《The Game Of The Gods》 Chapter 1: The Beta Test
Congratulations Elena S. Trudeau! You have been chosen to participate in the beta test for The Game Of The Gods! This game includes a non-disclosure agreement which was automatically signed by you! You are tester number 5 out of 2,000,000. As a Beta Tester, you have the right to The Tutorial. Would you like to take it? [Yes] [Remind Me In An Hour] [No]
My eyes flutter open, staring at the annoying blue light that had filtered through my eyelids. ¡°Remind me in an hour.¡± I mumble, then close my eyes again. Dreamland attempts to retake me, but the blue light still continues to filter through. It takes a few moments for my half-asleep brain to catch up with me and I reopen my eyes.
Are You Sure? [Yes] [No]
I rub my eyes and blink a few times, waiting for the strange blue screen hovering above my head to explain itself. ¡°Well this is new.¡± I say out loud, making sure that I¡¯m actually awake and not still dreaming. ¡°That old shrink is going to have a field day with this one¡­ Uh no, I¡¯m not sure.¡± The screen disappears and the first one appears. So it¡¯s finally happened, huh? I¡¯ve fully lost it. Sarah, my therapist, will have so many questions. I shudder. I hate when extradimensional blue screens make me question my reality. I glare at the blue screen in front of me, making sure that it knows that I¡¯m displeased with it. There are several facts to consider in this situation. First: I don¡¯t see a projector producing this screen. Second: It is asking me if I want to take a tutorial, and tutorials usually explain things, like why a giant blue screen has appeared in my vision. Third: Today is Saturday, and I had important plans like being bored on my phone and watching videos on my computer. I suppose those plans can wait, but only because I¡¯m being nice to you Mr. Blue-Screen. I lift my hand up slowly, then pause for a second before pressing the [Yes] button. The blue screen is surprisingly solid as my hand touches it. The screen disappears, replaced by a new one.
Thank you for taking the tutorial! During the duration of the tutorial you will have unlimited lives, but you get a prize if you manage to die less than twice! So play carefully! Also, feel free to report any bugs you encounter using the command [Tutorial Report] and inform us of the problem. Your first task is to choose a weapon off the wall! Thanks for your support and please look forward to the big release date in one or two years time (liable to change).
I really hope this is secretly a mobile game, because I don¡¯t know about the other voices in my head, but I really don¡¯t like the idea of dying. A bright light extends from the screen wrapping around me and blinding me to the world. The light slowly disappears and I stumble forwards as I find myself standing up, instead of lying down in my comfortable bed. Hey! You didn¡¯t tell me I¡¯d be leaving my bed. I look around for a blue screen to glare at, but only find a large white hallway with racks lining the walls. I look closer at the racks to see a strange array of medieval weaponry and is that a gun? ¡°What the hell? I would¡¯ve gotten dressed if I knew you were going to teleport me.¡± I tell the void. No one responds from the world around me. Thankfully I¡¯m wearing my underthings and a large light blue shirt keeps most of my modesty. Have you fully gone insane? A feminine voice echoes through my head, followed by a small giggle. I ignore her, she just wants me to be grumpy. I turn my head to look both ways down the hallway. The scenery stays the same no matter where I look. Just more racks of weapons. This certainly isn¡¯t how I expected my Saturday to go. I know what the blue window wants me to do, but I really should know better than to listen to the voices in my head by this point. With nothing else to do, I start looking at the weapons on the wall. I¡¯ve never had a hallucination like this one before, and I might as well see where it leads. Or am I dreaming? Nah. Eventually my gaze returns to the shotgun and I sigh. ¡°[Tutorial Report] Hey there godly overlords, but guns seem a tad bit unbalanced when compared to¡­¡± I point to a random sword. ¡°A longsword.¡± I pause, waiting for any kind of response, then sigh when none comes. I can wield a dagger as well as any completely-sane-girl. I¡¯ve got the whole slashy slashy bit down. But I¡¯ve never even touched a gun, let alone fired one. So if someone walks up to me with a gun, I might be the tiniest bit screwed. Oh well, dying might be an interesting experience at least. I¡¯m not completely averse to killing someone if I have to. I¡¯ve seen enough of the terrible shit that people do. I shake my head, clearing my mind, then continue along the weapon rack. My gaze catches on a shot-gun. I have to admit, I could see myself as a gun toting cow-girl. Or an insane gun wielding maniac. Potato-potato. I¡¯d just have to learn how to shoot a gun. And reload it. And aim it. Do shotguns have safeties? It can¡¯t be too hard, right? A blue window pops up, interrupting my thoughts.
Thank you for your report! While we do see the benefits of a gun, we assure you that we have designed all of the weapons at your disposal to be (mostly) balanced in power! So make your choice without worries! -Thoth
I read the window, then shrug. There went my dream of being a gun-totin¡¯ cow-girl. It is too bad, I was looking forward to all of the bar fights I could¡¯ve stopped while chewing a long piece of grass. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°You boys itching for a fight?¡± I put my hands above my waist, my eyes narrowing on an imaginary evildoer. I giggle to myself as I drop the charade. My eyes catch on something and I walk over curiously. A pair of black, shoulder length lace gloves sit by themselves on a rack. There¡¯s nothing overtly special about them, but something about them calls to me. They just¡­ feel right, y¡¯know? You only live once. I pick up the gloves and put them on my hands, stretching my fingers comfortably as the fabric shifts to fit my hands perfectly. I smile, then smile wider as the world shifts around me. I stand on a grassy plain of rolling hills. I turn to look at the sun, which slowly sets over the horizon. The wind blows through the grass, making it lean away from me, my hair moves lightly with the wind. ¡°Hello.¡± A voice says from behind me. I freeze. I haven¡¯t heard this voice before. This one sounds more real that the ones usually bouncing around in my brain. I turn around, and am happy to see a real living person watching me. Whoever this person is, I like her already. She gives off a vibe that reminds me of my grandmother. We study each other until I break the silence. ¡°Hello, who are you? Are you real?¡± She looks taken aback for a moment before responding. ¡°I¡¯m your instructor. Shayla.¡± She bows her head to me, while keeping eye contact, in a surprisingly formal motion. ¡°And I am as real as you are.¡± She smiles, ¡°Would you give me the pleasure of having your name?¡± And how real are you Elena? The feminine voice asks. I ignore her again. I give a curtsy that I¡¯ve practiced in front of the mirror more times than I¡¯d like to admit. It doesn¡¯t look right with only a large shirt to use, but it is an elegant motion if I do say so myself. And I do say so. ¡°I¡¯m Elena. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡± I rise from my curtsy, and watch as Shayla waves her hand in the air, seemingly motioning at nothing. A moment later, wooden chairs and a table grow out of the ground next to us. A tea set then grows out of the table. Shayla picks up the tea pot and pours both of us a surprisingly delicious smelling tea. Our young heroine encounters a strange woman who can make things appear from thin air. The strange woman who calls herself ¡°Sheyla¡± tells the young heroine that she is her ¡°instructor¡±. What will our intrepid heroine do next? Find out next time on- I stop my brain before it tries to cut to commercial. I take a deep breath and mentally apologize to myself for zoning out. I have an odd way of coping with strange situations. I wonder what Sarah would make of that? She always does make the funniest assumptions when dealing with me. It¡¯s- ¡°Hello? Are you alright? Sometimes I forget what it must be like your first time in the gods¡¯ little¡­ game.¡± Sheyla¡¯s words bring me back to the present. ¡°No, no, it¡¯s fine. I was just a little shocked is all.¡± I smile at her, hoping to smoothe over my distractedness. I sit down on the chair across from her and pick up the cup of tea she¡¯d prepared for me. It really is aromatic. It reminds me of peppermint. I don¡¯t drink the strange drink. ¡°So, you¡¯re my instructor. What exactly are you instructing me on?¡± Shayla sits down as well, and takes a sip of her tea. ¡°Well, a lot of things actually¡­ How do I put this?¡± She pauses, her gaze moving to the slowly setting sun. ¡°Your planet is not the first to experience the changes that are coming, and I doubt it will be the last.¡± She sets her cup down on the table. ¡°Unfortunately, not all planets are as resilient as I hope yours will be. Too many don¡¯t even make it through the Beta stages before all the Beta players dye.¡± She shrugs. ¡°That is why I, and other instructors like me, are here. Our job is to make sure that you live as long as possible and survive the tragedies that the gods are about to throw at you-¡± ¡°When you say gods¡­ Who- or should I say what are you?¡± I motion towards the chair and tables that appeared out of nowhere. ¡°Are you a god?¡± ¡°Hah! A god. No. No, the day that all the gods die is the day I can finally live in peace. If I could, I would kill them all myself.¡± She shows all her teeth in a dangerous smile that makes my stomach turn. ¡°No, in fact, I was once a normal human like you, no offense.¡± I wonder what the tea tastes like, is it even real? Cadet! Pay attention, the woman in front of you is talking about important world-destroying stuff. Aye-Aye, Captain! ¡°No offense taken, I pride myself on my normalcy.¡± I say, tearing my gaze away from the tea. Sheyla nods her head. ¡°Some of us have learned to game the system.¡± She smiles at a private joke ¡°In fact, it¡¯s because of my knowledge of the system that I¡¯ve been chosen as an instructor. The program is¡­ new, so there are a few kinks we are still figuring out.¡± I open my mouth to ask another question, but she holds up her hand, stopping me. ¡°I¡¯m afraid we have less time than I¡¯d hoped to prepare you.¡± She looks at the sun which is almost over the horizon. ¡°First, think the word [Status]¡± [Status]
General Info: Elena S. Trudeau Age:16 Lvl: 1 Class: N/A Mana: 80 Sponsor: N/A Titles: Beta Tester, Crazy In A Good Way (Is that even possible?), Watched By The Gods Special conditions: Most Definitely Not-Normal Physical Condition: Healthy Physicality: Athletic 84% Brilliance: Graduate 95% Equipment: Gloves(unique)
¡°Good. I¡¯lll just go over the important parts before we part ways. Different worlds work differently, so listen close. Mana. It¡¯s your lifeblood, and if you run out of it at an important moment, you will die. Keep an eye on it.¡± Her head tilts as she reads something in front of her that I can¡¯t see, then she frowns. ¡°Ask the system for explanations on your titles or anything really. It might explain things to you, or it might not.¡± She leans forward, the tea cups forgotten. ¡°What did you choose from the equipment room?¡± Captain! The brain has too many questions! What do we do? We¡¯ll have to ignore them Cadet. I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ll have to press the Big Red Button. Captain? You can¡¯t mean¡­ That button? The horrifying, terror inducing, world breaking Big Red Button?! Yes. I order you to press the Stop Asking Questions Button. Noooooooooooooooo!!!! I clear my throat. Then take off my gloves and hold them out to her. ¡°I chose these.¡± She takes them and studies them closely. The gloves glow in her hands, changing as they do. I lean in closer to get a better look. They keep their silky blackness, but silver Egyptian hieroglyphics glow all along its length, spiraling down the long sleeves until they reach the elbows where the gloves end. ¡°Hm. I can¡¯t see all they can do¡­¡± She turns the gloves over, examining the hieroglyphs, then looks up with a smile. ¡°It seems like you found something impressive. For now, say [Identify Equipment: Gloves].¡± ¡°[Identify Equipment: Gloves]¡±
Item: Gloves Of The Ancients Owner: Elena S. Trudeau Abilities: Volatile Looks, Indestructible, ???
Sheyla hands the gloves back to me and I put them back on my hands, my gaze still caught by the silver hieroglyphs. ¡°The next stage will have you facing terrifying creatures. The Tutorial is relatively safe, so if you die, the gods will grant you mercy and give you life again. Do not expect such kindness when you leave this realm. Good luck, Elena Trudeau and I hope to see you again.¡± She hands me a small book, and I hold it in front of me, not sure what to do with it. She smiles, ¡°Simply say, [Place in Inventory] and whatever you¡¯re holding will enter your inventory. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll figure the rest out.¡± Shayla¡¯s eyes narrow as she reads something I can¡¯t see. ¡°And those will be my last words to you for a while. I hope you survive what is coming.¡± My vision grows hazy at her last words and the world blurs together. ¡°Good luck.¡± My eyes close and I pass out. Chapter 2: Death Captain! She is starting to wake up, what are your orders? Put the scanners to maximum, we have no idea what could be out there. Be prepared for anything. Captain, feelers all over the body are reporting that it¡¯s cold and the ground is hard rock. Have the eyes opened yet? No sir. But she has sat up and is holding her head. The feelers up there are reporting a headache. Very well, open the eyes. Aye-aye Captain! Ow ow ow. My head hurts. Have you ever felt like there are little people in your head? Well, for me, it feels like those guys decided to jump around and bang giant drums. How did she figure it out, Captain? No idea Cadet. I¡¯m going to pretend I didn¡¯t hear that. My eyes open to soft lighting. I¡¯m in a small cave lit only by a torch high on the wall. The entrance to the cave is impossible to see through, blocked by a snowstorm. I stand up slowly, and look around the small cave, only the torch keeps me company. I shiver as the cold hits me, my thin shirt doing little to stop the chill wind making its way through the cave. Thankfully, my hands are warm under the gloves, not even feeling the cold. I walk over to the torch, and lift it out of the sconce it rests in. The warmth of the fire helps a little bit. I stand there for a moment, considering my options. Then I turn to the entrance blocked by snow. Holding the torch in front of me, I step out into the snow. I know, I know, not the smartest thing to do when I¡¯m dressed only in a shirt. But this is a trial of some kind, right? I have to take risks, and I doubt I¡¯ll do well staying in a cave with only one torch. My gloves spread warmth through my body, barely keeping the cold from being deadly to my body. Still, my toes start to freeze in the snow. I can¡¯t see much, the snow blocking me from seeing farther than a few feet. A gust comes by, nearly blowing out my torch, but I manage to step in front of it, becoming a wind-break for the torch. That has the unfortunate side effect of making me even colder, but I manage to ignore it. My meter of light is comforting, but I can hear sounds from all around me that start to freak me out. Crunch I swirl around, the torch somehow staying lit despite the quick movement. Nothing but falling snowflakes are behind me. Creeeeeeak I turn around again, but this time I catch a glimpse of a silhouette through the snow before it disappears. I let out a sigh or relief that I¡¯m not going crazy. Yeah. Right. Another breath of wind blows by, but I¡¯m not prepared for it this time, and my torch blows out. The next thing I know, I am sent flying through the air, an empty feeling in the middle of my chest. I try to get up, but fall back down into the snow. With a surge of effort, I manage to sit up again, and feel the warmth of blood as it dribbles down onto my stomach. I look down, only to see a large hole in my chest right below my heart. That¡¯s not good. Somehow, through the power of sheer adrenaline, I stand back up. The hole in my chest bleeds heavily, and I can¡¯t breathe. I see glowing out of the corner of my eye, and I lift my hand up to see the gloves and the wound in my chest emitting the same glow. In front of my eyes, the wound starts to close. Unfortunately, it¡¯s stopped by a hand punching through my back. I stare down at the fist now sticking out of my chest. It¡¯s a large white fist with a line of gray fur traveling down each finger. The creature pulls its hand out of my back, and I fall forward into the snow. Then, with little fanfare, I bleed out into the snow and die.
Congratulations! You have suffered your first death! Luckily for you, you are still in The Tutorial, so you get extra lives and get to keep your equipment! You have (1) life left before you no longer qualify for a special prize, so tread carefully!
My eyes open wide as I take a deep breath, my gloved hands moving in front of my face defensively. After a moment, I lower my hand and stare at the ceiling. The flickering of the torch lights up the ceiling of the rock cave. Another deep breath, then I sit up. What¡¯s the first rule of war? Know your enemy and know yourself. I went out there without any information like an idiot. So¡­ take a deep breath, and follow the first rule. What do I know about my enemy? They have five fingered hands and opposable thumbs. Can they use tools? Probably. What else? They didn¡¯t attack me until the torch went out and they haven¡¯t attacked me in this cave. Maybe they¡¯re scared of fire? Or the torch is protecting me somehow? Also the creature punched me in the chest, which means they¡¯re about my size, but probably stockier considering it had enough strength to punch me through the chest. What else? What do I know about myself? Rather, what do I not know about myself? ¡°Status.¡± The word echoes strangely in the cave.
General Info: Elena S. Trudeau Age:16 Lvl: 1 Class: N/A Mana: 80 Sponsor: N/A Titles: Beta Tester, Crazy In A Good Way (Is that even possible?), Watched By The Gods The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Special conditions: Most Definitely Not-Normal Physical Condition: Healthy Physicality: Athletic 84% Brilliance: Graduate 95% Equipment: Gloves(unique)
Most of it makes sense I guess. Still, I don¡¯t know what the titles mean. ¡°All-mighty system, can you tell me what the title Beta Tester means?¡±
Title: Beta Tester (Special) Description: You are one of the two-million people who have been given access to the system and world events. This includes exclusive events like The Tutorial. This title gives a bonus to all skill and stat growth.
¡°Makes sense I guess. So what does Crazy In A Good Way do?¡±
Title: Crazy In A Good Way (is that even possible?) (Unique) Description: Pretty self explanatory. You gain resistance to all mental or psychic abilities, affects and spells. You also gain an increase to learning and progression of all mental and psychic abilities and spells.
Pretty self explanatory my ass. I read it through a second time and let out a breath of annoyance. ¡°Wow, okay. So I just need to figure out how to; psychic abilities. Can¡¯t be too hard.¡± Things like magic do exist, apparently. The question is: how do I use it? If I call upon my vast knowledge of fantasy stories, there¡¯s one simple answer and it makes me sigh yet again. Meditation. I¡¯m not telling my mom about this. She would never stop gloating. I sit down in a lotus position and close my eyes. My mother¡¯s voice repeats itself as I remember her lessons with me when the voices got overwhelming. Deep breath in through the nose, out through the mouth. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Drown out all the voices in your head. Focus on your breathing until thought is but an idea somewhere in the distant recesses of your mind. My nose itches, and I scratch it. I straighten my back while I¡¯m at it, rearranging to get a little more comfortable on the hard stone floor. Silencing my brain has never been easy, especially with all the voices that have their own opinions on the matter. Thankfully, for once, they stay quiet, letting me slip into the depths of my own mind. At the edge of my senses energy buzzes against my skin, endless and overwhelming in its magnitude. Then it¡¯s gone. I curse and readjust my position again. I¡¯m not letting it go like this. I focus on my breath, breathing out all my thoughts and releasing them to the void. Time loses meaning as I let myself relax into existence. I feel the energy again, unsure what to do with it. It just sits out there. Ever so gently, I reach for it. ¡°Ouch!¡± I cry out as I''m zapped out of my meditation. I glare at nothing in particular. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re in for it now, nameless powerful force!¡± The energy doesn¡¯t respond, but I don¡¯t care as I return to my meditation. Again and again, I reach for it, only for it to zap me every time. Finally I enter that state again, and I can only hope that my annoyance somehow translates across my meditative state and that the energy knows I¡¯m mad at it. We sit at this impasse for a long moment, before I decide to take another approach. I let go of all my emotions and lay myself bare before the energy. I submit myself to it. The energy floods my system. Pleasure fills me, slowly turning into a warm pulse that echoes through my body. All my senses go dark. Slowly, light returns to the world, filtering through my eyelids. I open my eyes to see the ceiling of a now familiar cave. I pick myself off the floor, and bounce lightly on my toes. I seem to be blacking out a lot lately, that can¡¯t be good for my health. Thankfully, my body seems to be in working order, so I turn my attention to a series of blue screens that have been begging for my attention.
Nice job! You have successfully gained the approval of mana!
Due to an influx of mana, you have been temporarily put to sleep. This is for your own safety.
Thanks to one of your titles, all mana inside your body is automatically converted to Psi. All Psi abilities will be temporarily unavailable until your body adjusts to its presence.
You have one hour left until the torch goes out.
Well that¡¯s not good. I didn¡¯t gain anything from losing consciousness, and on top of that, the last message doesn¡¯t have a timer attached to it. I¡¯m not sure when I received it. I look down at my hands, feeling the soft texture of the gloves. ¡°[Identify Item: Gloves]¡±
Item: Gloves Of The Ancients Owner: Elena S. Trudeau Abilities: Volatile Looks, Indestructible, Heal, ???
