Locked,¡± Petra called out. At the same time, a second Cervid jumped into view. The first raised his head and emitted a scream that did not sound like a deer¡¯s. At the sound, the second Cervid went berserk, charging toward a building. Miles was starting to worry when a sound behind him distracted him. The four cats were running away. He blinked in surprise, but obviously, the Felids had heard the Changed beast and decided they wanted no part in this. By the time he turned back, chaos reigned inside the camp. Three more antler-less gigantic Cervids were running amok. One abruptly stopped as another Earth Shaper locked her in place. Arrows came, but he spotted Cameron Scott, sword in hand, rushing to the first elemental Cervid. The Swordbringer attacked from the rear, taking advantage of Petra¡¯s Earthbind lock the hooves. His sword literally sliced the flank, and the Cervid screamed again in agony as he fell, one leg missing. The tide was turning. He checked the plains, but there was no trace of the cats. ¡°Going in,¡± he said. ¡°Coming as soon as my target is finished, but he¡¯s done, I think.¡± Cameron was rushing toward the bound Cervid, and Miles jumped into the fray. ¡°They wanted our stores,¡± John Silver said. ¡°Food? Just food?¡± Miles wondered. ¡°Those Cervids are not the omnivorous variant; they greatly like grain. Otherwise, they might have tried to eat us too.¡± The elder shook his head. ¡°Thankfully, with those mount-skills bestowed to people, we lost no one, and our wounded are almost all healed already. Otherwise, we would have lost a lot of people.¡± ¡°Does that happen often?¡± the diplomat asked. Marc Versant was not looking worried at all. Or maybe it was his professional face. ¡°No. There¡¯s been damage to the walls before, but not a full break-in. Those Greater Beasts had additional abilities. And in addition, they broke through the storage, and one had some ability ¨C you can smell the grain gone bad. There¡¯s a lot left, but a lot is lost, contaminated.¡± The other Mooneyed muttered, then one whispered into John¡¯s ear. He looked at them. ¡°We have lost most of our protection. And there will be famine.¡± Miles winced. ¡°I see no solution but to evacuate.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°With you along, it will be easier. I know you need to go, but we will follow, no matter what. It¡¯s that or starve, assuming no other Greater Beast comes around before we can repair the wall.¡±