Well that explains what that glowing light was when that creature tried to kill me. With less than an hour before I lose my torch, I need to come up with some kind of plan. I close my eyes. I can¡¯t go into that storm again. That thing will just kill me again. No, I have to fight that thing on my own terms. On my own ground. I smile wide. Time to do something crazy. I reach out with my hand, eyes still closed. My hand wraps around the end of the torch, causing it to go out. I open my eyes, the only light coming from the slight illumination of the hieroglyphs on my gloves. I move to the wall at the entrance to the cave, hide the light of my gloves behind me and wait. A creature shuffles into the cave. I move my hands in front of me, illuminating the thing, but it doesn¡¯t react. It¡¯s a large creature, easily six feet tall. It has long muscular arms that almost reach its ankles and a defined upper body covered in white fur. It¡¯s unfortunately obvious that the thing is a male, as it isn¡¯t wearing any clothes. It shuffles further into the cave, sniffing the air with a dog-like nose. Sniffing? The thing doesn¡¯t seem to react to the light at all, but if it uses other senses, then I¡¯m going to have to act quickly. I move right behind the thing, my bare feet quiet on the rock ground. ¡°Boo!¡± I yell out, then crouch. The creature swings its body around, those dangerously strong arms swinging right over my head. Putting as much force into it as I can, I spring up and punch the creature in its neck. I feel its bones and cartilage break under the strike, my glove punching with more force than it has any right to. It pulls its arm back, giving me just enough warning before its fist strikes towards my chest. I grab the fist and use the force to spin around its arm and pull it to the ground. Again, the maneuver is easier than it should be, as my gloves seem to work with more force than they have any right to. Then I step back and watch the thing choke, my first punch having caved in its neck. It flails its arms and legs wildly in pain and panic. I watch it slowly die in the cold and half-darkness. It¡¯s head turns towards me in its final moments, the whites of its eyes the only thing visible. Still, I see life in those eyes. I wipe away tears as I refuse to look away from it in its final moments. In the stories and books you read, they scroll over the taking of a life as if it was nothing. Normal even. But as I see the life leave the creature¡¯s eyes, I can¡¯t help but apologize to it. I do something I¡¯ve never done before. I¡¯m not a religious person, but still, I get on my knees, put my hands together and ask that whatever higher being exists out there takes this soul and gives it some peace. I hear a dinging sound which I choose to ignore. Unfortunately, the sound of shuffling is something I can¡¯t ignore. I stand up to greet the next creature that has decided to invade my small cave. This one is the same as the last one, with white fur covering its entire body. This one seems to sense me right away and rushes towards me. I don¡¯t think as the thing draws its arm back. I prepare to block, but instinct has me duck and I listen to it. The arm I wasn¡¯t watching whooshes over my head. Shit! Did that thing just use a feint?! I don¡¯t have time to dwell on it as I jump back and away from another punch. The creature throws a third punch, and I spin around it to throw the same punch I threw on the first one. The creature¡¯s neck crumbles under my fist and I jump away from its retaliation. This one stumbles around before collapsing against the wall. It clutches its neck and struggles a slow death. I do the same thing I did with the first one I killed. I get on my knees and pray for it as it passes away. Chapter 3: Coming Home My father always wanted me to follow in his footsteps as a doctor. As a kid, a surprising amount of my education had been focused on biology and human anatomy. Because of this, I realize that the creatures I¡¯d been fighting have a weirdly different anatomy to humans. I¡¯m lucky that they didn¡¯t have more muscle around the front of their necks or I¡¯m not sure how I would¡¯ve taken one of these guys down. Just looking at them, I can see a strange bone and muscular structure. For example, the spine on the first one I killed had each vertebrae extending into a plate of bone that covered the next vertebrae. Don¡¯t ask me how that works, cause I have no idea. I hope I don¡¯t have to face one of these white creatures in the future. With my examination of the creatures over, I turn my attention to some blue screens that had been asking for my attention.
Congratulations! You have reached level 2! You gain a two percentage point increase to brilliance and physicality along with an increase of 20 points to the special attribute Psi.
You have fought with your all and learned the spell [Enhance Body]
Due to your continued prayers to the creatures that you have killed, you have gained the approval of the goddess Isis. Expect a test from her soon.
Well that¡¯s an ominous message. Tests from gods are never good, just ask Abraham. I look up at the ceiling, which is still just plain rock. ¡°Hey Isis, if you¡¯re listening in, could you please not test me? Thanks.¡± I wait a second, but there¡¯s no response. ¡°I don¡¯t know how gods receive prayers, but you better not have left me on read or I¡¯ll be filing a complaint!¡± Still no response. I shake my head, and bring up my status to see how the level up affected me.
General Info: Elena S. Trudeau Age:16 Lvl: 2 Class: N/A Mana: N/A Psi 220 Sponsor: N/A Titles: Beta Tester, Crazy In A Good Way (Is that even possible?), Watched By The Gods Special conditions: Most Definitely Not-Normal Physical Condition: Healthy Physicality: Athletic 86% Brilliance: Graduate 97% Equipment: Gloves(unique)
What happens when Graduate hits 100%? Maybe I¡¯ll evolve! Elena! I choose you! Elena! Use Punch! I look at the dead creatures, and the smile that had started to spread disappears. It was super effective. Shut up, brain. Light shining into the cave drags me out of my thoughts. I look towards the entrance. The storm was starting to die down, allowing the bright light of the sun to shine through. I walk cautiously to the entrance of the cave. The light on the snow blinds me, but after several seconds of furious blinking, I start to see again. Outside the cave is a flat land covered in snow, the occasional large tree standing tall with its branches covered by the white powder. There¡¯s no curve to the landscape, making me think that I¡¯m not on a mountain like I¡¯d originally thought. A chill wind brushes against my skin, giving me goosebumps. I rub my arms, the warmth of my gloves taking away some of the chill. There aren¡¯t any white creatures that I can see, but that doesn¡¯t mean they aren¡¯t blending in with the snow somewhere. Smoke in the distance draws my attention to it. I don¡¯t think we should go over there. I think we should. Why should we? The better question is, why shouldn¡¯t we? Because someone obviously wants us to go there. It¡¯s probably a trap. And¡­? That¡¯s kinda cool isn¡¯t it? Good point. Silly brain, always talking me into walking into traps. I trudge through the snow, towards the smoke, until a copse of trees comes into view. Inside the copse is a circle of lit torches. I step into the circle¡­ and black out. *** Uuuugh. I open my eyes to stare at a familiar ceiling. I seem to be blacking out a lot lately. It reminds me of a bad plot device used by newer authors to transport their character through scenes. Yo, divine author, can you stop knocking me out? No response, huh? I guess you don¡¯t have the guts to answer me. I turn my head to look at my room. It¡¯s as messy as I¡¯d left it, with clothes on the floor and my laptop still open on my desk from a long night of homework. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. A notification begs for my attention, so I turn to look at it.
Congratulations on making it through the tutorial! We look forward to seeing you in action again soon! Thanks to the fact that you only died once, you have been given a special prize! Make sure to check it out in your inventory!
¡°I guess that wasn¡¯t a hallucination.¡± I say once I¡¯m done reading. ¡°That prize better be good.¡± ¡°Elle!¡± A voice calls from outside my room. ¡°Is that you?¡± My mother bursts into the room, her eyes landing on me instantly. My mom is fit for her age, with long brown hair, and green eyes that match my own. Those green eyes stare at me with a fury that practically says ¡®you¡¯re in big trouble, young lady!¡¯. I cover my face with my pillow to hide from her stare. ¡°Where have you been? We¡¯ve been looking for you all day! We promised the Smiths that we would meet them for lunch today!¡± I pull the pillow down slightly so that I can see the short, but intimidating woman. ¡°I thought we weren¡¯t meeting them till Sunday-¡± I stop at my mom¡¯s surprised expression. ¡°Elle, are you alright?¡± I look away from her and to the window. ¡°The sky is very pretty today.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t change the subject. You disappeared.¡± She leans against the doorway, her body deflating as she lets out a breath. ¡°I was so worried. With your brother- I mean, if you- Don¡¯t scare me like that.¡± ¡°You can just say it mom. I¡¯m crazy and you¡¯re worried that I went fully off my rocker.¡± I smile at her, daring her to challenge the words. ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Honey¡­¡± ¡°This is going to sound even weirder now, but what day is today?¡± ¡°Are you joking with me, Elle?¡± After seeing that I¡¯m serious, she continues. ¡°Oh honey, today is Sunday. Did something happen?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about it.¡± I sit up and grab my phone off of the dresser. ¡°Could you give me some time alone? I need to think.¡± ¡°Of course. Just¡­ I am here if you want to talk, okay?¡± Mom hesitates for a moment before stepping out of the room. I look at the time on my phone and groan. 4:30pm I was gone for a day and a half. Scrolling through my notifications, I see a couple messages from Blake, and some memes sent by old friends. I click the screen off and close my eyes. My body sinks into the bed as I let the phone rest on my chest. ¡°Elena? Can you hear me?¡± I open my eyes, ¡°God? Is that you?¡± ¡°You should be glad I¡¯m not a god. They bring nothing but pain.¡± I blink a few times before I can place the voice. It¡¯s the instructor I¡¯d met in the tutorial, and not just another voice in my head. Well, technically it was another voice in my head. But it feels different, y¡¯know? No? ¡°This is Sheyla, right? You¡¯re not one of the voices playing a trick, are you?¡± It feels different, but I should make sure. ¡°Yes. I am your instructor from the tutorial. I want to give you a little more help, but I don¡¯t have much time. Reaching across worlds like this is a strain on even my powers.¡± There¡¯s a pause, and I feel a strange, yet familiar presence enveloping me. It¡¯s comforting, and carries the sweet scent of the instructor I¡¯d barely met. ¡°I need you to follow me as I show you how to communicate with me.¡± I sense a strange energy flow through the top of my head and into my throat, revealing a nucleus of my own power there. She pulls on that power, and I let her pull my own psi through the connection she created. My thoughts follow the connection, reaching her. Unfortunately, my mind can be somewhat¡­ disorderly.
Your teacher has shown you the ways of the mind. You have learned the skill [Telepathy]
¡°Stop!¡± The voice shouts through the bond and I break off my connection to the link she created. ¡°Systems above, I¡¯m sorry. How do you¡­? Nevermind.¡± ¡°You heard them?¡± My eyes open wide and I sit up, my phone falling to the bed. ¡°The voices?¡± ¡°I¡­ did.¡± I smile, glad that even if none of this is real, someone finally understood. ¡°Ignore the drama queen. She¡¯s a bitch.¡± ¡°Hah.¡± A snort of laughter makes its way through the bond. ¡°I¡¯m calling you like this, because I¡¯ve decided that I want you to live until we meet again-¡± ¡°Thanks for the vote of confidence.¡± ¡°I found some information that will be valuable to you. The next system event will happen in exactly a week. Be prepared for anything Elena.¡± There¡¯s a long pause before she finishes with. ¡°I must leave now. Good luck.¡± ¡°Hopefully I won¡¯t need it.¡± I say, idly grabbing my phone from where it fell. I get no response from Shayla. I close my eyes and examine the energies that Shayla had shown me. Shayla had given me more than she realized with her little lesson. When she¡¯d guided my thoughts to her, she had shown me how to put my¡­ thoughts I guess, outside of the sphere they were usually kept in. What else can I do? I smile wide, showing more teeth than any smile should. I cross my legs and close my eyes. It doesn¡¯t take me long to find the space that I¡¯d glimpsed. My mind dips into meditation quickly, my time in the cave making it far easier than it used to be. I examine the energy flowing through my body. It has a clearer -color?- than the mana that seems to permeate everything else. So this is psi, or my psychic energy. I watch it as it travels down a path that stops and congeals at seven points throughout my body. As the psi energy congeals at these nuclei, its color would change, matching the nuclei¡¯s own color. Something about the seven nuclei is familiar, and it only takes a moment for me to relate them to the painting in my mother¡¯s room. It was a painting of the seven chakras. I trace the energy with my mind, watching it travel and transform with curiosity. It starts at the top of my head, circulating through a nucleus there. The nucleus glows a pure white with the psi that travels through it. I remember that being the crown chakra. Next is my third eye, glowing a purple color in the center of my forehead. The one in my throat glows blue. The throat chakra symbolizes¡­ communication, right? That would make sense, seeing how Shayla communicated with me through it. I follow the psi down to my fourth chakra, glowing a deep green. It¡¯s my heart chakra. My fifth chakra, a dark yellow, is in my solar plexus, or stomach. My sixth chakra, glowing orange, is near my pelvis. And the final chakra, a deep dark red, is at the root of my being. I lose myself in watching the energy travel through the chakras. Its colors and movements are endlessly captivating. It reminds me of when I would stare into bonfires as a kid. I reach out and grab some of the energy in my throat chakra like Shayla had shown me. It works with me easily, moving exactly as my mind wills it. I pull the blue energy out of my body, moving it through the house. I find another person downstairs. Their chakras have the same energy as mine, except¡­ lesser, without purpose. My psi connects to theirs and I immediately recognize my mother. That girl. I pause, surprised at hearing the sound of my mother¡¯s voice in her own head. What are we going to do with her? I¡¯m worried. She can¡¯t just disappear like that without warning. I stop the connection I¡¯d created with her and rub my eyes. Some of my psi had been used to create the connection, but I can see as my chakras rotate to produce more. It could be gone forever. The drama queen whispers in my head. Cadet! I have a new task for you! Yes Captain? We must take out the evil drama queen. Her thoughts have become too rampant and she seeks to destroy what we value most! What is that Captain? Our self-esteem. How dare she! I move my hand to my forehead, rubbing it as I close my eyes. When the voices quiet, I refocus on the chakras inside me. I think I understand the throat chakra, but what do the others do? I tap the psi in my third eye, then copying the technique I¡¯d used with my throat chakra, I pull the psi out into the world- My mouth opens in a silent scream, and my vision goes dark. *** My head pulses with pain as my eyes flutter open. ¡°Ouch. That huuuurts.¡± In front of me is a blue window, blindingly bright as always
You have learned the spell [Divine Sight]
There is the bastard that did it. Right there! When I pulled the Psi out of my third eye, it did¡­ that! I don¡¯t exactly remember what it did, and I get a headache just trying to think about it. But I know it did it! Probably? Definitely! You¡¯ll rue the day you messed with me, mysterious cosmic powers. Chapter 4: Roses Are Cool Just a little bit of experimenting had made me pass out, so I should probably hold off. It could be dangerous. Psh. You¡¯re going to let that stop you? Danger¡¯s our middle name. What fun is life without danger? Fiiiine, you make a good point. You win. Wait, aren¡¯t we the same person? So didn¡¯t we both win? Fine. We- I mean, I win? Exactly. I convinced myself to experiment some more, but before I do, I text the only expert I know on spirituality and chakras. Hey Mom? What do the different chakras do? A few seconds later my screen lights up with a message. OMG! Are you interested? I can sign you up for my meditation class tomorrow! Abort! Abort! Disaster approaching! Abort mission! I hurriedly type out a response, but hesitate to send it. What if there are actually useful things to learn in a class like that? Then I remember how boring those classes are, and send the text. No thanks. I¡¯m good. I sit in my bed for a few seconds before my phone dings with a response. Aww. Too bad :( The three dots dance across the screen for a minute as my mom types. The phone vibrates as a large text comes in. First we have the root chakra that has to do with survival, life, death and our connection with the earth. Then there¡¯s the sexual chakra (your dad¡¯s favorite!). Third is our solar plexus, the power chakra. Fourth is your heart chakra (my favorite!) It stands for your connection with the earth, love, family and green growing things! Fifth is your throat chakra, which is for communication. Sixth is the third eye, which is perception or the sixth sense. Finally, there¡¯s the crown chakra, our connection to god. I hope that helped! I love you Elle. I send a quick message back saying that I love her too, then spend some time re-reading her message, trying to memorize it. My eyes automatically skip over her comments. If I don¡¯t see them, they¡¯re not real. Thinking about all this reminds me of that book that Sheyla gave me before I left. Maybe I should open i- Wait. The gods that are supposedly ¡°watching me¡± have been seeing nothing for the last half hour as I lay in bed and experiment with my psi. It¡¯s positively uninteresting. Oooh, good point! Maybe I can scare them off with more boring meditation and reading! I gleefully pull out the book that Shayla gave me from my inventory. I open it to the first page. This is Sheyla¡¯s Personal Book Of Spells! This book is currently analyzing your different magical energies to give you a large selection of personally curated spells, please wait a few moments before turning the page! The text disappears and is replaced with You may turn the page now. I shrug and follow the instructions. You can only use Psi (very sad)! Please state which of the energies you can use (only one sadly) that you would like to learn more about. ¡°Hello strange book.¡± I say, my tone honey sweet. My smile is sharper than usual as I continue. ¡°If you would be so kind as to show me psi. I¡¯d appreciate it, and I definitely won¡¯t cut you to ribbons for any snide comments. That would be cruel¡­ and unusual. Very unladylike, you know?¡± You may turn the page now. I turn the page, and see a diagram of a female body with psi chakras clearly drawn. A flow chart of psi is shown, showing a strange circulation pattern, then it has brief descriptions of what simply increasing the speed of circulation in a certain area would do. I study the page, then close my eyes, storing the book in my inventory. A meditative state comes to me quickly. I mentally trace the psi through my body. Starting with my crown chakra, I grab my psi and guide it along the path the book recommended, connecting each chakra to the next. I do this for a good while, keeping the flow to a regular speed. Once I feel comfortable with that, I focus on my third eye chakra. I pull the psi there, guiding it and increasing the speed until it''s a small whirlpool. A strange sensation on my forehead draws me out of my meditation. I open my eyes and my vision shifts as the world takes on another hue of color. I run over to the purse sitting on my nightstand. I don¡¯t like mirrors, but it¡¯s hard to do makeup without them, which is why I¡­ there it is. I pull out a small handheld mirror and stare at my reflection. A third eye actually looks back at me. The eye is blue with specks of green and the pupil is shaped like a cat¡¯s pupil. My door opens and I spin around. My mother looks at me with a smile. ¡°Sorry Elle, I know you wanted some time to yourself, but Miss Elkins has been trying to get a hold of you.¡± I tilt my head questioningly, but when my mom looks confused, I shrug. ¡°Thanks.¡± I expected her to comment on the whole Third Eye thing, but she acts as if she can¡¯t even see it. She gives me one last curious look before leaving the room. So only I can see the Eye. A blue screen pops up and I look down at it.
You have learned the spell [Eye Of Truth]
¡°What does [Eye Of Truth] do?¡± I ask. Another blue screen pops up.
[Eye Of Truth] allows you to see all that is being hidden from you. It is a passive skill that requires your Third Eye to be open in order for it to work.
So it¡¯s invisible, but I can see it in the mirror because it lets me see the invisible. Makes sense. My mind finally catches up with what my mom had been telling me, and I sigh. I pull out my phone, and see that Miss Elkins had, in fact, been trying to get ahold of me. School seems so¡­ unimportant when I have a literal third eye. I sigh as I unlock my phone and start her voicemail. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Hi Elena! This is Miss Elkins, I was hoping you could show a new girl around school tomorrow. Her name is Rose, and she just transferred over from California. I¡¯m sure she could use a friend. Do you think you could show her the proverbial ¡®ropes¡¯? I know this is last minute, but I know I can count on you. Please text me.¡± I smile at her wording, then text her that I can meet the other girl. She responds immediately with a thumbs up, then texts me to meet the girl in the school office. I close my phone. A sound from outside my window draws my attention, My father closes the door to his car, and walks towards the door. I can¡¯t help the smile that spreads across my face. With a skip in my step, I leave my room. I practically run down the stairs, reaching the front door just as my dad opens it. His tired expression shifts as he catches sight of me, breaking into a wide smile. ¡°Hey Elle. Is your mom here? Today was a¡­ long one.¡± My father¡¯s shoulders sag slightly, but they still hold the wiry strength of a healthy lifestyle. He might be 52 years old now, but he has the strong brown eyes and curly brown hair that made my mom fall in love with him. ¡°She¡¯s home.¡± I give him a hug, and feel as he relaxes. ¡°Another gang shooting?¡± I ask as I let go. ¡°Two in a row.¡± He kicks off his shoes and walks to the couch. He collapses with a loud sigh. ¡°Something¡¯s going on, but no one knows what.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go get mom.¡± He nods slightly, his eyes already closed. I walk into the kitchen where mom is stirring some pasta sauce. ¡°Hey mom? Dad¡¯s home. He looks like he could use you.¡± She pauses as she looks at me, ¡°Is it bad?¡± I nod. She lets go of the ladle and walks towards the living room. ¡°Could you start the noodles while I check up on him?¡± ¡°Sure thing.¡± I say to her back, but she¡¯s already gone. *** A loud noise wiggles its way through my half asleep mind. I slam the alarm clock with the back of my hand, then turn to grumble into my pillow. With a groan, I push myself up and blow my hair out of my eyes. I stretch and yawn, working out all the kinks in my back. There¡¯s less aching than usual. Ever since I leveled up, I¡¯ve been feeling better physically, and my mind has been clearer. The voices are still there though. I glance at my gloves, where they sit on the nightstand. I¡¯ll grab them later, when I¡¯m not half-asleep. I force myself through my morning ritual. I shower, brush my teeth and apply some basic makeup. By the end of it, I feel human again. I walk down the stairs to find my dad reading the newspaper in the kitchen. ¡°Anything interesting happen?¡± I cover a yawn as I pull out some eggs and get to cracking. ¡°Ha! They¡¯re at it again! Every day, it¡¯s another exaggeration or half-assed story. And when it turns out that they¡¯re wrong, they barely even apologize. Look at this!¡± He shows me a clipping that I look at from the corner of my eye. I start some toast, flip the eggs, then give him a knowing smile. ¡°News is a business, whatcha gonna do?¡± ¡°Knowing is doing something.¡± He grumbles. I finish the eggs and toast, then grab two plates. I set one in front of both my dad and me. ¡°Thanks Elle.¡± ¡°No problem dad.¡± I sit down across from him. ¡°I¡¯m going to be running to school today. I promised to meet someone early.¡± ¡°I was wondering what you were doing up so early.¡± He says around a bite of toast. ¡°Want a ride? Elizabeth is still at her sleepover.¡± I shake my head as I eat. I do my best to not rush my meal. Once I¡¯m finished, I grab my backpack and head towards the door. ¡°Have fun at school Elle!¡± ¡°When is school not fun?¡± I yell back at him as I open the door. My dad¡¯s laughter is cut off as I close the door. I put my earbuds in, select a rock song, and start running. My steps match the beat of the song, as I fall into a rhythm. I¡¯d had a little time before bed last night, and I¡¯d played around with one other spell listed in Sheyla¡¯s book. Using the psi in the power chakra in my stomach, I¡¯d learned to cast [Unmatchable Speed]. It does what it sounds like, making my body move at a speed I can barely follow with my eyes. It used up a good chunk of my psi, but I¡¯d gotten it back fairly quickly. It seems useful, but it¡¯s a little much for my morning run, so instead I just lightly rotate the psi of my power chakra, noticing how my steps seem to have slightly more power to them. I follow the sidewalk to the parking lot of my highschool and slow down as I get to the main office. I stop outside of the building to catch my breath. My water bottle comes in clutch and I drink greedily. My running had managed to keep the chill air away, but now that I¡¯d stopped, I can see the mist coming from my breath. I put my water bottle away and enter the office. ¡°Do you need something Elena?¡± The lady at the front desk calls out. I put on my best smile as I walk over to her. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m looking for a girl named Rose?¡± ¡°That¡¯s me.¡± A voice says from behind me. I turn around to look at the transfer student. She¡¯s a pretty girl, with shoulder length pink hair, and blue eyes. My eyes are immediately drawn to the small piercing in the corner of her mouth as she gives me a small smile. I return her smile, ¡°I¡¯m Elena. It¡¯s good to meet you.¡± I hold out my hand. She looks surprised by the gesture, but shakes my hand all the same. ¡°Rose, but you knew that. I hear you¡¯re my tour guide?¡± ¡°That¡¯s me.¡± ¡°Great! I was worried I¡¯d be left waiting here.¡± She turns around, walking towards her backpack. The little short-skirt sways back and forth, attracting my attention. She looks back at me, ¡°Are you coming?¡± ¡°Yep! So what do you want to see first?¡± I walk over to her. ¡°Well, it would be nice to see my homeroom first¡­¡± ¡°Of course!¡± I knock on my head. ¡°Sorry, must¡¯ve lost my mind there for a second. Follow me.¡± I head towards the elevators. ¡°As Juniors, we¡¯re lucky enough to get the second floor mostly to ourselves¡­¡± I start as I lead her. Rose is an interesting girl. That¡¯s for sure. The entire time I¡¯m with her, she keeps a polite, but ¡°I don¡¯t want you to get too close to me¡± face on. She dodges any personal questions like an olympic athlete would dodge rocks. What I find most odd though, is the fact that she intrigues me so much. I mean, I just discovered how to read someone¡¯s mind and look into the secrets of the universe, yet I can¡¯t seem to get the girl out of my mind. Maybe there¡¯s something I¡¯m missing? Maybe she has something to do with The System? and I¡¯m subconsciously realizing it? No, that doesn¡¯t seem right either. How odd. I roll through the rest of my classes in a haze of thought. It¡¯s only when the bell rings that I realize why I¡¯d been so distracted. Mrs. Everheart, the exchange student in middle school, and now this new girl¡­ I¡¯m gay. Oh nice, now that that¡¯s over with, I can continue my life in a normal manner. I say goodbye to the couple of people I usually hang out with as the bell rings. With a little bit of time left in the day, I decide to head towards a cute little coffee shop close to the school. As I leave the school, I notice Rose walking in the same direction as me. She gazes at the sky, her steps meandering. ¡°Where are you heading?¡± I ask, matching pace with her. She jumps, her hand moving to her purse before she recognizes me. ¡°Jesus. You scared me.¡± She gives me a genuine smile. ¡°Sorry. Are you okay?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine. Just deep in thought.¡± ¡°What¡¯s on your mind?¡± I ask, ¡°Just about life. It has the strangest twists sometimes, y¡¯know?¡± She sighs in an exaggerated manner and looks up at me. ¡°I get the feeling.¡± A car passes us by and we grow quiet. The silence is surprisingly comfortable, and I see a small smile on her face as we walk. ¡°You never did answer my question.¡± ¡°What question?¡± Rose gives me a confused look as we stop at a traffic light. The pedestrian sign shows the little green man, allowing us to go. We walk across, entering a fancy district with lots of empty office buildings. ¡°Where are we going?¡± I ask. ¡°We? When did I invite you?¡± The small smile on her face takes the sting out of her words. ¡°You didn¡¯t. I invited myself.¡± I say, then pause. A harsh feeling of being watched makes me shiver and I turn my gaze to the large industrial building ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the way that works. But-¡± I grab her arm, stopping her mid sentence. She watches me curiously, but I ignore her as I close my eyes and accelerate my throat chakra¡¯s psi. My thoughts push out of my body, moving through the buildings. They¡¯re mostly empty, and I brush across only a few minds. One quickly stands out to me. Come on, just a little further. I promise it¡¯ll be over quick. The thoughts come from the building just a little down the street. I look through eyes that watch us through a scope. I open my eyes, my hand tightening on Rose''s arm. My psi accelerates as I activate [Unmatchable Speed]. I jump at Rose, wrap my arms around her and push both of us behind an office building. Gunshots fire, and I feel an impact on my back. We land on the dirt behind the building. Rose shoves me off of her, and I yelp from pain. She curses, looking me over. ¡°Elena?! Are you okay?¡± I move my hand over to my shoulder, and pull it back to see it covered in blood. I smile up at her. ¡°It¡¯s just a flesh wound?¡± ¡°Shit.¡± Rose says. An apt expletive. A shock of pain makes its way through my shoulder and arm as I move, distracting me from my thoughts. My gloves have healing abilities, I¡¯ll just put them on- I left them on my nightstand, didn¡¯t I? God this hurts, I am such an idiot. Chapter 5: I Really Hate Hospitals I feel around the edges of the bullet wound in my shoulder. The good news is that I can still move my arm. The bad news is that I¡¯m losing blood. It¡¯s hard to tell how much, but it¡¯s worse than I¡¯d like. I watch as Rose gets on the ground and peeks out from behind the wall. Gunshots ring out and she quickly pulls herself back. She reaches into her purse and pulls out a locked box. She inserts a key into the box and pulls out- is that a grenade? A gun and silencer follow behind it as she quickly puts them together. ¡°Well, at least one of us came prepared.¡± I hiss out through my teeth. ¡°The shooter is on the third building to our right, fourth floor. I doubt you can throw that thing that far though.¡± Rose nods, then frowns as she pulls out her phone. ¡°We should get into the buildings¡­ I don¡¯t know what we¡¯re going to do from there. My phone doesn¡¯t have service.¡± ¡°You¡¯re in luck!¡± I use my good arm to push myself against the wall. ¡°I might know a way out of here.¡± I continue slowly as I try to control my breathing. Panicking would be a very bad idea right now. ¡°Blame my dad, he likes tunnels.¡± I manage to stand up while leaning against the wall. ¡°Follow me.¡± I start walking, but Rose stops to turn towards the corner. I¡¯m about to ask what she is doing, when an asian man steps around the corner with a shotgun. She punches the shotgun to the side and points her gun at his head. She kills him in the next second. I stare at the dead man for a long second before closing my eyes in a small prayer. Come one Elena. You can¡¯t fall here. Keep the feelings away until later. Deal with them when you have time. That¡¯s what we always do. I take a deep breath, then let it out. I open my eyes to see Rose staring at me, her eyes awaiting my judgement. ¡°Come on. We need to move.¡± I say, moving over to a basement window of the building next to us. I kick it in, breaking the glass into shards. I jump through the window, trying my best to avoid the glass everywhere. Pain shoots through my shoulder as I land on the other side. I stumble for a second before I get myself under control. Rose lands behind me. The room is empty except for a small cubicle to the side. You¡¯re going to die, she¡¯s going to die. Everyone¡¯s going to die. I start cursing to drown out the drama queen. Surprisingly, it also helps with the pain. It does earn me a look from Rose though. I stop my tirade, and motion for her to follow, heading in the general direction of the tunnel. I stop when we reach a fork in the hallway. I look both ways, trying to remember which way to go to escape this god-forsaken place. ¡°Well? Which way is it?¡± Rose asks. ¡°You try to remember how to get somewhere when you have a fucking bullet in your shoulder.¡± I grumble. Footsteps from behind us hurry my choice, and I pull her to the left. I turn into the first door, and enter an office space with several cubicles. I pull Rose to the ground behind a desk. We stay quiet as the steps get closer. I hold up my hand, then circulate my psi through my third eye, and whisper ¡°[Eye Of Truth].¡± The desk disappears, and through it I see the two men step through the door into the room with guns in hand. Blood drips from my shoulder onto Rose¡¯s arm, and I can¡¯t help but feel a little bad for ruining her shirt. I shake my head, then focus back onto the men slowly searching the room. I hold my hand up, catching Rose¡¯s attention. My fingers go down in a silent countdown. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. I jump out and tackle one of the men. I catch him by surprise enough to wrestle the gun out of his hands, but a kick sends me rolling. I land in a crouch, my good arm pushing down on the floor in front of me. The man¡¯s gun is on the floor behind me, and he sees it the same time I do. Instead of going for it, he pulls out a nasty looking knife and runs at me. I dodge to the side, but the man changes his strike. I drop to the floor and cart wheel backwards on one arm, flicking my legs up to kick him. My foot bangs his chin, and he stumbles backwards tripping into the wall.. I can¡¯t help the small bit of satisfaction that fills me from the one handed cartwheel kick.. He dazedly pushes himself off of the wall, and growls at me as he takes a step forward. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. A loud pew rings out, surprising both me and him. He stumbles for a moment, then falls to the ground. A small pool of blood forms under him as he gurgles. A bedraggled Rose looks at me from across the room. The other man lies on the floor behind her with a similar bullet wound in his chest. I close my eyes in a small prayer for both men. I reopen my eyes and grab Rose with my good arm, pulling her along with me towards the tunnel. *** The tunnel lets out right next to the mall. I lean on Rose as we walk out, pale from loss of blood. A makeshift tourniquet wraps around my shoulder, but I can feel myself drifting farther and farther away from lack of blood. Rose talks to me, but I can¡¯t hear her. I frown as I lose feeling in my legs. I pull Rose down as I fall. Rose looks down at me, her hair framed by the crappy fluorescent lighting. Her mouth is moving. She¡¯s trying to tell me something. My eyes wander to her bag. My lips quirk into a smile as I remember the gun in there. I¡¯m glad that she isn¡¯t holding it anymore. A beautiful girl like her shouldn¡¯t have to hold such a terrifying weapon. Oh no. Her eyes are tearing. Is she crying? I reach up with my good hand to wipe the tears away. There¡¯s no reason for her to cry. I realize that she must be trying to say my name. How nice of her¡­ My eyes flutter close. The last thing I see are her blue eyes, an endless sky I could lose myself in. *** I sit up, my eyes opening wide. Soft, green grass folds under my hands as I look around. I¡¯m on a hilltop, a large river winding by on my right. In front of me stands an old tree. Its wood is gnarly and twisting, but it holds a serene sense of life to it. I continue staring at the tree, trying to identify it. ¡°It¡¯s a Sycamore tree.¡± Someone says helpfully. I turn, then push myself to my feet to look at the person who¡¯d spoken. ¡°What is it with you people and sneaking up on me?¡± I ask. An ethereal woman with brown hair, dark skin, and brown eyes looks at me. On her head sits a crown with two birds chiseled into it. They¡¯re similar to hawks, but not quite, and as I look at them, I feel their own predatory gaze on me. Not really expecting an answer to my first question, I continue, ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°I am a god. One of the many your instructor has rightfully warned you about. My name is Isis.¡± She motions, and a bench appears between us, facing the river. She sits down, then motions for me to sit next to her. ¡°Isis? That¡¯s an Egyptian goddess, right?¡± I stand up and walk over to the bench, sitting down next to her to watch the passing river. She gives me a small smile. ¡°Yes. Many of our deeds and lives have been recorded in the mythologies of your ancestors, but we are not those gods. We simply take their names so that you may better understand us. The one you might call Geb is dead by my hand, slain many years ago, for righteous reasons.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± She chuckles, ¡°I may tell you the story someday.¡± She turns away from the river to look directly at me. ¡°There are other things I wish to discuss with you today.¡± I spread my legs slightly and put my arm around her in my best impression of my friend Blake when he¡¯s flirting with a girl. ¡°What do you want to talk about?¡± She looks at my arm curiously, then clears her throat. ¡°I would like you to be one of my Paladins.¡± I laugh at her expression and pull my arm back. ¡°Why would I want to be a Paladin? Why would I want to work for you? Especially after my instructor told me that it was you and your kind that got me into¡­ whatever this mess is in the first place.¡± I sit up straight and cross my legs in my best impression of a business woman. She looks at me for a long moment, many thoughts flickering behind her eyes. To my surprise, a small expression of pain crosses her face before disappearing behind a carefully designed poker-face. ¡°I¡¯m going to be as honest as I can with you. I am tired of the games my siblings play.¡± She leans closer. ¡°I want it to end.¡± She pauses, and I wait for her to continue. ¡°You have no idea how long I have lived. I have seen civilizations rise and fall. I have watched friends, lovers and family die. I have seen the darkest of despair and the greatest of evils.¡± She looks away, her gaze staying on the river. ¡°You can¡¯t have any idea the tortures I have suffered. And yet, for some reason I do not understand, I cannot die. I must go on to see it all happen again. I am tired. I am lost.¡± She takes a deep breath, then lets it out in a sigh. ¡°I wish no harm to you or your family. I simply wish to stop the ones who keep this game going. Will you please help me?¡± I stare at her, wondering how much of her speech is manipulation. It feels too easy. She barely knows me, so why would she tell me these things? ¡°I don¡¯t trust you.¡± Her mouth opens, but I hold up my hand, stopping her from speaking. ¡°I believe you are telling the truth, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s the whole truth. That¡¯s how powerful people work. That¡¯s how they manipulate.¡± I smile at her, ¡°I¡¯m alright with being manipulated, but I need something from you.¡± Her eyes narrow as she studies me. Eventually, she nods, ¡°What is it that you want?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me.¡± My eyes meet hers in a challenge. ¡°And really do try to make the world- or worlds better for everyone, not just yourself.¡± Her face is unreadable as she thinks. Finally, the corner of her mouth quirks up in a smirk. ¡°I think that I have chosen well.¡± She lays her hand on top of my head, her touch soft and comforting, like a loving mother. ¡°I agree to your requests. Our deal has been made. See you soon Elena.¡± I feel her words shake my psi. She removes her hand, then waves at me. The world around us disappears. I wake up in a place that I know far too well. ¡°Great. I hate hospitals.¡± My eyes narrow at the white ceiling, before I shake my head and turn to the people in the room. Everybody in the room is staring at me, including my parents, my little sister and Rose. ¡°What? Hospitals suck.¡± My mom smiles and pulls me into a hug, carefully avoiding the wound in my shoulder. She whispers in my ear, her relief audible. ¡°That¡¯s my girl.¡± Mom lets me go, and I¡¯m immediately tackled by a small creature. Elizabeth looks up at me with tears in her eyes, then buries her head in my chest. I lean down, kissing the top of her head as I rub her hair with my good arm. ¡°It¡¯s okay Sunshine. I¡¯m okay. Everything¡¯s okay.¡± I hug her to me. My dad puts his hand on my shoulder and squeezes lightly. Elizabeth lets me go and backs up a step. ¡°You¡¯re an idiot Elena! Why do you always have to be the hero, huh?¡± I smile. ¡°Someone has to be the hero, Sunshine. And I would rather that it was me instead of you.¡± A slight shuffling noise makes me look up to see Rose. She wrings her hands as she takes in the family atmosphere. I take in the sight with my eyes. She looks kinda cute being so out of place. I reach out and pull her into a hug. ¡°Hey Rose.¡± Chapter 6: Black Sphere Thingy I squeeze her tight, then let her go. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re okay.¡± She looks into my eyes, almost as if she were looking for a lie in my words. Before she can say anything, I speak up to the whole room, ¡°Hey mom? Dad? Do you think you could give me and Rose some alone time? I need to talk to her about something.¡± Elizabeth opens her mouth to argue, but before she can, Dad puts his hand on her shoulders. She deflates, as my Dad says ¡°Of course Elle, let me know when you guys are done.¡± The three of them leave the room, and I wait for their steps to disappear before turning to Rose. ¡°That wasn¡¯t the first time you killed someone, was it?¡± She looks at me as if she were waiting for me to say more, but when I don¡¯t say anything, she sags into herself. ¡°No. It wasn¡¯t my first time.¡± ¡°So you aren¡¯t a virgin then? Darn.¡± At her confused stare, I give a small sigh. ¡°Admittedly, that wasn¡¯t funny. But you can¡¯t blame a girl for trying.¡± We both stay there in silence, before a small laugh escapes her lips. She looks away as more laughter escapes. It turns into a sad, hurt laugh, and towards the end, she starts crying. I pull her to me, and she doesn¡¯t resist. She rests her head on my uninjured shoulder, sobbing loudly. When she starts to quiet down, I gently move her away to look at her, ¡°Tell me what happened.¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t know where to start.¡± I wipe a tear away from her cheek. ¡°Well, generally, people start at the beginning, then they go through the middle till they reach the end.¡± A small smile creeps onto her face, ¡°That was terrible.¡± The smile disappears, ¡°I guess it starts back then.¡± She laughs softly, but it¡¯s not a real laugh. ¡°I must have been five or six years old when my father got involved with some real bad people. Like, real bad.¡± She stops for a moment. ¡°By the time I was eight, things changed, my father was becoming more important, and I was starting to understand exactly what it was that he did.¡± She looks up at me, meeting my gaze. ¡°I was a stupid and entitled brat, so I went to where he was working one night. I wanted to give him a piece of my mind. ¡°When I found my father. He was in a room with someone and they were arguing- I don¡¯t remember what it was about, but it doesn¡¯t really matter now.¡± Rose stares at her hand. The next part is said so quietly that I have to lean forward to hear her. ¡°The fight got worse, and he was hitting my dad, a gun was knocked to the floor. He was hurting my dad, so I- I-.¡± She takes a deep breath. ¡°I became a murderer when I was a child.¡± ¡°Rose,¡± I say, bringing her back to me. ¡°It¡¯s okay. You¡¯re okay. You¡¯re safe here. Can I say something?¡± She nods. ¡°You¡¯re cute when you tell tragic backstories.¡± She snorts in surprise. ¡°I hate you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s okay. You¡¯re still cute.¡± I respond. ¡°If you weren¡¯t in a hospital bed right now, I¡¯d hit you.¡± She says it, but I can see the beginnings of a smile on her lips. The room descends into silence. Her hand finds mine and holds tight, as if I were a lifeline preventing her from drowning. ¡°Does that mean I get a discount if I hire you as a bodyguard?¡± I ask. She shakes her head. ¡°You could never afford me.¡± ¡°Hah.¡± ¡°I¡¯m surprised that I told you that.¡± Rose motions for me to move over and she lies down on top of the sheets next to me, her hand still holding mine. ¡°You are easy to talk to.¡± Rose turns her head to look at me. ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering; you fought like an action star back there. Where¡¯d you learn to fight like that?¡± I look away from her eyes, up to the ceiling. ¡°I¡¯m pretty messed up in the head, and I wasn¡¯t exactly the best kid in school. I got in fights with boys, a lot. My dad learned martial arts as a kid, and he thought that some discipline would help, so he brought me to a friend of his. I don¡¯t know if it was the discipline, or the fact that people couldn¡¯t even bloody my lip, but the fights stopped. By that point, it had become a habit to see my dad¡¯s friend for lessons.¡± I shrug my shoulders. A light knock on the door startles both of us, and Rose slips off the bed. A doctor walks into the room. She smiles as she looks at me, ¡°Good morning Elena! It¡¯s good to see you awake. How are you feeling?¡± I smile back up at her, ¡°I¡¯m feeling pretty good doc, how are you feeling?¡± A hint of amusement shows in her eyes as she picks up my chart. ¡°I¡¯m feeling okay. It has been a very long day.¡± She looks up from the chart to examine me with her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re a lucky girl you know? There¡¯s close to no nerve damage. The bullet mostly hit muscle and bone.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve always been lucky.¡± I wink at the doctor. Rose snickers, then looks away. The doctor just rolls her eyes, as she moves over to my arm to unplug the various machines they have plugged into me. ¡°Everything seems to be in order then. You should be good to leave. Remember to drink lots of fluids and let your dad know if you have any weird sensations or pains.¡± ¡°Thanks doc.¡± I respond. I swing my legs off the bed, then feel a wave of dizziness. Rose is by my side in a second to steady me. The doctor leads us out the door to where my mom and little sister are waiting. ¡°Your dad had to leave for an emergency.¡± Mom says, wringing her hands. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± ¡°I get the feeling that a lot of people are going to be asking me that.¡± I squeeze Rose''s shoulder, as she¡¯s still supporting me. ¡°I feel very supported right now.¡± We start walking towards the exit, but Elizabeth runs ahead to stick her tongue out at me. ¡°You should be feeling bad, making us all worry like that.¡± I put my head into Rose¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Save me Rose, Elizabeth is making fun of me again.¡± She laughs, the sadness in her eyes almost completely gone. *** I¡¯m out of the hospital pretty soon after that, having a doctor for a dad helps a lot when it comes to being discharged from the hospital. A black car with tinted windows comes to pick up Rose, and my mom drives my little sister and I home. I climb up the stairs, refusing the offer of help from my mom. It¡¯s my shoulder that got injured, not my leg. On the bed-stand lie the two gloves I had left behind. I glare at them, and then mentally chastise my brain for not remembering them. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. I pick the gloves up, and slide them onto my hands. A sigh of relief leaves me as the pain in my shoulder disappears, and the gloves work their healing magic, then I collapse into my bed and stare up at the ceiling. My comfy sheets almost convince me to return to my dreams, but I shake my head and focus up. ¡°[Status]¡±
General Info: Elena S. Trudeau Age:16 Lvl: 2 Class: N/A Mana: N/A Psi 220 Sponsor: Isis Titles: Beta Tester, Crazy In A Good Way (Is that even possible?), Watched By The Gods, Chosen Of Isis Special conditions: Most Definitely Not-Normal Physical Condition: Healthy Physicality: Athletic 86% Brilliance: Graduate 97% Equipment: Gloves(unique)
I have a sponsor now. Does she give me money? ¡°Describe title [Chosen Of Isis]¡± A blue screen pops into the air in front of me.
Isis has decided to sponsor you. Various benefits may pop up.
I love how clear and overly descriptive these messages are, never hard to understand, or incredibly irritating, or unclear, or incredibly irritating. Where¡¯s my money, you two-bit goddess? The screen does remind me of something else though. ¡°Oh holy system that definitely doesn¡¯t annoy me, [give me from my inventory: the prize from the tutorial].¡± A metallic black sphere drops onto my stomach, making me exhale with a slight oof. That was purposeful, wasn¡¯t it? I glare at the ceiling before picking up the sphere and looking at it. It¡¯s surprisingly light. ¡°Umm. [Identify Black Sphere Thingy?]¡±
Humble Abode Owner: Elena S Trudeau Claim an area as your own to upgrade, change and enhance.
At least that tells me something. I turn the sphere over, but it¡¯s the same all around. Here goes nothing- Actually, what does that phrase even mean? I am doing something, which isn¡¯t nothing. So why- I slap my cheeks to get back on track. ¡°[Activate Humble Abode]¡± The sphere levitates out of my hand and starts spinning. It explodes into light, going through my house in a wave of energy. Sounds of surprise from downstairs tell me that my mom and sister saw the light as well.
You are the third Beta Tester to unlock your Humble Abode. Due to this, you have been gifted a Game Shop inside your Humble Abode.
You have unlocked the in-game currency! Congratulations! From now on, whenever you defeat a creature, you gain gold usable in all in-game shops! The shop system is still in alpha stages for your planet, most features may be inaccessible.
Humble Abode Upgrades // Add Structure // Traps and Defences // Decorations
I blink as I read through all the messages begging for my attention, eventually ending up on the Humble Abode screen. Add Structure is grayed out, so I select it, hoping for an explanation.
Your Land is not large enough to support additional structures. You can expand your land by A. Defeating the creatures in charge of other lands, or B. Buying land.
I close the window, and move to the upgrades section. Two tabs pop up, one showing the shed, and the other being a tiny image of my family house. Under the house tab, images of all different kinds of houses are listed. I scroll through it for a moment, watching as the houses increase in size, complexity, and cost. There are all kinds of options, from mansions, to full-blown castles. Once the houses get to a certain size, they become grayed-out for the same reason Add Structure is. I close the window, mildly miffed that I can¡¯t afford any of the upgrades. Imagining the look on my dad¡¯s face when he comes home to a castle is a priceless thought. I move over to Traps And Defences, then Decorations, but nothing stands out. I close all the notifications, and think on the fact that I am only the third out of two million Beta Testers to unlock a Humble Abode. I sit up in my bed, only now noticing the doorway standing where my window used to be. The frame of the doorway is a dark wood covered in purple vines. Instead of a door, there¡¯s just a black void. I¡¯m pretty sure that wasn¡¯t there earlier. Could this be the mysterious ¡°shop¡±? I jump out of my bed, and look at it curiously. Whelp, nothing to it. Time to adventure! I step into the void, and the world warps around me, colors flowing into each other as the world rearranges itself. It takes a second, but the colors finally return to normal. In front of me is an empty marketplace. Elevator music plays in the background as I look at a bunch of shops with boarded up windows and Closed signs. Down the street a little bit, sits a singular shop with an Open sign. With a small skip in my step, I walk towards the shop. It¡¯s a normal looking shop that you might see walking down any street in my city. I push the door open, causing bells to ring. ¡°Hello and welcome to The Information Store for planet Earth. My name is Taylor, I am from the planet Troi. How can I help you?¡± A young woman greets me as I enter the building. Blue eyes, and teeth sharpened to a point smile at me as I walk into the mostly empty store. Long blue hair flows down her back in waves, while her clothes are a rather simple shirt and skirt. Her green skin has a lovely hue to it, and I have to say overall, she looks like a natural hostess. ¡°Hello Taylor.¡± I say, walking over to the counter she¡¯s sitting behind. ¡°Did you say planet Troi?¡± ¡°Yes I did! General information on the planet Troi is available for the low price of five gold.¡± She answers, her sharp smile never leaving her face. I purse my lips, then give a guilty smile. ¡°I don¡¯t have any gold to buy anything. Is there some other way for me to get information?¡± Her smile wanes at my lack of funds. ¡°This is why no one wants to open up shop on a new world. No money to be made.¡± She sighs, deflating slightly as her business smile turns into a more natural, yet still polite expression. ¡°Normally, I wouldn¡¯t say anything, but since your reaction to me was a lot¡­ calmer than the other two, I¡¯ll give you a freebee; if you ask the right questions, I can answer them for free.¡± I wonder what the other beta testers did. I mean, apart from her green skin and sharp teeth, she does look quite lovely. Maybe the other Beta Testers are bad with women? I know how gamers can be. ¡°What did they do?¡± She gives me a mild look of surprise, ¡°I guess I can answer that. One was this big dude with a huge-ass sword. He pulled his sword out as soon as he saw me.¡± Yeah, definitely doesn¡¯t know how to talk to women. You have to wait until you know a girl -at least the third date- before you take out your big sword. ¡°The other one was just rude, kept calling me an NPC and asking what my code is.¡± ¡°Ugh. I feel you girl. We¡¯ve all had to deal with guys that treat us like objects.¡± I say. ¡°I know, right?¡± Taylor leans against the desk, blowing her hair out of her eyes. ¡°Guys never learn.¡± She gives a small shrug. ¡°That was my entire interaction with them. Once they realized it costs gold to get info, they left the shop.¡± Chapter 7: Friends And Enemies ¡°Do you have any other questions?¡± Taylor asks. ¡°Do you have a girlfriend or boyfriend?¡± I ask. She nearly falls off her chair, and blushes. ¡°Because if you do, just tell them you have a high level partner that will kick their asses out of this world if they disrespect you. They¡¯re gamers, they¡¯ll respect levels more than anything else.¡± I continue. Taylor laughs, unable to stop herself as she clutches at the counter to keep herself from falling. ¡°Oh, gods above. You¡¯re a treat.¡± She finally calms down, giving me a genuine smile. ¡°Seriously, what other questions do you have?¡± I pause, my hand playing with a loose strand of hair. ¡°When will other people start opening up business in the shop?¡± Taylor¡¯s business smile returns as she recites information with a practiced tone. ¡°I can¡¯t give a concrete answer to that. Starting a business in another world is risky. There¡¯s less competition, but most of the time, the Beta players either die off, or don¡¯t make enough money to sustain your shop. There are some cases, rare ones, where all the Beta Players die before they unlock the shop. Then you¡¯re screwed until the Beta ends.¡± She pauses, her gaze focusing on me, ¡°Even I wouldn¡¯t be here if it weren¡¯t for-oh,¡± She frowns, ¡°can¡¯t tell you that unless you pay. Anyways, one or two shopkeepers should appear in the next month, but this won¡¯t be a full-fledged shop for at least a year, conditional on how the Beta Players do during their trials.¡± ¡°I see,¡± I say, crossing my arms as I roll back and forth on my feet. ¡°Do you have any other questions?¡± Taylor asks, adjusting her hair slightly. ¡°Yeah, just one. Do you have time to talk later? It¡¯s been¡­ strange, being unable to talk about this with anyone.¡± She looks away, her hand moving to the back of her neck. ¡°Umm¡­ I can¡¯t leave my shop, since I don¡¯t have the kind of money to hire workers. B-but, if you want to come visit me sometime, it would be nice to have someone to talk to.¡± ¡°Great. It¡¯s a date.¡± I stretch, ¡°Also, remind me to bring a chair next time.¡± My spine pops and I relax with a sigh. ¡°See you later.¡± I wave goodbye, and she gives a small wave back. It¡¯s a quick walk back to the door I came through to enter the Shop. A giant Exit sign sits above the doorway, and I enter it without a thought. My room is as I left it. My king size bed with covers unmade, my dresser across from it, and a little sister facing away from me, holding one of my dresses up to her shoulders. An evil grin slowly finds its way to my lips. ¡°Hello, little Sunshine. Fancy finding you here.¡± Elizabeth jumps, dropping my dress to the floor. ¡°Hey Elena! I was just, uh, making sure there weren¡¯t any rips in your beautiful dress.¡± Elizabeth¡¯s eyes skip over the door I¡¯d just walked out of, clearly not seeing it. ¡°Well? Did you find any, Elizabeth?¡± I ask as I walk towards her, my smile as innocent as I can make it. She gulps, ¡°Any what?¡± A second later, she realizes what she said and covers her mouth with her hand. ¡°I mean no, I didn¡¯t find any.¡± I hold my smile for a second longer before breaking into laughter. ¡°You should see your face. Haha, I can¡¯t¡­¡± A relieved sigh escapes Elizabeth¡¯s mouth as she relaxes. ¡°Little Sunshine, if you want to try on my dress, just ask. Was there any other reason you were up here?¡± She starts to shake her head, then pauses as she remembers something. ¡°Oh! That¡¯s right, moma wanted me to come up to check on you. Dinner should be done soon, and she¡¯s worried about your shoulder.¡± ¡°Tell mom I¡¯ll be down soon, and that I¡¯m feeling fine.¡± She nods, and turns to leave the room. ¡°Elizabeth.¡± I say. She stops, turning to look at me with confusion. I point to the dress on the floor. She gives me a guilty look, then hurries to pick it up and hang it in the closet. ¡°Thanks Sunshine. You can go now.¡± She quickly scampers out of my room and I hear her hurrying down the stairs to our mom. A notification pops up, asking for my attention.
Humble Abode is finished claiming your land. Your land consists of
  1. House (upgrades available)
  2. Front Yard (small structures now available)
  3. Back Yard (small structures now available)
  4. Tool Shed (upgrades available)
I dismiss the notification, and head to my door to go downstairs. A small notification pops up over the door, barely visible. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Door (upgradeable)
Well that¡¯s useful. As I make my way downstairs, I see more screens pop up over various parts of the house, but as soon as I ignore them, they disappear. Downstairs in the kitchen, mom sits at the table, reading a book, while Elizabeth stirs a large pot of soup. I push mom¡¯s feet off of my chair and sit down across from her. ¡°Your shoulder must be feeling better.¡± Mom says, her piercing gaze looking over the top of her book. ¡°What do you mean?¡± I ask sweetly, my hand moving towards the shoulder that had been healed by my gloves. She points her foot at me, ¡°You just pushed my feet with your injured arm.¡± I push her leg away from me with a frown. ¡°It¡¯s been feeling a lot better, I guess those doctors really work miracles.¡± Mom¡¯s eyes narrow at me, before making a non-committal sound and returning to her book. I ignore her suspicions for now and rest my head in my arms. With some careful breath work, I enter a state of meditation. The colors of my chakras are as beautiful as ever, and I wonder at the fact that something so insubstantial can create color. I follow the flow of my psi, watching as it circulates, until my gaze settles on the chakra of my third eye. I simply observe it for a while, watching the currents of psi twist and turn through it. If speeding up the current allows me to open my third eye, what would slowing it down do? I gather my mental energy- ¡°Elena. Food is ready.¡± I open my eyes, my consciousness slowly returning to the real world. I look up, my head still resting against my arms. Mom places a bowl of soup in front of me. ¡°Thank you mom.¡± I say with a distracted smile. I sit up, grab a spoon and start eating. Dinner passes quickly as everyone is in their own world. Mom with her book, and Elizabeth with her phone. I finish up and head back up to my room. I close the door, and move over to my bed. I sit cross-legged on it, dropping back into meditation. I study my chakras for a moment, then gathering my mental energy, I slow the chakra of my third eye. I feel the mental pressure build up as my psi pushes to resume its normal pace. It takes some concentration, but I manage to hold the psi to that speed. Carefully, I open my eyes. Nothing looks different in the room. Careful to keep my mind focused, I turn to look for my hand mirror. My head doesn¡¯t turn, until a couple of seconds later, I realize that my head is turning, just incredibly slowly. I focus on my surroundings, and in the corner of my room, I see a small fly mid-air, its wings flapping slowly. Time is slowing down. I spend a few more moments experiencing the situation, before I start to feel frustrated with my own slowness and deactivate the spell.
You have learned to manipulate your perception of time. You have unlocked the skill [Take Your Time]
¡°[Define Take Your Time]¡± I say.
[Take Your Time] allows you to perceive time at a significantly reduced rate.
¡°No shit sherlock.¡± I mutter. After all the excitement of the evening, I decide it¡¯s time to call it a day. ¡°It has definitely been a day.¡± I collapse into my bed, and wait for sleep to call me. *** My alarm wakes me up at the crack of dawn for school. I make my way through my morning routine before heading downstairs. I meet my father there, reading an article on his laptop. I hum to myself as I make myself some pancakes for breakfast. ¡°You seem to be in a good mood.¡± My father says, looking up at me as I put a plate of pancakes in front of him. ¡°I am always in a good mood.¡± I say, giving him a cheeky smile. I pour a generous helping of maple syrup onto my own pancakes and sit across from him. He takes a bite, and responds with a mouth half-full of pancake. ¡°The humming is new.¡± He swallows, then nods to the arm I¡¯m eating with. ¡°I see your arm is feeling better. You¡¯re not overdoing those pain meds, are you?¡± I shake my head, my mind going to the full bottle in my room. ¡°No, it honestly hasn¡¯t been hurting that much.¡± He hums as he takes another bite. ¡°Even if you can¡¯t feel it, be careful about overusing the arm. You don¡¯t want to reopen the stitching.¡± I swallow my last bite, then stand up and give my dad a kiss on the forehead. ¡°I¡¯ll be careful dad.¡± I say, picking up my backpack. I give him a small wave as I leave the door and place my earbuds in my ear. This time, my gloves are on my hands. I don¡¯t want any more surprise attacks. I reach the school out of breath. Taking a deep gulp of my water bottle, I rest my hands on my knees. ¡°You good?¡± A familiar voice asks from behind me. I smile, and turn around to face Rose. Sky blue seems to be the color of choice today, as shown by the color of her sweater and skirt. I wave my hand. ¡°I¡¯m fine, just wanted to push myself a little today.¡± I stand up, my hand moving up to my ponytail. I adjust it slightly, unable to meet Rose¡¯s eyes. ¡°You sure you¡¯re okay?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Are you sure you should be running after, you know, your injury?¡± She asks. The worry in her voice makes my stomach do a small flip of happiness. It¡¯s nice to know she cares. I grin at her, ¡°I was shot in the arm, not the leg. Well, technically, the shoulder. But I¡¯m sure running is fine.¡± Her face flashes with a look of guilt before she hides it. I walk over to her and hook my arm in hers. ¡°Really, it¡¯s fine.¡± I give her a smile. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s hurry to homeroom. Personally, my favorite seats are by the window, but I remember you liked to sit in the back. If we get there quick enough, we can do both.¡± Her arm relaxes in mine. ¡°That sounds nice.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡± I say, gently pulling her to the classroom. Chapter 8: Creepy Villains Rose is quiet, with a small smile as we walk into the classroom. I keep the conversation going by pointing at scratches on the wall, and telling her about the seniors who¡¯d decided to leave their mark after graduation. The couple of students already in the classroom stare at us curiously. After all, Rose is the new student, and she¡¯s walking with the class psycho. Rose smiles and winks at those staring, then follows me over to a desk in the back. I sit at the window, and watch as she shoots a boy a smile, before sitting next to me. I miss the warmth of her arm in mine. I let out a small sigh. Rose turns to me, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± she asks. ¡°Nothing, just feeling bad for all the poor boys that are going to have their hearts broken.¡± I give her a smile. ¡°Oh, hush. I like smiling at them, nothing more. It¡¯s way too dangerous to be around me anyway.¡± She brushes her hair behind her back and sets her backpack to the floor. I stick my tongue out at her. ¡°I¡¯m like glue, you¡¯re not getting rid of me.¡± ¡°Yeah, well, I guess you¡¯re different.¡± She pulls out a notebook and opens it to a random page, revealing a bunch of small doodles.. ¡°You¡¯re already involved.¡± I lean down, my hair resting on the desk as I catch her eyes. ¡°Is that the only reason I¡¯m different?¡± The boy in front of me whistles as he sits down at the desk in front of us. ¡°Man, I wish I had one tenth of the charm you do Elena.¡± I turn my gaze to the boy, and briefly consider if my new powers will let me kill him with my eyes. Blake smiles cheekily, showing off his dimple. ¡°Sorry El, couldn¡¯t help myself.¡± He turns to Rose and offers his hand, ¡°You¡¯re the new kid, huh? I¡¯m Blake, Elena¡¯s best-friend.¡± I snort. ¡°Don¡¯t do me like that, El.¡± He says as Rose takes his hand, ¡°And can you stop glaring at me? I¡¯m scared my shirt will catch on fire.¡± My eyes narrow at the boy. He¡¯s right about being my best friend, even if I don¡¯t want to admit it. Notorious playboy, and reformed bully, Blake is irritatingly charming. Blue eyes, raven hair, and a six-pack he likes to display whenever he gets the chance, make for a devastating combination at our highschool. During one of my weaker moments, I¡¯d even considered dating him, not that I¡¯d ever admit that to anyone. We became friends freshman year, after I beat him up for bullying one of the nerdier kids in our class. It¡¯s a long story, but he¡¯s a relatively good guy now. ¡°Hey. I¡¯m Rose, Elena¡¯s newest friend.¡± She says. ¡°Nice to meet you Blake.¡± ¡°Nice to meet ya. You¡¯re in good company, El might be a little¡­¡± His eyes slide over to me and he reconsiders his words. ¡°But! I¡¯d trust her with my life a thousand times over. Plus she¡¯s intelligent, badass, and very pretty.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Rose gives me a questioning look, and I roll my eyes. While Rose is looking at me, Blake gives me a little thumbs up. Idiot. Before anything else can be said, the door to the classroom is thrown open. A new teacher strolls into the room, his eyes looking over everyone with a calculating gaze. ¡°Hello class! My name is Mr. Monroe, Scott Monroe to be exact. I will be taking over as your homeroom teacher.¡± A hand rises at the front of the class. ¡°Yes, Miss Telemor?¡± ¡°What happened to Miss Reynolds?¡± The preppy girl at the front asks. ¡°She suffered an unfortunate accident and quit to take care of herself.¡± He picks up an attendance chart at the front of the class. ¡°Any more questions will have to be directed towards the principal.¡± That said, he starts calling out names. My psi explodes into motion, and I put a hand to my head. Someone else is using their psi on the people in the room. I look up, and everyone is giving their full attention to Mr. Monroe. My own gaze is drawn to him as something forces me to pay attention. I ignore the sensation easily, instead twisting the psi inside me as I consider what to do. The teacher is using psi. Is he another Beta Tester? I glance at the rest of the classroom. Everyone is taking notes, and no one is passing notes or staring at their phone. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Everyone is being controlled, including Rose and Blake. Anger fills me as I¡¯m tempted to break the control he has over the room. But no, it¡¯s a bad idea. If he¡¯s hostile, which the fact that he¡¯s using mind control implies, then I could start a fight in a classroom filled with people that he can apparently control. I lean back in my chair, and let the psychic control continue. My title grants me near complete immunity to his control, but I still have to sit there and pretend as if nothing is going on. Class passes in agonizing slowness as the man controls everyone like puppets. Finally, class ends causing all the students to gather their things and leave. I breathe a sigh of relief as I grab my bags and move to follow Rose and Blake. ¡°Elena, stay a moment.¡± Mr. Monroe says. I freeze as his psi washes over me, commanding me to stay where I am. The rest of the class leaves, walking out the door. ¡°What a pity, I had hoped that you would be more of a challenge to control, being a Beta Tester and all.¡± He walks a circle around me with an arrogant confidence. ¡°I thought there was some initial resistance, but it was nothing compared to the monsters of the tutorial.¡± He stops in front of me and lets out a sigh. ¡°I had hoped to play the teacher a little longer, but seeing as this was so easy, I suppose it¡¯s time. Come along, we¡¯ll head to my house.¡± He turns towards the door and starts walking. ¡°Do you have any idea how creepy you sound?¡± I ask, placing my hand against my hip. ¡°I mean, really? ¡®Come along, we¡¯ll head to my house¡¯¡± I imitate his deep voice and shake my head. ¡°What a thing for a young male teacher, like yourself, to say to his beautiful female student.¡± I let out an annoyed huff, then add, ¡°After I had to listen to your boring ass lecture too.¡± He turns around slowly, his eyes looking at me with warrily. ¡°How did you-?¡± ¡°I would have said something along the lines of, oh, I don¡¯t know, ¡®wow. It¡¯s great to finally meet someone from The Game Of The Gods. Why don¡¯t we sit down and mutually agree on how terrible dying in the tutorial was¡¯. But nooo, you just had to go the creepy villain route.¡± I sigh dramatically, and lean against the desk. ¡°I said, Come to my house.¡± Psi washes over me as he attempts to control me. I push my psi against his, mustering everything I have to push against the mental control. My stomach twists with nausea at the sudden use of sigh. I lean back against the desk, pretending to be unaffected while my stomach does flips . ¡°Really? After I just told you how creepy you sounded. You had to go even creepier. ¡®Come to my house!¡¯. Wow. What a cringy villain you are.¡± I use [Unmatchable Speed], the world shifting around me as I appear in front of him. I point my gloved fist at his neck. ¡°Let¡¯s get something clear here. I don¡¯t like being controlled, and I don¡¯t like my friends being controlled. So back. The. Fuck. Off.¡± To my surprise, the man doesn¡¯t even blink. He just smiles at me. ¡°Now this. This is fun. Who would have thought that Set¡¯s warnings about you were correct? I am sorry for what¡¯s about to happen.¡± Blood spurts out of my front as bullets puncture through me, their force throwing me into the teacher¡¯s desk. No gunshots ring out, the room eerily silent except for my banging into the desk. A woman walks into the room, holding an old six-shot western pistol. She hands the gun to Mr. Monroe. ¡°Thank you Sasha. Nice shooting.¡± He turns towards me, ¡°I like to be prepared. I can heal you from those wounds, but you¡¯ll have to come with me.¡± I bring a bloodied hand to the desk, and pull myself off the ground. I stagger back to the window, a smile covering my face as I glare at the two of them. ¡°I have decided, that I hate getting shot. It hurts, you know?¡± I feel as the blood covers my shirt, my gloves struggling against the bullets still lodged in my body. ¡°You really like playing the villain, don¡¯t you Mr. Monroe? I would love to continue our little repartee of words, but I¡¯m afraid that I¡¯m late for my next class. There¡¯s an important test, you know? See you tomorrow.¡± I use [Unmatchable Speed] to jump through the window. [Take Your Time] activates, slowing time enough for me to grab onto the windowsill a floor down. I let go of the windowsill, and fall to the ground of the first level, whimpering as the bullet holes in my body complain. I hurry to the girl¡¯s bathroom and lock myself into a stall. The wounds are closing slower than they should. At the rate I¡¯m losing blood, I¡¯ll bleed out before my gloves heal the wound. I close my eyes, and try to sink into meditation. I need to focus. The root chakra is blood red, symbolizing survival, life and death. I speed the psi up, praying that it¡¯ll work. I cannot die. I refuse to die. Captain! The ship is sinking! I repeat, the ship is sinking! Calm down Cadet. This will not be our last fight! I refuse to let it be. What are your orders, Captain? Batten down the hatches. We are in for a rough one. Pain courses through my body, as I put all of my focus into my psi. A gasp escapes me, and a second later there¡¯s the ding of a bullet hitting the floor. A second and a third bullet soon follow. After an excruciating ten minutes, the wounds close, but I can feel an infection of something foreign making its way through my veins. I grab ahold of my root chakra, then take the psi and chase every last bit of the infection down. After what feels like an eternity, I open my eyes and let out a sigh. I lie there, leaning against the toilet for a minute before I gather the energy I need to pick up one of the bullets. I study it, watching as hieroglyphs flash in and out of existence down its surface. ¡°[Identify Item: Bullet]¡±
.45 Bullet (unique) Owner: Scott Monroe Abilities: Ignore Healing, Infect, ???
Fuck. That¡¯s a system weapon, isn¡¯t it. I close the blue screen to look at some of the notifications that had been wanting my attention.
You have manipulated your root chakra and learned the spell: [You Better Heal Right Now]
You have manipulated your root chakra and learned the spell [Clear Impurities]
You have resisted a mental attack and learned the spell [Resist Psi]
I wish I liked alcohol, because then I could say; I really need a drink. Chapter 9: I Am Not In A Good Mood I unlock the stall door and step out. I roll the three bloody bullets in my hands, then walk over to the sink and rinse them off. They¡¯re system made, so maybe they¡¯re valuable. As the cool water runs over my hands, I remember that my backpack is still back in homeroom. I don¡¯t feel like grabbing it. I go over to the towel dispenser, dry the bullets and place them in my pocket. I stretch, enjoying the lack of pain from my back. I was unprepared for that fight. Which was stupid. I was just shot by a gang member yesterday, and I¡¯ve done basically nothing to prepare myself for a real battle since then. Luck saved me. Luck that I had a title that gives me resistance to Mr. Monroe¡¯s specialty. If not for that, I¡¯d be in some creepy guy¡¯s house right now. I shudder at the thought. I need to prepare myself. My next class started twenty minutes ago. It would be weird to enter the classroom in the middle of a lecture, so I decide to do some studying on my own. I leave the bathroom and make my way to the gym, which is thankfully empty. I raid the lockers to grab myself an unbloodied shirt, then find a quiet spot, and pull out the book Sheyla had given me. I smile sweetly at the book as I open it, ¡°Hello, little book, would you be so kind as to show me how to protect my friends from mind control?¡± Seeing as how you have a distinct lack of mana, we recommend Auric Enchantments. Please turn the page. I do as it says. Resist Control: Auric Enchantment. Will resist attempts of psychic manipulation. Enchantment is attached to a worn object. If the object is removed or destroyed, enchantment will no longer affect the wearer. Requires: Accessory (ring, bracelet, earring, necklace). Cost: 100 psi. I look at the only accessory I have on me, a seashell bracelet my little sister made me for my last birthday. I read through the rest of the page, directing me on how to direct the psi towards the object. It doesn¡¯t look too complicated, but I should let my psi recover before I attempt it. ¡°Can you bookmark this page? Then show me some basic defensive and offensive psi spells.¡± Gladly. Turn the page. I turn the page to see two spells listed. Defence Of The Earth: Psi Spell. Manipulate the ground using your root chakra. Defence of the earth creates a wall of protection. Cost: 20 psi / use. Force Of Many Blades: Psi Spell. Manipulate your power chakra. Force of many blades will give your strikes a cutting force. Cost: 20 psi/use I study the pages, memorizing the shapes I need to twist my psi into. Then I make my way to a small empty space between the gym and the cafeteria. There I spend some time manipulating my psi until I have the spells down. The lunch bell rings, breaking me out of my thoughts. I look at my psi, and decide that it¡¯s in a fine place to try the enchantment. I don¡¯t want to be too late to lunch, but I still take the time to close my eyes and enter a meditative state for the more complicated shapes required of the enchantment. I feel it solidify into place, and open my eyes to a minor headache. ¡°[Identify Item: Bracelet]
Enchanted Bracelet Owner: Elena S. Trudeau Abilities: Resist Control
I roll my shoulders and stretch as I put Sheyla¡¯s book away. The cafeteria is as full as ever when I arrive, and it doesn¡¯t take me long to follow people¡¯s gazes to Rose. The popular clique sits around her at the table. Blake, thank god, is sitting next to her running interference. I don¡¯t know how most schools work, but the popular kids here are particularly vicious. I stroll up to the table and rest my hand on the shoulder of one of the boys I particularly hate. A rich kid named Johnathon. He just happens to be sitting next to Rose, which is extra offensive to me. He turns around to look at me. I put on my sweetest, ditziest smile, ¡°Hey John! Fancy meeting you here! You look to be doing well.¡± I lean into his ear and whisper conspiratorially, ¡°Has Jasmine realized that you¡¯re cheating on her yet?¡± I lean away and giggle with a flirtatious wink. His face pales. ¡°You seem to have taken my seat. Can I pwease have it back.¡± I give him a pout for extra effect. He practically jumps out of his spot and offers it to me. ¡°Of course Elena. Anything for you.¡± Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡°Thanks pumpkin. It¡¯s good to know I can always count on you.¡± I blow a kiss towards him, and he pales further at my double meaning. I turn my attention to Rose, who has her mouth hanging open at my sudden change in personality. She shakes her head, ¡°Hey Elena, Blake was just introducing me to these guys.¡± ¡°Of course. I know all of the¡­ lovely people here.¡± I say, looking around the table. During freshman year, I¡¯d made it clear I wasn¡¯t interested in joining their little group, and so they thought they could bully me instead. I of course made it my job to dig up every piece of dirt I could on them. Then I blackmailed them all. The bullying had miraculously stopped at that point. Most of them know me, but I can see the calculating thoughts of the freshmen and sophomores that don¡¯t know the stories. I shake my head, I really didn¡¯t have as much control back then. ¡°Anyway, Rose, I wanted to give you something.¡± I take off my bracelet and put it around her wrist. ¡°This bracelet is very important to me, but I think it would look better on you. Would you wear it for me?¡± ¡°I¡¯d love to. Thank you.¡± She looks up at me, and I realize that I¡¯m still holding her hand. I let it go, and put my hands in my lap. Lunch ends soon after that and we all leave for class. I don¡¯t see Mr. Monroe for the rest of the school day, and no other monsters pop up to bother me. I don¡¯t have any other classes with Rose, but Blake sits in on two of my classes, and we end up chatting about a fight he¡¯d gotten into a couple weeks ago. I find Rose after school ends. She¡¯s sitting on the curb, just watching the other students as they are picked up and driven away. The sound of my shoes on the pavement makes her look up, and I sit down next to her. She looks down at the bracelet she¡¯s holding in her hands. ¡°Thank you for this. It feels nice to wear, and kinda reminds me of you.¡± She looks at me, then quickly looks to the road. ¡°It¡¯s nice.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad you like it. I hope I¡¯ll see it on you tomorrow too.¡± She nods, and a comfortable silence follows. I don¡¯t feel the need to say anything as we just sit there on the curb. She stands up, ¡°My ride''s here.¡± She points at a sleek looking car that makes no sound as it drives up to us. ¡°See you tomorrow Elena.¡± She opens the back seat of the car and steps in. ¡°See you then.¡± I say to myself, watching as the car goes over a bump. I push myself off the ground, and start my walk home. I unlock the door to my house, which is currently empty. Mom took Elizabeth to her soccer practice and dad is still at work. I move to take off my backpack, then remember it¡¯s still in Mr. Monroe¡¯s classroom. Tch. Irritating bastard. I make my way up the stairs to my room, then head straight to the door to the shop. The colors whirl and turn around me as I arrive at the empty market that is the shop. The elevator music has been replaced with classical guitar, which I actually enjoy quite a bit. A smile makes its way to my face as I find the familiar Open sign. The bells ring as I open the door, revealing the quaint little Information shop. ¡°Hello, and welcome to the Information Shop for planet Earth. My name is- Oh! Hi Elena.¡± Taylor, relaxes and gives me a real smile. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be back so soon.¡± I step inside, then immediately realize my mistake. ¡°Crap. I forgot a chair.¡± I say. Taylor laughs, and reaches behind her desk to pull out a fold-out chair. She walks around and sets it up for me, her green skin shimmering lightly as she moves through the room. ¡°I thought you might need one, so I made sure to grab one and bring it here. Although, I wasn¡¯t expecting you back so soon.¡± I sit down in the chair, and lean it back onto its back legs. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to be back this fast either. But something came up.¡± She raises an eyebrow, so I continue ¡°I met a Beta Tester.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Her brows furrow. ¡°What were they like?¡± ¡°He tried to control me using psi, then his assistant shot me in the back three times.¡± I smile, ¡°So overall, I think it went pretty well.¡± ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Aside from the fact that I have murder on the mind, I¡¯m fine. Better than fine actually. He gave me these.¡± I pull the three bullets out of my pocket and show them to her. She holds out her hand, so I drop the bullets in them to let her study them closer. She whistles as she carefully turns one of them over. ¡°These bullets come from a unique weapon in the armory.¡± She hands them back to me, and I put them back in my pocket. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I last saw Tutorial grade weaponry.¡± ¡°How much do you think I can get for them?¡± She taps her finger against the counter. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not a weapons merchant, so I can¡¯t give you their full value¡­ how about ten gold for each bullet?¡± ¡°Deal.¡± I immediately respond.
Would you like to trade three (unique) bullets to Taylor Flameborn for thirty gold pieces? Yes/No
I happily click yes. Then look at my pocket as the weight of the bullet disappears. Nothing replaces the weight. ¡°Where¡¯s the gold?¡± I ask. Taylor laughs at my expression, ¡°The gold goes to your inventory directly unless you ask the system to have it appear physically.¡± ¡°That¡¯s disappointing. It would have been fun to see a pile of gold fall into my hands.¡± I hold my hands in the air to prove my point. ¡°Just so you know, this deal is way better for me than it is you. It¡¯s hard to get your hands on tutorial grade weapons. Weapon merchants and crafters from across the realms would kill to get their hands on items like this.¡± Taylor rolls the bullets between her fingers. I shrug. ¡°I don¡¯t need the bullets, but I can use the gold.¡± ¡°Your loss. But that does mean you can buy information.¡± She gives me a predatory smile. ¡°Sorry Taylor, but I¡¯ve got plans to upgrade my home.¡± ¡°Oh? Are you sure about that? You¡¯re not the slightest bit curious how Mr. Monroe found out who and where you were?¡± A strange going enters her eyes, as she leans closer to me. The front feet of my chair hit the ground as my back stiffens and my smile widens. ¡°How do you know his name? I never told it to you.¡± She gives me a long look, her smile that of a shark¡¯s. ¡°I¡¯m an information merchant. My job is to know these things.¡± I tilt my head slightly, studying this different side of the alien figure in front of me. ¡°How much will it cost?¡± She walks around the desk and sits down on the desk, looking down at me. She holds my gaze with that predatory smile for a long moment, ¡°I¡¯ll give you the information on how Mr. Monroe found you, along with his status screen¡¯s information for, let¡¯s say¡­ one gold?¡± I snort, then quickly try to hide the sound behind a cough. Taylor sighs and I kinda feel bad for breaking the tense atmosphere she¡¯d been going for.
Would you like to trade one gold to Taylor Flameborn in exchange for information regarding Beta Tester Scott Monroe? Yes/No
I look away from Taylor¡¯s accusatory eyes as I click Yes. Chapter 10: Dees [Insert Joke] I click Yes, and a glass sphere appears in my hand. Mist coalesces inside of it, making vague shapes that catch my attention, ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± I ask. ¡°It¡¯s the information you traded for.¡± She says, slipping off the desk to move back to her seat. ¡°Crush the sphere in your hands, and voila. Information straight to your brain.¡± I twist the sphere in my hands, examining the glass. ¡°I thought you were just going to tell me.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t expect me to keep all my knowledge up here.¡± She taps her head, ¡°Plus, this makes it easier for the buyer to remember. Go ahead and crush it, it won¡¯t hurt you.¡± I crush the ball, and it turns into mist in my hand. The mist absorbs into my skin, and I feel as it travels up my arm and into my brain.
General Info: Scott Monroe Age:29 Lvl: 2 Class: Manipulator Mana: N/A Psi: 400 Sponsor: Set Titles: Beta Tester, Murderer, Control Freak, Watched By The Gods Special conditions: Sociopathic Physical Condition: Healthy Physicality: Normal 45% Brilliance: Doctorate 84% Equipment: .44 magnum Revolver(unique)
My face scrunches at a slight irritation. So it turns out the god Set is behind the man finding me. Bleh. Note to self: Kick Set¡¯s ass. ¡°Talk about creepy.¡± I mutter. ¡°Manipulator class. Murderer and Control Freak titles¡­ He sounds fun at a party.¡± Taylor shrugs. ¡°There¡¯s a reason the price was cheap.¡± ¡°Thanks Taylor. I think I have some more preparations to do.¡± I stand up, pushing the chair back. Then I make my ¡°Anything for my best customer!¡± Taylor pauses, her smile disappearing to something unreadable. ¡°Be careful Elena, this is only the beginning.¡± ¡°I do love good beginnings.¡± I say, turning and walking to the door of her shop. I pause, my hand on the doorknob. ¡°I have a feeling this one is going to be explosive.¡± The door opens with a jingle, and I make my way back to my room, whistling to the tune of ¡°I¡¯ve been working on the railroad¡±. My bed is exactly the same as I left it, and I sit on it with a creak as I pull up a familiar screen.
Upgrades Add Structure Traps And Defenses Decorations
I click on Traps And Defences, bringing up the next screen.
Traps Alarms Guards Walls Reinforcements
I click on alarms, and spend 6 gold to buy an alarm that detects Monsters and unapproved Beta Testers. Then I make my way to the Guards tab. I scroll through it, looking for anything that catches my eye. From dragons, to golems, all kinds of creatures pop up. My finger pauses over one that catches my eye.
Faerie: Electric 20 gold A race of fae that comes from the planet Eldrazi. These faeries are intelligent beings with control over electricity. Useful for subduing unwelcome guests and happy to work for nothing but the occasional sweet.
I instantly purchase, clicking yes on the next screen pops up. If you look at any myth, you don¡¯t want to mess with faeries. It¡¯s bad joojoo. ¡°Hello.¡± A quiet voice says from behind me. I turn around, tilting my head slightly as I study the small creature flying in the air behind me. She pats down her golden hair which was starting to frizz out, then turns her blue eyes back to me. ¡°I said hello.¡± She says. ¡°I know.¡± I answer, smiling at her, ¡°You just surprised me a little bit.¡± ¡°Oh. Well you surprised me too!¡± She turns away from me to study the room. She flits over to the bed, moving faster than a hummingbird. The opaque wings on her back don¡¯t seem to move, except for a slight flutter. ¡°When I signed up to be a guard, I didn¡¯t think it would be on a beta world¡± She flies back to me, lifting up my hair to study it. ¡°You¡¯re pretty.¡± She says, then flits back to the bed and sits down on my pillow. ¡°Then again, I didn¡¯t think that I would actually be getting any work. Dragons are all the rage. Tch. Stupid dragons, they think they¡¯re so special because of those shiny scales. Some people actually had to work for their power, y¡¯know?¡± I laugh and sit on the edge of the bed. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°You can call me Dee. What¡¯s yours?¡± She jumps off of my pillow and looks me in the eyes. I pause before I answer, something in her eyes giving me warning. ¡°Is it dangerous to give my name away?¡¯ She looks up at me with a proud grin, ¡°Of course! Your name is how people know you¡¯re you. It helps spells find you and gives them purchase.¡± She puffs up her chest, ¡°But you can trust me, just as I trusted you. Dee is part of my true name. If you wanted to, you could try and use it against me. But! I am a guard of your home, I have no wish to harm you, just as you have no wish to harm me.¡± I look at her thoughtfully, then match her grin. ¡°My name is Elena Tudeau, just call me Elena.¡± Her face grows serious as she bows with an elegant flourish, ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you Miss Elena.¡± She tries to hold the serious expression, but I can see the corners of her lips begging to turn into a smile. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you as well Dee.¡± I attempt to curtsy back, but I¡¯m wearing shorts. I pretend I have a skirt and curtsy anyway. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Dee flies back to the pillow she¡¯d taken a liking to, and sits on it. ¡°So, who are the bad guys I need to protect your home from? Who are the good guys that you do want inside your home?¡± ¡°My father¡¯s name is Jacob Trudeau, my mother is Sarah Trudeau, and my sister is Elizabeth Trudeau. They can enter any time. Scott Monroe can never be allowed inside my home.¡± I pause, ¡°Are just the names good enough for you?¡± She nods. ¡°As I said, your name is how people know that you are you.¡± ¡°Other than him, don¡¯t harm anyone unless they try to harm me or my family. Or if they try and steal something.¡± I bite my lip, considering, ¡°Or if it¡¯s obvious I really don¡¯t like them.¡± Dee giggles. ¡°I see that you have an alarm system. Perfect, can you give me permission to access it?¡± Her eyes look into space as she manipulates screens I can¡¯t see.
Your (fabulous) guard has requested access to your Humble Abode¡¯s alarm system. Grant access? Yes/No Your (fabulous) guard has requested access to your Humble Abode¡¯s alarm system. Grant access? Yes/No
I click yes. ¡°And yes, I am the best guard anyone could ask for.¡± She says. ¡°Do I need to pay you anything as a salary?¡± I ask. She shrugs, making her way through more screens I can¡¯t see. ¡°You can pay me with honey. Lots and lots of honey. Aaaand, that should do it. Congratulations on your new guard-fairy!¡± *** I tap my pencil against my notebook as I work through the problem in my head. I nod and write the answer down. Dee sighs, her body splayed out on my pillow. She stares at me with glassy eyes as I work on my homework. I look up at her, ¡°If you¡¯re that bored, you can watch something on the computer.¡± ¡°What¡¯s a computer?¡± She asks, perking up. I smile, and Dee shivers in fear. I open my computer and turn it on. ¡°This is youtube on autoplay. Don¡¯t blame me for what you see.¡± I sit back in my chair to continue my homework. Several hours later, Dee turns away from the computer with a haunted expression. ¡°I couldn¡¯t take my eyes away. It¡¯s¡­ it was just horrible. You people let kids watch that?¡± I shrug, ¡°That¡¯s just how kids'' shows are. Some parents just don¡¯t realize what they put up there. There¡¯s way more of that across the internet.¡± ¡°Internet?¡± I open my mouth to answer, but she puts her hands against my lips. ¡°Never mind. I don¡¯t want to know.¡± I laugh and turn back to my biology textbook. *** The next morning, I wake up to my alarm, while a half-asleep Dee shoots up from where she¡¯d been sleeping on the pillow next to me. ¡°Wh-what is that? Are we under attack?¡± I turn the alarm off, and stretch. ¡°No, I just like to torture myself every morning with loud noises.¡± Dee looks at me in shock. I chuckle tiredly, ¡°I¡¯m kidding. That¡¯s just the morning alarm to get ready for school.¡± I slip out of my sheets with a longing look behind me and get started on my morning routine. The morning goes like any other, except for a small faerie that follows me around through the house. My father doesn¡¯t even see her as he yawns into his coffee mug. Dee waves me off as I start my run to school. I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯m ready to face off against Mr. Monroe, but I¡¯ve prepared as much as I can. Plus, I can irrationally hope that he doesn¡¯t show up to class today. Unfortunately, my hopes are dashed as Mr. Monroe swaggers into the class. I pull my gloves tighter as I stare daggers into the man¡¯s back. To my surprise, Mr. Monroe actually teaches history to the class. He completely ignores me, his spell landing over the class to call their attention to him. Rose doesn¡¯t show up, and I feel my heart twist. The class ends, and Mr. Monroe immediately leaves the classroom. I stand up, and hurry to the front, but by the time I get there, he¡¯s gone. After all the buildup of our last encounter, I can¡¯t help but feel disappointed. I mean, no epic fight? No showdown of powers? What¡¯s a girl gotta do to punch a teacher around here? Rose isn¡¯t at lunch either, and some part of me starts to worry. What if this is his next move? I told her not to take off that bracelet. The next class starts, but I¡¯m distracted throughout. Finally, I decide on something, and walk out of the class mid-lecture. ¡°Bathroom.¡± I call out as the teacher calls out to stop me. I open the door, a bloodthirsty smile spreading across my face. If anyone did something to Rose, they¡¯re going to be in for a nasty surprise. I make my way to the front office, and find the office lady idly playing something on her phone. She looks up as I enter, ¡°Hello Elena, how can I help you?¡± ¡°Hi! Could you check in with the nurse, she¡¯s supposed to have something for me.¡± I ask, putting on my sweetest smile. ¡°Of course, just a moment.¡± She pushes back from her desk and heads towards the back. I glance at the other lady in the room who¡¯s busy on a phone call, looking at the wall in the other direction. I walk around the counter behind the office lady¡¯s desk and click on her computer to open it. A quick click brings up student information, and I search up Rose Demor. I skim the page until I find her address and her parent¡¯s phone number, then I search up Scott Monroe. He¡¯s not in the system. I frown, then close the application. I leave the room, not waiting for the lady to return. I type her dad¡¯s phone number into my phone and call. It goes to voicemail. I try her phone next, and it also goes to voicemail. I open the map app on my phone and type in her address. I frown at the distance I have to cover. This is one of those times that I wish my parents had gotten me a car instead of clothes for my sixteenth birthday. I look out the window and see my salvation. Blake is leaning against his car, talking to one of his friends. Leaving the building, I make my way towards the two boys. Blake catches sight of me walking towards them and straightens with a curious expression. ¡°I need your car, preferably with you driving it.¡± I glance at Blake¡¯s friend. He blushes as he catches my gaze. What was his name again? Daniel? Dillon? Something starting with a D. I¡¯m sure. Probably. Blake shrugs. ¡°Sure thing. Just give me a minute.¡± He turns to his friend, opening his mouth. I reach out and grab his arm, stopping him before he starts. ¡°The sooner, the better. I have a bad feeling.¡± Blake searches my face, and his eyes grow serious. ¡°Sorry Damien,¡± I knew it. ¡°It¡¯s all good. Can I catch a ride with you guys, and you¡¯ll drop me off after?¡± I consider arguing, but seeing as Blake is doing me a favor and this is his friend¡­ I give Blake a nod, telling him it¡¯s alright, ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s go.¡± I open the door to the backseat and jump in. The two boys take the front seats, and I put the address into Blake¡¯s phone. They make conversation as we drive, but I¡¯m too caught up in the twisting of my stomach to say more than two word sentences. After twenty minutes, we drive up to a mansion, with the front gates wide open. ¡°That¡¯s not right.¡± Damien says what we are all thinking. One side of the gate is completely broken, as if something had busted it off of its hinges. The lights of the house itself are all on, but there¡¯s no movement. We pull to a stop outside the gate. ¡°Give me a second.¡± I say, pulling Sheyla¡¯s book out of my inventory. I gather my psi and put it into the book, I am looking for something to stop bullets. I open the book to a random page. Stop Right There: Spell. A field is created in front of you. This field will hold things in place, using their momentum against them. Warning: This field is easily broken by arcane energies Requirements: 40 psi/minute I study the spell, memorizing the shapes I need to twist my psi into. The boy taps nervously against the car, waiting for me. I close the book, ¡°You should take Damien where he needs to go. I¡¯ll be fine from here.¡± Blake shakes his head, but Damien is the one who speaks. ¡°No way we¡¯re letting you go alone in there.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t leave you.¡± Blake adds. I study the boys, then nod. ¡°Do you have your dad¡¯s gun?¡± Blake nods, and opens the car door. The two of us follow him around to the back, where he opens the trunk. He opens a compartment hidden by coats and pulls out a handgun. ¡°It¡¯s an FNX .45 semi-auto.¡± As if I have any idea what that means. My eyebrows rise as Blake pulls out a second gun. ¡°A Kel-Tek PMR-30, easy to use.¡± He looks Damien in the eye. ¡°You''ve gone shooting before, right?¡± Damien nods sharply. ¡°The safety is on. Leave it on, until we encounter trouble. Even then, leave it on unless someone else starts shooting.¡± He hands the weapon to Damien, who smartly keeps it pointed away from all of us. ¡°Remember, it¡¯ll be loud, don¡¯t startle yourself.¡± I stare at Blake with narrowed eyes. ¡°Two guns? Who keeps two guns in their car?¡± Blake shrugs. ¡°It turns out my dad is useful for something. I also have a shotgun hidden in the back, if you want it.¡± ¡°Fuck no. I¡¯ve never shot a gun in my life, and I¡¯m not planning to start now.¡± I turn to the mansion. We¡¯re a while away from the main road, but that doesn¡¯t mean people won¡¯t hear gunshots. I take a deep breath, readying myself for whatever is in that house. I really hope that I won¡¯t have to kill anyone. Chapter 11: Here Be Bad Guys The trio of adventurers stare into the eerily lit mansion. One, a weapons expert, the second, an intelligent, beautiful and charismatic leader. And Finally, the muscle, a foolish friend with a name that starts with a big D. Together, they face an unknown evil. The weapon¡¯s expert checks his gun, while Big D silently thanks god that he¡¯s not wearing a red shirt. ¡°Elena?¡± Blake breaks me out of my internal monologue. ¡°Hm?¡± I answer, studying the broken down mansion. ¡°Are you ready?¡± I pause, meeting his eyes, then I smile. ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡± I walk forward, with Blake right next to me. Damien follows a step behind, his eyes searching the mansion as we approach. I pause at the broken hinge of the gate, recognizing blood on the ground. The door to the mansion is open, so I motion for the two boys to hold. I search with my psi, for anyone on the other side of the door, but no one¡¯s there. I expand my search through the mansion, and notice two men in a room on the second floor. I put my finger to my lips, and both boys nod. I lead the boys inside, and very faintly I can hear the sounds of two voices. With careful steps, we make our way to the second floor. I twist my psi, making sure that the spell I¡¯d just learned is available at a moment¡¯s notice. As we creep closer, the words become clearer. A deep voice rumbles through the house. ¡°-Believe this shit man. This isn¡¯t-¡± I miss the last word as the voice quiets. ¡°Why did Doss leave us here? There¡¯s no way Demor walks through that door once he realizes we¡¯re here.¡± We turn down a hallway, at the end of which is a single door where the voices are coming from. A second voice picks up, this one rough from years of smoking, ¡°It¡¯s all ¡®cause of your dumb ass. You fucking idiot. Now we gotta try to fucking kill Mr. Demor and his fucking guards whenever the fuck he gets-¡± ¡°Hey, is that what I think it is?¡± The first man interrupts. ¡°It¡¯s a fucking car.¡± The second man says, his voice quieting, ¡°Someone is fucking here.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you were supposed to be keeping lookout. Shit man. We are so dead. Mr. Demor is going to kill us.¡± ¡°Mr. Demor don¡¯t drive no Honda Civic.¡± The second man says after a second, surprisingly not saying a single curse word. The floorboard under Blake¡¯s boot lets out a long Creeeeeeeek, followed by a muffled ¡°shit¡±. The door at the end of the hallway slams open, revealing a large muscular man covered in tattoos. In his hands, he holds a large machine gun. He pauses as he sees us, caught by surprise from us being right there. I raise my hand, ¡°[Stop Right There]¡± Then he opens fire. My ears hurt as I maintain the psi spell, bullets stopping in mid air in front of us. A brief glance behind me shows the two boys with their eyes closed in preparation for death. Hah. Boys. The machine gun sputters to a stop, and the boys open their eyes. They stare in awe at the wall of bullets held in the air in front of us. A cigar I hadn¡¯t noticed drops to the ground as the muscular man stares at us in shock. I drop the spell, and the bullets drop to the floor in a clattering of hundreds. ¡°What the fuck are you guys doing?¡± I ask, ¡°Shoot him!¡± My yell startles the two boys out of their shock. Damien hesitates, but three shots ring out as Blake calmly aims and fires. His hands shake slightly, but I don¡¯t comment. The muscular man falls to the ground, bleeding from shots to the head and chest. Behind him stands a wiry man now covered in blood. The wiry man falls to his knees and raises his hands, a gun dropping to the floor. A surprisingly deep voice comes out as he says, ¡°please don¡¯t shoot. I¡¯ll tell you anything you want to know.¡± Damien steps forward. We move the man into the room, and Damien grabs some rope, setting down his gun to tie the man tightly to a chair, moving with surprising efficiency. I grab the gun that Damien had laid down when he was tying the ropes. I point it at the man¡¯s head. ¡°Tell me where Rose Demor is.¡± Blake looks at me in shock, while Damien steps back. It¡¯s at that point, that I realize I¡¯d never actually told them what was going on. Note to self: Give Blake a hug and a kiss. Also, get rid of any red shirts Damien may own. The man stares at the gun, sweat beading on his forehead. He probably realized how little I know about guns from the way I¡¯m holding it. ¡°There¡¯s no need for guns, I¡¯m happy to tell you anythin¡¯ you need to know.¡± I place the gun down, and I hear a collective breath as everyone relaxes. Come on, I wasn¡¯t that bad at holding the gun. Probably. ¡°Well. Tell us then.¡± I say, crossing my arms. ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly where they took her, but I¡¯ll tell you the address that Doss is tellin¡¯ Mr. Demor.¡± He pauses, his eyes narrowing in on me, ¡°Doss has a man just like you, you know. Able to work magic.¡± I raise my eyebrows at that, but I don¡¯t want to delay any longer by asking more questions. ¡°Tell me the address.¡± He does, and I motion for us towards the stash of weapons the men had. ¡°Blake, do you want any of those?¡± Just from a glance, I see a rifle and some more handguns, along with a couple boxes of what I¡¯m guessing to be ammo. He grabs one of the boxes. Then we leave, the man still tied to the chair. The walk to the car feels a lot shorter than the walk to the mansion. Blake stops at the driver¡¯s door, then turns away from the car to throw up into some bushes. Damien joins him shortly after. I sigh as I open the car. Thankfully, Damien brought a water bottle, and I have mine in my backpack. Blake has some mints in the passenger compartment, which I also grab. Then I lean against the car and wait. It only takes a minute for both of them to finish up, at which point I hand Blake my water bottle and give Damien his. They both spend a minute cleaning out their mouths. Blake tries to hand me my water bottle, but I ignore it and say ¡°I am not touching that.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± He says. I hand him a mint, ¡°It was hard for me the first time I saw death too.¡± Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Your brother, right?¡± I freeze, ¡°Who told you that?¡± ¡°Sorry, I could¡¯ve said that better. Your sister and I were talking-¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about that. Ever.¡± The man smartly closes his mouth, and looks away from my gaze. Thankfully, Damien finishes a second later. I tear my gaze away from Blake to hand Damien a mint. ¡°Let¡¯s get going.¡± I say. Neither of them argue as we get into the car. I grab Blake¡¯s phone and put in the address. ¡°That¡¯s a weird place to be meeting a kidnapper.¡± Blake says. I nod at his words. ¡°Where is it?¡± Damien asks. ¡°Downtown, in an office building for a mattress company.¡± I answer. ¡°Elena.¡± Blake says, making me look up at him. ¡°What the hell is going on?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you as you drive.¡± I motion for him to start the car. He nods, turning to the front and turning the key. WIth a rumble, we pull out of the driveway and make our way towards downtown. ¡°From what I understand, Rose¡¯s father is part of a criminal syndicate, and he is leading a sort of civil war in the organization.¡± We continue driving for a little bit before Blake says cautiously, ¡°And¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Elena?¡± ¡°Whatsup?¡± I respond, acting as empty headed as possible. Damien cut in, ¡°Why the hell did none of those bullets from the machine gun hit us?¡± ¡°If I said magic, would you believe me?¡± I respond, leaning back and looking out the back window. ¡°I would have, if you hadn¡¯t said it like that.¡± Blake says, his eyes glancing at me in the rearview mirror. ¡°It is magic. I physically can¡¯t tell you more than that.¡± I run my hands through my hair nervously. ¡°Why can¡¯t you tell us more than that?¡± Blake asks the question I see both of the boys thinking. ¡°It¡¯s hard to explain. My thoughts just won¡¯t let me tell you more than that. It¡¯s kinda weird actually, anytime I think about bringing it up, I just can¡¯t. I can say that I signed a non-disclosure agreement-¡± I raise my eyes to the sky ¡°Which I technically didn¡¯t sign by the by- I wonder what would happen if I tried to write it down?¡± My mind starts to wander as I think about ways to get around the strange compulsion. ¡°Elena, come back to earth please.¡± Blake takes a hand off of his wheel to waive at me. I bring my eyes down from the ceiling of the car to look at him. ¡°That man said that Doss has another person like you, what can we expect from them?¡± I frown as I think, ¡°I don¡¯t know. There are a lot of things in my world that I don¡¯t understand.¡± Like us? Shut up. ¡°What should we do if we encounter them?¡± Damien asks. I hum before answering ¡°If I had more time, I would try to create more protection for you. As it is, you should run away as soon as you see them, and hope I can deal with them.¡± I look down at my gloved hands. I should have paid Taylor to identify more of Mr. Monroe¡¯s abilities, but it hadn¡¯t occurred to me at the time. The car is silent for the rest of the ride. By the time we find parking, the sky has almost fully darkened into night. We all sit in the car for a moment. I take a deep breath, ¡°You guys can wait here, you know? I can handle myself pretty well.¡± Blake turns around in his seat to look at me. ¡°Will a bullet through the brain still kill you?¡± I stare into his eyes, ¡°You have to realize that that is a weird question to ask a girl, in any situation.¡± At his continued stare, I look away, ¡°Yeah, I can heal from a lot, but that would probably kill me.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯m going in there with you.¡± Blake grabs both guns from the passenger compartment, then he looks to Damien. ¡°You can still stay behind.¡± I turn to look at Damien. He gulps, before the resolve he¡¯d already shown comes back full force. Damien holds his hand out. ¡°I won¡¯t hesitate to shoot this time.¡± Blake places the gun in his hand. ¡°Good, Elena won¡¯t always be able to cover for us. You can¡¯t hesitate when someone is shooting at you.¡± I hear some of Blake¡¯s father in his voice, which I don¡¯t know how to feel about. Being raised in a military family isn¡¯t all bad. You know what to do when your friend needs your help fighting gang members and rescuing kidnapped classmates. I open the door and step out of the car. I wonder about the person ¡°like me¡±. My first guess was that it was Mr. Monroe, but the more I think about it, the less it makes sense. Doss was the name of the boss, and Scott Monroe isn¡¯t the kind of person to share power. But it seems likely that they are a Beta Tester of some kind. And if they¡¯re a Beta Tester, they¡¯ll be able to destroy the field blocking the bullets easily. I¡¯ll need to be ready with the other defensive spell. I take a deep breath as the two boys get out of the car. I look at them, and can¡¯t see the guns on them. Good. We walk up to the building, and the automatic doors open for us, leading into a lobby. Two women sit at a desk, chatting lightly. Flowing water, plants and marble plants give an almost peaceful atmosphere to the place. The two boys shift nervously, looking every which way. I place one hand on each of their shoulders. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. I doubt they want this place destroyed. They won¡¯t start a gunfight here. At least not yet.¡± I wink at them. I pull away from the boys and walk up to one of the women. She is the older of the two, and her hair is starting to turn gray, but she gives me a practiced smile that highlights her dimple. ¡°Hi. Can you help me?¡± ¡°Of course dear, What do you need?¡± ¡°I am looking for a friend of mine, and I was told that she¡¯s here. Rose Demor.¡± The woman¡¯s gaze sharpens, her smile never disappearing. ¡°Demor? I¡¯m afraid that we don¡¯t have anyone by that name here.¡± I flip my hair over my shoulder, and lean onto her desk. I give her a look of disappointment and shake my head. ¡°Really? That¡¯s too bad. I wasn¡¯t aware that Doss was a liar. You see, he told us that she would be here, so naturally, I assumed she would. I¡¯ll just have to tell Mr. Demor that his daughter is dead and he is free to nuke this place to high heaven.¡± I turn around, but the woman reaches out and grabs my hand. ¡°Oh. You mean Miss Demor, of course. That¡¯s my silly mistake, Doss will be waiting for you on floor five. I am terribly sorry for the confusion. We weren¡¯t expecting you so soon.¡± I reach over and pat the woman on the cheek as I smile a smile full of teeth. ¡°All is forgiven.¡± I slip out of her grip, and walk back towards the boys. ¡°We need to go to the fifth floor.¡± Damien starts to move towards the elevator, but I reach out and grab him by the back of his collar. I point to the stairwell. ¡°I don¡¯t like elevators, they malfunction too often. Especially when you are going to meet someone that probably makes people have ¡®accidents¡¯ for a living.¡± ¡°Good point.¡± Damien says, turning around. I shake my head. We make our way up the stairwell, then pause at the top as the boys take a breather. ¡°You guys really need to get in shape. Aren¡¯t the sports seasons coming up?¡± Blake holds up a finger as he finally starts breathing normally. ¡°First off, you ran up those stairs as fast as you could. Second, sports seasons? Come on, even you know better than that.¡± I smile, then turn towards the door. No one waits for us near the entrance, which is nice. But I do see five rough looking men in suits standing in front of the elevator doors. ¡°You guys waiting for someone?¡± I call out to them. All of the men move at once. Immediately, two of the suited men are on either side of me, grabbing my arms. A third man reaches for a gun, but doesn¡¯t raise it, instead watching all of us. The fourth man steps in front of the only man not wearing a black suit. I shake my head at the boys, telling them to not reach for their weapons. ¡°Good evening gentleman.¡± I say. ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting to be manhandled during our first meeting, but que sera sera. You must be Doss?¡± I look at the man in charge with a tilt of my head. He studies me with a sharp gaze. ¡°Yes, I am. And you are?¡± ¡°I¡¯m the girl looking for Rose Demor.¡± I respond, smiling at him. ¡°I¡¯d offer a handshake, but your men have kindly restrained me from any kind of movement. ¡° Doss chuckles, then motions for his men to stand down. Everyone backs off a little bit. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking, how did you get up here? This is the only elevator up.¡± ¡°We took the stairs.¡± I say with a shrug. Doss laughs. ¡°You¡¯re very calm. Mr. Demor sent quite the negotiator. It would be a shame if I have to kill you by the end of this.¡± ¡°So far, you laugh at my jokes, so I like you too. It would be a shame if I had to kill you as well.¡± He hums, assessing me. ¡°Come, you and your friends can join me in my office. I prefer my negotiations to happen there.¡± Doss turns and walks towards the only open door on the floor. His men wait for us to move, only the one man following close behind Doss. I look back at the boys. They stare at me slack-jawed. ¡°What are we waiting for? Come on.¡± Chapter 12: Monsters Are So Much Easier To Kill I follow Doss at a relaxed pace. Blake walks next to me, his gaze on the other men like a hawk. Damien is a step behind us, his gaze only on Doss. Doss walks into his office, law books lining the walls. Five cushioned chairs sit in front of a large desk. Doss sits behind the desk, his men moving to flank him. My gaze is drawn to a portrait behind Doss¡¯s head, stating that an Olson Doss had graduated from Harvard law. And here I thought all lawyers were angels that fought for good. Ha. I move to sit down, but Damien holds his hand in front of me, stopping me. He gives me a look, telling me to trust him, so I step back as he walks up to the chairs. He presses his hands lightly against the cushions of the chairs, looking for something. A memory comes to mind of a movie where a needle had been placed into a chair. I hate needles. I look into Doss¡¯s eyes and smile. Damien finishes up and shrugs at me. I look at him with a newfound respect as I sit down in the chair at the center. Doss¡¯s chair has him slightly taller than me, making it look like he¡¯s looking down at me. I lift my feet and put them on his desk as I tip the chair onto its back legs. Blake and Damien stay standing behind me, watching the other men with narrowed eyes. Doss narrows his eyes ever so slightly, then smiles. ¡°I am surprised you got here so soon. How did you find out? I don¡¯t believe my message has even reached Mr. Demor yet.¡± He motions towards one of his men who walks over to a coffee machine in the corner. ¡°Coffee? Tea?¡± Damien catches my gaze and gives the smallest shake of his head. I raise my eyebrows, who knew he had such a mind for intrigue? ¡°Nothing for me, thanks.¡± I say, shifting my gaze to the big boss man. ¡°I was hired to take care of Rose Demor specifically.¡± The lie comes easily to me. I cross my arms, ¡°Speaking of, I would like to get to the matter at hand.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t answer my question.¡± I give him my sweetest smile. ¡°I didn¡¯t answer your question because I didn¡¯t want to answer your question. Please stop avoiding the question, Doss.¡± Doss hums, as one of his men places a cup of coffee in front of him. ¡°You certainly aren¡¯t the person-¡± He pauses, looking at the two boys with me. ¡°People. You aren¡¯t the people I expected Mr. Demor to send.¡± I let out an annoyed breath. ¡°He wanted to surprise you.¡± I drop my feet from his desk and let the front legs of my chair hit the ground with a THUMP. I lean forward, holding his gaze. ¡°Some people might enjoy this little game of wits, Mr. Doss. But I am very much not in the mood for it. Get to the point, before I decide it¡¯ll be quicker and safer for Rose to just kill you.¡± I show him all my teeth. Doss narrows his eyes, and opens his mouth, only for the sound of the door opening to calm him down. ¡°James, how good of you to show up. I was just speaking to Mr. Demor¡¯s representative.¡± I turn to look at the new arrival. He¡¯s a toned muscular man, and he moves with a grace that tells me he is more than just a block of meat. His eyes study me with an interested gaze I do not appreciate. Although, I¡¯m sure he¡¯s used to women appreciating it. ¡°James here, is the reason why any threat you give me is meaningless.¡± Doss puts his hand in front of him, and gives me an arrogant smile. ¡°You can tell Mr. Doss that I expect twelve million in my account by six AM tomorrow. If he does that, he might see his daughter the next day. If he doesn¡¯t, well¡­ I can¡¯t take responsibility for what happens to her.¡± I close my eyes. Is it time? It is. Time to get more blood on my hands. ¡°[Stop Right There]¡± I cast the field around Blake and Damien, then I¡¯m leaping out of my chair. I grab the chair as I move, and throw it at one of the men already reaching for their gun. I¡¯m right behind the chair, my hand punching his stomach with enough force to knock the wind out of him. I grab his arm as he falls and throw him into another guard. Arms wrap around me, so I jump up, letting the back of my head break the third man¡¯s nose. His arms let go and I spin around to grab his head and snap his neck. Time slows as I watch the man fall to the floor. My heart aches as I look at another man I killed. Another death. I close my eyes, a mental breath calming myself. I open my eyes, and cast ¡°[Unmatchable Speed]¡±, I appear in front of Doss, the slimy man¡¯s eyes widening. Suddenly, James is between us. His foot strikes out, sending me sprawling backwards. I manage to keep my feet, but James follows it up with a second flawless kick, faster than I can follow. I block the strike, and cast ¡°[Take Your Time]¡±. Time slows to a halt, but James¡¯s foot is still moving. I feel at my psi to find it dangerously low. I can¡¯t sustain a long fight. I look at the boys from the corner of my eye. My protective field is still in effect, and they are shooting at the guards from behind it. Guard. The others are down with bullets in their bodies. Only Doss, James, and that last bodyguard are still alive. My focus returns to the foot about to hit me. Looking at it closer, there¡¯s an odd glow surrounding his body. He must be using some kind of energy to augment his speed, just like I am. Why is he faster than me then? It doesn¡¯t look like he¡¯s using psi. So maybe mana? Or something else? Hopefully he runs out of whatever it is before I run out of psi. I lift my hands, barely blocking the foot with my gloves. Then I deactivate my perception ability and time resumes. His leg hits my arm, but I don¡¯t move, a faint shield appearing between my gloves and his foot. We both stare in shock for a moment, before he throws several more kicks in quick succession. I use as little movement as I can to keep my arms between me and his attacks. A furious exchange of blows comes from the man, leaving me completely on the defensive as he moves with a speed I can¡¯t match. My psi drains from the movement and holding up the barrier around the boys. Finally, I fuck up, committing to hard to a fake only for him to step forward and punch me in the gut. I fall forward, spittle flying from my mouth as I collapse to the ground. Many things inside me are broken. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°I hate to kill such a beautiful girl. But Doss pays me well.¡± He says, standing over me as my gloves work overtime to heal the damage done. I spit at him, and force a single word to come out of my mouth. ¡°Creep.¡± A kick sends me rolling into the wall and breaking several more of my ribs. ¡°Still, it¡¯s hard to give the finishing blow. Maybe I can restrain you? No, you¡¯re a Beta Tester, aren¡¯t you? If I let you live, it¡¯ll come back to haunt me.¡± He lifts his foot over my throat. This is it, isn¡¯t it? Maybe you should stop questioning everything you say, right? And just kill me, maybe? He starts to press down with his foot, only for more gunshots to ring out. The man stumbles forward, then turns in anger towards the sound. I grab the opportunity, pulling his leg out from under him. He falls, and I roll on top of him, my hand stabbing into his throat without hesitation. My glove enhances the strike, and I use the last of my psi to cast ¡°[Force Of Many Blades]¡±. I refuse to hesitate like he did. Tears fall down my face as I stare into his dead eyes, but I push my moral conundrums aside and stand up to look at the room. The last guard is dead, Doss lies on the floor moaning in pain. The two boys stand bloodied, but alive. ¡°Thank you,¡± I gasp out to the two of them, my throat still healing from the little bit of pressure James had put on it. I walk over to Doss, the glowing of my gloves lessening as my body heals. ¡°Where. Is. Rose?¡± He must¡¯ve seen something in my expression, because he doesn¡¯t argue or go quiet. He simply says, ¡°Second floor, room 203. My men are guarding her, but I can get them to-¡± I don¡¯t wait for him to finish as I grab a gun from a surprised Damien, ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡± I say as I pull the trigger. I hand the gun back to Damien, who takes it with a shaking hand. ¡°Monsters are so much easier to kill.¡± I say, my voice nearly breaking. I step over the dead bodies and ignore the blue window that pops up. ¡°Come on, we have a girl to rescue.¡± I finish as I walk out the door. On the other side, I pause to lean against the wall. Tears flow down my face. I had hoped it would be easier this time. At the same time, I¡¯m glad it wasn¡¯t. I don¡¯t want there to be a time where tears don¡¯t flow for the dead. I fall to my knees, close my eyes and say a prayer for every dead man in that room. *** I push myself off the ground, as the two boys leave the room. Damien is quiet, his gaze in the distance as he deals with the deaths of those men in his own way. Blake looks like he wants to say something, but decides to stay quiet. ¡°Give me a minute, and then we¡¯ll go down.¡± I say. Then I turn my attention to my psi. I watch it regain its energy. ¡°I was not expecting the day to turn out like this.¡± Blake says. ¡°I don¡¯t think any of us were.¡± I respond. When my psi is about halfway recovered, I open my eyes and motion for the two of them to follow me. I walk towards the stairwell at an even pace. Damien follows silently, while Blake hesitates for a split second before hurrying to catch up. ¡°Elena, I¡¯m worried.¡± Blake says, and something in his voice brings my attention to him. ¡°You and Damien are taking this so hard, but I¡­ I just feel numb, like my feelings were flipped off. This might sound ridiculous, but am¡­ am I a monster?¡± I stop, causing the two boys to halt as well. ¡°I don¡¯t think you are. The fact that you are so worried about the answer to that question proves you aren¡¯t.¡± I pull him into a hug. ¡°Everybody deals with death in their own way. And that¡¯s okay.¡± I let him go. ¡°Are you ready for what comes next?¡± He nods, some of the tenseness leaving him. I give him a small smile, then open the door to the stairs. We make our way to the second level. I prepare my spells, then look at both boys, before throwing open the doors. The fight is a quick one, as we catch the men by surprise and they don¡¯t have a Beta Tester with them. I look at the dead men, then after a moment, cast [Defence Of The Earth] to cover the men from sight with a dome of earth. I walk over to room 203. It¡¯s locked, so I pull my hand back, and punch through the lock. The girl in the corner huddles away from the sound but doesn¡¯t look up. Pink hair is all I see, as she rests her head on a pair of scraped knees, her arms and legs tied to a pole in front of her. I softly walk over to her, then in a quiet voice say ¡°One of these days, we are going to have a proper date.¡± She looks up at me, her makeup in streaks from crying. Blake hands me a knife, and she looks between the two of us in shock. ¡°Elena? Blake? What are you doing here?¡± She asks, her voice raw. ¡°Coming to rescue you of course.¡± I cut through the ropes holding her wrists and her legs. It¡¯s a sharp knife, and does the job easily. She lunges forward, her arms wrapping around me and she sobs into my shoulder. I wrap my arms around her, and hold her for a while. The soft glow of my gloves tells me that they¡¯re healing the scratches and bruises on her body. Eventually she calms down enough to pull away. I sit her down, pull out a napkin from my pocket, and gently wipe at the streaked makeup. ¡°Thank you.¡± She says quietly. ¡°I don¡¯t like it when my makeup smears either.¡± I answer. ¡°No.¡± She rests her head in the hand wiping her face, ¡°Thank you for coming for me.¡± ¡°Always.¡± I say. I reach up with my other hand to wipe some hair away from her face. ¡°I happen to really like you, you know?¡± She looks into my eyes, then nods. ¡°Yeah, I think I do.¡± The clearing of a throat behind me pulls our attention up to Damien. ¡°We should leave, we don¡¯t know who else might show up.¡± I nod. I help Rose up and she leans heavily on me. We make our way out of the room, and her gaze stays on the dome of earth in the middle of the hallway. ¡°What happened?¡± She asks. ¡°Death.¡± I answer. She looks at me puzzledly as I guide her past the rock and to the elevator. I don¡¯t want to make her walk down the stairs. Her gaze finally lands on Damien, who gives a small wave. ¡°We haven¡¯t met, what¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Damien. A friend of Blake¡¯s, and maybe Elena¡¯s?¡± ¡°Of course you are.¡± I say. The elevator dings down to the first level, and I prepare my defensive spells. The two receptionists stare at us as we walk out. All of us are covered in blood, and Rose is still leaning on me heavily. I wave to them. ¡°We worked things out with Doss. He should be contacting you soon.¡± They don¡¯t respond, but continue to stare as we make our way out the automatic doors of the exit. ¡°What happened to Doss?¡± Rose asks as we make our way to the car. I guide her into the back seat, then sit next to her. ¡°He¡¯s dead.¡± I say, my gaze turning back to her. ¡°Where should we take you Rose?¡± ¡°Can I come to your house? I need you.¡± Rose seems to realize what she said a second later and looks away from my gaze. I reach up and start running my hand through her hair. ¡°Of course you can. What about your dad?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll call him when we get there.¡± She mumbles, her eyes closing as she leans into me. Her breathing evens out after a few moments and I suspect that she fell asleep. ¡°Do you still need to visit your cousin?¡± I ask Damien. ¡°I don¡¯t think I will. It¡¯s late. Can you take me home after you drop them off?¡± He asks Blake. Blake nods, his gaze staying on the road. Damien pauses, his eyes looking at the dashboard in front of him. ¡°Elena?¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°I know this sounds a little weird, but can I have your phone number? After all we¡¯ve been through¡­ it just feels weird not having it.¡± He rubs the back of his neck, his eyes downward. ¡°Sure.¡± I say. I hold my hand out, and he gives me his phone. I type in my number, and he texts me. Then we are left in silence again. I look down, noticing that Rose is still wearing the bracelet I¡¯d given her. I nuzzle her hair with my nose, and she snuggles in closer. ¡°Sweet dreams.¡± I whisper. I close my eyes. Interlude Blake watches as Damien unlocks the door to his house. He gives a wave goodbye before stepping in, leaving Blake alone in the car. Rain starts to fall, splashing against the window. It had been a long night, and he hadn¡¯t really given himself a chance to process any of it. Mob bosses, magic, Elena¡¯s budding romance. All of it fantastic, and yet unbelievable. Blake snorts, then rests his head against the steering wheel. He¡¯d killed men, and yet, nothing. Not a twinge of guilt. That more than anything scared him. He lifts his head and pulls out of the driveway. Rain and darkness are his only comfort as he makes his way home. Eventually, he turns into a house that had seen better days, the paint chipped, and the pipes rusted. Blake steps out of his car, locks it, then walks up to his door as quietly as he can. Carefully, he unlocks it, and steps into an equally run-down interior. An old couch, old TV, and unvacuumed rug. The light flicks on, revealing a grizzled middle aged man with bags under his eyes. ¡°Where the hell have you been?¡± Blake looks up into the haunted eyes of his father. ¡°You¡¯ve killed people before, haven¡¯t you sir?¡± The man pauses, finally taking in the blood on his son¡¯s shirt. His gaze softens by the smallest amount. ¡°What happened?¡± Blake looks to the tv, his hand tightening around the door knob. He blinks, realizing that he¡¯s still holding the door open, and closes it. ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about it.¡± ¡°Follow me.¡± The man turns around and walks into the kitchen. Blake follows the order, and steps into the old kitchen. The only new thing in it being the fridge. His father opens the refrigerator and pulls out two cans of beer. A hand holds out the second can, a peace offering of sorts, maybe something more. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Blake looks up at his dad in surprise. ¡°The day you have to watch a man die, is the day you can drink a beer without trouble from me.¡± He explains, something in his voice twisting Blake¡¯s heart. ¡°Thank you sir.¡± Blake grabs the beer. The older man gulps down a swig, then looks at his can as if it holds the universe inside it. ¡°What do ya wanna know?¡± ¡°What do people feel when they do it?¡± ¡°Each man feels something different. Some break down, some get angry, others nothing at all. Some crazy bastards feel joy.¡± The man crushes the beer can, then throws it into a recycling bin. Blake sips at his beer, then frowns. ¡°What are you supposed to feel?¡± The man laughs a humorless laugh. ¡°You aren¡¯t supposed to feel anything. Like I said, each man takes it different.¡± ¡°What did you feel?¡± The man pauses for a good long moment, and his words come out soft, unusual for the military man. ¡°I felt anger. Anger at the world. Anger at the man that fought on the wrong side. And anger at myself. Because I knew what I was doing when I pulled that trigger.¡± Tears streamed down the man¡¯s cheek, and for the first time in Blake¡¯s life, he watched his father cry. That was not the father he knew. The father he knew was the man that yells at him to get his ass off the ground and do something. ¡°Thank you sir.¡± Blake says, looking at the barely drunk beer in his hand. ¡°I think I understand now.¡± ¡°Good.¡± His father turns to the sink, hiding his face. ¡°Clean yourself up before your mom sees you.¡± Blake looks down, then turns to leave the kitchen. ¡°I won¡¯t ask you what happened.¡± The voice stops Blake mid-step. ¡°You¡¯re a good kid, and I know that whatever happened, you made the best call you could. But¡­ when you¡¯re ready, I hope you¡¯ll tell me.¡± Blake doesn¡¯t answer as he walks away, leaving his father behind. The man pulls another beer out of the fridge, and opens it. He drinks alone, thinking about the men he¡¯d killed, and the friends he¡¯d lost. Blake didn¡¯t blame his father for the tears he saw in that moment. Chapter 13: Fathers I wake up to darkness. It takes me a few seconds to hear Rose¡¯s breathing, and Dee¡¯s high pitched snores. I stare into the darkness, until a blue notification in the corner of my vision asks for my attention. I¡¯d been ignoring it after the fight with Doss and his men, but now that I¡¯ve had some sleep, I feel more ready to kick the system¡¯s ass.
Congratulations! You have reached level 3! You gain a two percentage point increase to brilliance and physicality along with an increase of 20 points to the special attribute Psi.
General Info: Elena S. Trudeau Age:16 Lvl: 3 Class: N/A Mana: N/A Psi 240 Sponsor: Isis Titles: Beta Tester, Crazy In A Good Way (Is that even possible?), Watched By The Gods, Chosen Of Isis Special conditions: Most Definitely Not-Normal Physical Condition: Healthy Physicality: Athletic 88% Brilliance: Graduate 99% Equipment: Gloves(unique)
What happens when brilliance reaches 100%? Something good, probably. Or terrible. That seems highly unlikely.
You have killed another Beta Tester (you naughty girl). Since there is no set heir for that Beta Tester, you will receive all lands belonging to that Beta Tester: None. and all items in his inventory: $2,000 American Dollars, Two Apples, Small Knife, Throwing Knives (Unique), Set Of Keys, Deck Of Playing Cards, Set Of Dice.
Eeeew. Don¡¯t call me that, like ever. We ain¡¯t like that System. I eventually manage to turn my glare away from the parentheses, only for my gaze to be caught on the first thing listed in his inventory. I¡¯ve never had that much money. And it¡¯s all mine. My own. My precious. No no no. Shut up. Just cause I have some sweet monies does not mean that I¡¯m going full gollum. The shifting of sheets next to me reminds me that I¡¯m not alone. Rose hadn¡¯t wanted to be left alone, so she¡¯d stayed up here with me and we¡¯d thrown a small pajama party. I¡¯d lent her my panda-bear jammies, and I¡¯d worn my old bunny onesie. ¡°Are you here?¡± Rose asks, half asleep. I put my hand on her cheek and she snuggles into it. ¡°I¡¯m here.¡± I glance at the clock. ¡°We should get up, we have class in an hour.¡± Rose seems to fully wake up at that. She pulls away from my hand to look at me from the little light coming through the window. ¡°Elena? Last night wasn¡¯t a dream?¡± ¡°Afraid not.¡± She pauses, then shoves herself up, causing Dee to fall to the ground with a muffled ¡°Eep!¡± ¡°Elena, did you say we only have an hour?¡± She asks. ¡°Yep.¡± I stretch, and leave the bed, the floppy ears of my onesie bouncing in front of my face. ¡°You should call your dad.¡± Rose is out of the bed in a second as she hurries to the door. She flips on the light, then opens the door. ¡°What are you waiting for?¡± I giggle as I open my dresser. ¡°I thought you might want to change first.¡± She looks down at the panda-bear jammies she¡¯s wearing. She blinks several times, then gives me a silly smile as she closes the door. ¡°My clothes should fit you.¡± I say, throwing a pair of jeans and a purple shirt her way. She catches them easily, and looks at them with a tilted head. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you had nice clothes.¡± The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Hey! Just cause I don¡¯t put effort in doesn¡¯t mean- you know what. Shut up. My phone is on the nightstand. Call your dad.¡± I look back to my dresser and pull out some more clothes. She¡¯s quiet for a long moment. I turn around to see her looking at the torn and bloody clothes sitting in a pile in the corner. ¡°What?¡± I ask, drawing her attention back to me. ¡°Are you okay? That¡¯s a lot of blood.¡± I look back at the clothes, dyed brown from blood. ¡°Yeah, most of it isn¡¯t mine.¡± I take off my onesie, stripping down to my underthings. Rose looks away, her cheeks reddening. ¡°I¡¯ll shower while you call.¡± I say, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around myself as I walk past her. ¡°Mhm.¡± Is her only response. I¡¯m surprisingly quick with my shower, and Rose rushes past me to take my place when I¡¯m done. I sit down at my dresser and start combing my hair, humming lightly. Dee floats over to me, and sits down on the mouse of my computer. ¡°You two are cute.¡± She places her head in her hands and sighs. ¡°I wish I had a relationship like that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a little early to be calling it a relationship.¡± I say. Dee perks up, ignoring my comment. ¡°Hey, are there any cute male Faeries around here?¡± ¡°Not that I know of.¡± I respond. I stand up to place some books in my backpack. ¡°I hear there are elves in Iceland though.¡± ¡°Elves? Why would I date one of them.¡± She sticks her tongue out at me. ¡°Maybe I could convince you to buy another Faerie guard¡­ I want him to be handsome, oh oh, he should control the water element.¡± She flies over to my ear and continues in a hushed tone. ¡°Water and lightning, it¡¯s an electrifying combo.¡± I smile and wink at the little Faerie as I finish packing my bag. *** ¡°You think so?¡± I ask, opening my bedroom door for her. ¡°Mhm. He definitely likes him. Plus they¡¯re the perfect ship-¡± Rose stops as voices reach us from downstairs. She frowns, then rushes down the stairs. I follow a few steps behind. As we come into the kitchen, we find a handsome man with black hair and blue eyes animatedly talking to my father about local politics. They break off conversation as we enter the room. My father takes a bite of toast, and smiles as he catches sight of the two of us. ¡°Hey honey. I didn¡¯t realize you had a friend over. Rose¡¯s father,¡± He motions in the direction of the strange man, ¡°came by to pick her up.¡± He smiles at me and Rose, clueless to the mob boss he has in his house. ¡°Rose! I hurried over here as soon as I could. Give your dad a hug?¡± The man opens his arms. ¡°What are you doing here? I told you I was fine, like you even care.¡± Oof. Brutal. The man flinches, ¡°Sorry darling. I came to get you. I¡¯ve decided it¡¯s time we move somewhere safer-¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°What do you mean no?¡± Mr. Demor¡¯s smile disappears, and he looks at his daughter with genuine worry. ¡°Two times. That¡¯s too many.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve just started to make friends here. I¡¯m not moving again.¡± Rose¡¯s lip quivers, but she hides it as she crosses her arm. ¡°It¡¯s only been three days¡­¡± Mr. Demor glances at me, then shakes his head. ¡°Come on, we¡¯re leaving.¡± She looks at him, her mouth open as tears gather in her eyes. She looks at me, pleading for help. I smile. ¡°Dad, could you give us a second?¡± I ask sweetly. ¡°Are you sure honey?¡± He asks. I nod, and the man grabs his cup of coffee. ¡°I¡¯ll be in the other room, call me if you need me.¡± I wait for him to leave, then turn to Mr. Demor. ¡°Actually, sir. Our connection is very important.¡± I step in front of her. ¡°She¡¯s under my protection, and if you try to take her from me, I will take your ¡®company¡¯ apart block by block, until you are living with nothing more than rags on the street.¡± The man steps forward, his face hardening. ¡°Do you have any idea-¡± I step forward, not backing down from the man. ¡°I¡¯ve saved her life twice. If you want to know how, you can go to hell and ask Doss. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be happy to answer.¡± ¡°Dad.¡± We both turn to Rose. ¡°I¡¯m happy here. And- and I really like her.¡± Mr. Demor looks between the two of us, and a dawning look of realization passes over him. ¡°Oh. Hmm.¡± He reaches out and pulls me to the side away from her. His eyes hold mine as he speaks in a whisper. ¡°You know what happens if you break my daughter¡¯s heart? I hope I don¡¯t have to actually make threats.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not at that stage yet, but yes. I understand.¡± He holds my eyes for a long moment, then pulls away. ¡°Good.¡± ¡°On that note, can you give us a ride to school? We¡¯re running late.¡± I smile. ¡°Meet me outside.¡± He says, turning and heading to the front room. ¡°Three days and already in love. What¡¯s a dad supposed to do¡­¡± He mutters as he leaves. Hey, look, I¡¯ve been avoiding the L word, alright? It¡¯s still early, and I don¡¯t want to move too fast. Rose looks at me with a smile that she quickly tries to hide. ¡°Under your protection, huh? When did that happen?¡± ¡°You needed help, plus, I do really like you.¡± ¡°Like me, huh? Well, I like you too.¡± I pause, those words ringing through my head in a way I hadn¡¯t expected them to. I look at Rose. She bites her lip, then giggles as she turns around and heads for the door. I follow, and find my dad whistling innocently in the living room as he reads a newspaper. My eyes narrow at him. Sweat beads on his forehead, as he turns the page. ¡°The newspaper is upside down.¡± I tell him. ¡°Ah. Funny that.¡± He says, turning the page rightside up. ¡°Were you listening?¡± I ask. He gives me his most charming smile from behind the paper, ¡°Maybe a little?¡± I snort. ¡°I¡¯m proud of you. Standing up for her like that.¡± I blink, surprised by the seriousness of his voice. ¡°And I¡¯m happy for you. She seems like a nice girl, and her father seems like an upstanding man.¡± I chuckle, ¡°You have no idea.¡± I walk over to him, and pull the newspaper down to give him a kiss on his forehead. ¡°Please be nice and let me be the one to tell mom.¡± He gives me a devilish smile, ¡°Are you kidding? I haven¡¯t had info this juicy since you turned Blake down at the dance.¡± He jumps out of the chair and walks towards the kitchen. He continues in a sing-song voice, ¡°How in the world could I keep this from your mother?¡± I pick up a magazine and throw it at the goofball. He catches the magazine. ¡°Are you going to make that poor girl and her father wait all day? You are late for school, you know.¡± I shake my head, and walk towards the door. ¡°I love you dad.¡± ¡°Love you too Sunshine.¡± I head outside to find a black sudan waiting for us, a man in a suit and shades holding the back door open for me. I step inside, where Rose waits for me with a smile. Chapter 14: Scott Monroe I look at Rose¡¯s father, who sits across from me in the car. He looks out the window lost in thought. Rose herself leans against my shoulder, snoozing slightly with her eyes closed. Things sure moved fast, didn¡¯t they? Only four days since I was killed by the tutorial creatures. Since then, I¡¯ve been shot, met a goddess, been forced to fight a mind controlling lunatic, been shot again three times, killed a mob boss and rescued a girl I may have serious feelings for. I really should write a thank you note for the gods. I haven¡¯t had this much fun since I was in kindergarten. The car pulls up to the car of our school. I gently wake Rose up, and she looks up at me with a grumpy expression. I laugh, then leave the car. Rose follows right behind me, wiping a small amount of drool from her lips. Her father steps out of the car, and hands her a backpack. She grabs the backpack, but her father doesn¡¯t let go. ¡°I¡¯ll need you to tell me what happened last night. I have a lot of questions that need answering.¡± Rose glances at me, then back to her father. ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly what happened. I¡¯m sure that Elena could tell you.¡± ¡°It was probably superman.¡± I say, nodding my head seriously. They both stare at me. ¡°What? How else would Rose get rescued from an evil mob boss? There must be a new superhero in town.¡± I nod, pretending to believe the crap I¡¯m spewing. ¡°Or maybe some elite crime fighting unit that rescued her.¡± I shrug, ¡°Whichever one you want to believe.¡± Mr Demor looks at me like I¡¯m a puzzle he doesn¡¯t know how to solve. A calculating smile spreads across his face ¡°Maybe you could tell me about this¡­ elite crime fighting unit tonight at dinner. What do you think, Rose?¡± Rose smiles, looking alarmingly like her father. ¡°Yeah. That sounds like a good idea. I¡¯d really like to hear about this superhero too.¡± Weeooo weeooo! Warning! Warning! They¡¯re on the attack, all personnel to their stations. What¡¯s going on Captain? Level three emergency; verbal entrapment. What should we do Captain? Do I open fire? No, it¡¯s too dangerous. We don¡¯t know what kind of relationship powers Rose has gained since our last verbal encounter. No. We only have two options. The human Elena can either: Say no. The human has a lot of things she needs to deal with and we can¡¯t be sounding the alarm every time she wants to make up bullsh-, ehem, ¡®white lies¡¯ during dinner. Or¡­ Say yes. This means lots of extra points with Rose. But I think saying no would- Don¡¯t forget free food Captain. Clearly the only answer here is yes. Very well. Prepare to open the mouth, and may god have mercy on our souls. ¡°I would love to have dinner with you.¡± I respond, doing my best to hide a pained smile. Mr. Demor lets go of Rose¡¯s backpack, ¡°We look forward to seeing you then. Enjoy school honey.¡± He steps back into the vehicle, and the car peels off into the street. Rose looks at me, amusement clear on her face, ¡°¡®Whichever one you want to believe¡¯, really?¡± She shakes her head and walks towards class. I laugh, then follow her into the school. The sight of the classroom reminds me that there¡¯s still a very big danger that I have yet to deal with, but thankfully Mr. Monroe isn¡¯t here yet. Blake waves to us from the back and we move to sit next to him. Silence descends on us, almost palpable as our other classmates chatter away around us. ¡°So Blake, did you ever date Elena?¡± Blake splutters, dropping the water bottle he¡¯d been taking a drink from. ¡°Oh. No. I think she swings the other way. No other reason for her to turn me down that I can think of.¡± I snort. ¡°I can think of plenty.¡± ¡°What can I say? I¡¯m just too amazing. Even I can¡¯t help but love myself.¡± Blake flexes his arm and kisses it. I make a gagging noise. The class quiets, and we turn to the front as Mr. Monroe saunters in. The class passes almost exactly like the last one, with Mr. Monroe actually teaching everyone. He uses his psi to grab everyone¡¯s attention, and goes on about phonetics and grammar. I glance over to Rose, and she looks around with a puzzled expression. Everyone in the classroom has their undivided attention on Mr. Monroe, and Rose knows that isn¡¯t right. I look back to Mr. Monroe, who hasn¡¯t even glanced at the classroom since he started his lecture, thankfully not noticing Rose¡¯s behavior. I see Rose raise her hand from the corner of my eye. I reach out, grab it before it gets too high, and pull it down. She looks at me worriedly, but I just shake my head at her. She leans close, and whispers ¡°What is going on?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. No one is being harmed. Just¡­ don¡¯t show him you¡¯re unaffected. I don¡¯t know what he¡¯ll do then.¡± I don¡¯t take my eyes off of him as I speak. ¡°Him? Is Mr. Monroe causing this?¡± Her voice starts to rise, so I make a calming gesture with my hand. ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s what the bracelet is for, it stops his magic from affecting you.¡± Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Magic? What the hell Elena!¡± She whispers furiously, ¡°You need to tell me what the hell is going on.¡± I smile at her, ¡°You¡¯re cute.¡± She pauses, her face reddening. ¡°Don¡¯t distract me Elena. What¡¯s going on?¡± She tries to hide a smile, but I still catch it. I giggle at her expression.¡°Magic exists. Ask Blake to explain the rest to you later. For now, I¡¯m not sure how much longer he¡¯ll ignore our whispering.¡± Thankfully, she listens to me, and we go quiet. I follow the example of the rest of the class and write down what he¡¯s saying into my notebook. I do want to pass the class after all. The bell rings, signaling the end of class. I feel as the spell effecting the class ends, the psychic presence returning to Mr. Monroe. The class starts moving all at once, the students returning to their normal behavior as chatter starts up once again. Rose looks around with a weirded out look. I stand up and motion for her to follow me. ¡°Elena, a moment of your time please.¡± Mr. Monroe says. I stop before the door, the last of the students leaving. Eventually, I turn around. Rose stands behind me, looking between the two of us with worry. Mr. Monroe glances at Rose. ¡°You may leave.¡± I can tell that he attempts to use his psi on her. She ignores it. Mr. Monroe looks harder at her, eventually his gaze drops to the bracelet around her wrist. ¡°I see. You made some protection for your friends.¡± He looks at me with an annoyed expression. ¡°Smart, I suppose.¡± Rose steps closer to me. I smile at the other Beta Tester. ¡°After the way you creeped on me a couple days ago, I decided that I would protect all the teenage girls from your lecherous advances.¡± His look turns angry, as he steps closer. ¡°How dare you, you pathetic brat of a girl.¡± I lean back on my left foot, ¡°How dare you be such a terrible and cliche villain, you sociopathic, con artist of a teacher.¡± He pauses, getting control of his emotions remarkably fast. ¡°Your measly protection does not make her safe. A bullet still moves fast enough to pierce her pretty little head.¡± ¡°Just because you gave someone a gun doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re safe. My hands still move fast enough to snap your pretty little neck.¡± I respond, real anger beginning to flood me. I pause, regaining control of myself. ¡°But that is neither here, nor there. What do you want?¡± He considers me, ¡°I want you to work with me. Just imagine what we could do, two Beta Testers-¡± I laugh, interrupting his little speech. ¡°I refuse.¡± ¡°Consider your words carefully. Last time, I was merciful. Next time, I will kill you and your friend.¡± I consider his words, my eyes flickering to Rose. I doubt that my spell to stop bullets will work against system-affected bullets. If a firefight starts here, she won¡¯t be safe. ¡°It¡¯ll be a partnership?¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± I know I can¡¯t trust the man. What I saw in his status makes that abundantly clear. But I don¡¯t want to risk Rose¡¯s life in my own problems. I almost died in my last fight with another Beta Tester, I¡¯m not sure if I can win against Scott Monroe. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡± ¡°You have two days.¡± He holds up two fingers, ¡°After that, well¡­ may the better Beta Tester win.¡± ¡°Elena.¡± Rose stops me as I move to leave. ¡°He means to kill you if you don¡¯t agree, right?¡± ¡°I do indeed.¡± He says with a small laugh as he leans against his desk. She looks sadly at her backpack as she lifts it up. ¡°I have something that might affect your decision.¡± She reaches into her bag. Both him and I look at her curiously, wondering what she could reveal. Before either of us can react, she pulls out a gun and fires it three times into Mr. Monroe. He stares at her, his eyes widened in shock as blood and brain matter falls out of his head and body. I stare at both of them in shock. Shit. Bitch be crazy. And also kinda hot. My thoughts catch up to me a second later. ¡°[Unmatchable Speed]¡± I push her to the ground as more gunshots go over our heads. A bullet skims my arm, but I ignore it. I look around, trying to pinpoint where the shots are coming from. Alarms go off as the school realizes that there¡¯s an active shooter. Wherever his assistant is, she stops shooting suddenly. I hear footsteps running away from the room. Rose whimpers under me, and I realize that blood is starting to pool under her. I roll off of her, and find a bullet wound in her chest. Ignoring the sirens of the school, I cast my healing on her. It takes a good long while, as I fight the system-bullet for a couple of minutes, before it pops out into my hand. My psi reserves are mostly empty, and I can hear people coming closer to the classroom. I look around, noticing the gun still sticking out of Rose¡¯s bag. Rose had passed out at some point during the healing, but she¡¯s breathing fine. I grab her bag, and zip it up. Then I pick her up, and move her away from the pile of blood. I take off my sweater and put it on her, covering the blood on her clothes. Then I wait. It doesn¡¯t take long for police to arrive, they carefully enter the scene to find two girls huddled in a corner and a dead teacher lying on the floor. Rose wakes up from the noise of the police. I whisper in her ear as the police walk towards us ¡°you don¡¯t remember anything since class started, it¡¯s all blank.¡± An almost imperceptible nod is her only response as we are moved away from the scene. We¡¯re escorted out of the building, where an EMT looks us both over. Neither of us have any injuries, my gloves having healed a bloody gash on my arm. An officer walks over to Rose and talks to her. ¡°You¡¯re Dr. Trudeau¡¯s daughter, right?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± I blink, turning back to the EMT, ¡°Oh yeah, that¡¯s me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Leo.¡± He says, examining the blood on my arm, ¡°your dad¡¯s a good guy, I always like working with him.¡± ¡°Oh. Thanks.¡± The police officer sighs as Rose shakes her head at him, then he walks over to us. ¡°Elena Trudeau?¡± I nod. He looks at the medic, ¡°Can I talk to her?¡± The medic stands up. ¡°She¡¯s right as a whistle. I¡¯ll give you guys some space.¡± THe officer watches the medic walk away before turning to look at me. He waves his partner over, who pulls out a notepad. ¡°Can you tell us what happened, Miss Trudeau?¡± I pull my legs up and hug them, acting the part of the scared teenage girl. ¡°I can try.¡± I pause for a moment, and try to think of an explanation for all the bullets in that room. ¡°Mr. Monroe asked me to stay after class, so that we could talk about one of my assignments. Rose-¡± ¡°Miss Demor?¡± The officer asks. I nod, then continue, ¡°She stayed behind to keep me company. Then- then it happened.¡± I pause for effect, ¡°I don¡¯t know who he was, he wore a hoodie and a mask, but he was carrying a gun. Mr. Monroe tried to talk with him, but the person wouldn¡¯t respond. He just shot him.¡± I say the last part in a whisper, forcing myself to believe the story myself to help the lie. ¡°Then he started to walk away. I don¡¯t know what made him turn around, but something did and he pulled his gun on us too. I pushed Rose to the ground. It all happened so fast¡­¡± I trail off. ¡°Is there anything else you can tell us about him? Any identifying features?¡± The officer asks, his pen hovering over his notebook. ¡°No sir, I can¡¯t think of anything else.¡± The officer frowns, but writes something down in his notebook. He takes a deep breath, then offers me a fake smile. ¡°I understand this has been hard for you, Miss Trudeau. I promise we will do our best to catch this man.¡± The officers walk away, the older of the two patting me on the shoulder as he passes. I breathe a sigh of relief as I see them go, then look at Rose. She¡¯s sitting on the curb, staring into space. I walk over to her, and sit down next to her, ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± She responds. She looks at me with a worried expression. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I feel alright, but I think I might be going crazy.¡± She says. ¡°What¡¯s making you say that?¡± I ask. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can talk about it. It says that I signed a non-disclosure agreement?¡± She looks at me quizzically. My eyes go wide. ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me there¡¯s a blue window in front of you.¡± ¡°How did you know?¡± She asks, her voice rising in surprise. ¡°Shit.¡± Chapter 15: Aftermath ¡°What does it say exactly?¡± I ask, leaning back on my hands as I try not to look at her. The rocks of the sidewalk dig into my hands, but I ignore the sensation. ¡°Congratulations.¡± Rose says, then she continues in a questioning voice. ¡°You¡¯ve killed a Beta Tester. Since the Beta Tester had no heir, you get all of his stuff. You also gain the title Beta Tester.¡± She moves her hand in a gesture similar to what I do to get rid of the annoying windows. ¡°There¡¯s another one that says ¡®welcome to The Game Of The Gods. As our newest beta tester, a non-disclosure agreement has been automatically signed by you. Unfortunately, the tutorial is no longer available, so you get to figure out how to survive all by yourself¡­¡¯ it ends by saying ¡®try not to die¡¯ with an exclamation point.¡± She turns to look at me, and gulps. ¡°I¡¯m going crazy.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t even half way there.¡± I smile at her. She looks at me curiously, the realization that I know something dawning on her. ¡°Say Status.¡± I consider saying more, but my attention is drawn to the students curiously looking at us from behind police tape. I notice Blake and Damien among them, their gaze on us. ¡°What the fuck.¡± Rose says, drawing my attention back to her. ¡°How did you know that was going to happen?¡± ¡°Well, if you want to know exactly how we were casting magic back there¡­¡± I shrug. ¡°Two million people across the world were chosen to be Beta Testers by beings calling themselves gods. They kinda, uh¡­ gamified our world.¡± She gives me a look, ¡°You can¡¯t be serious.¡± I turn to look at the cars slowly pulling into the parking lot as parents come to pick up their children. ¡°How else do you explain the blue screen in front of you?¡± She bites her cheek, then follows my gaze to the approaching cars. We sit in silence for a few minutes before Rose finally speaks. ¡°I remember Mr. Monroe talking about you being a Beta Tester. So you got the screens too, right?¡± I nod, ¡°Now that you mention it, that is odd. The non-disclosure agreement is pretty absolute, but he was able to talk about that in front of you.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°So far, I haven¡¯t been able to say the words ¡®Beta Tester¡¯ to anyone who isn¡¯t already one.¡± I tilt my head as my gaze turns to the sky, a lazy cloud floating overhead. ¡°Maybe it has something to do with him talking to me, and not you? You didn¡¯t seem to matter much in his mind.¡± ¡°He did seem to ignore me.¡± She says. My thoughts going to the dead body that had been our teacher. ¡°Speaking of our teacher, you¡¯re¡­ handling it well.¡± She doesn¡¯t respond for a long moment. ¡°You¡¯ve seen me kill men before.¡± I stay silent, waiting for her to continue. She sighs, her eyes meeting mine. ¡°What he was going to do to you, I wasn¡¯t going to let that happen. But¡­¡± She looks at the ground, ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll cry later, but it won¡¯t be for that man. It¡¯ll be because it¡¯s so easy now. I¡¯ve almost gotten used to it.¡± I wrap my arm around her waist and pull her into me. She rests her head on my shoulder and closes her eyes. We stay like that for a little while, before I notice the students watching us again. ¡°Come on,¡± I say. I stand up, and help Rose up as well. I hold her hand as I lead her away from the students. They seem to realize we¡¯re leaving and take that as a sign that they can walk up to us. I pull Rose around a corner, then quickly take another left into the girl¡¯s bathroom. Pulling out my phone, I call Blake. It rings a couple times before he picks up. ¡°Are they gone?¡± I ask, looking at the cracked mirror that is a staple of this bathroom. Blake catches on immediately with a small laugh. ¡°Yep, most of them went into the science building. Where¡¯re you guys?¡± I look over to Rose, who is washing her hands in the sink. ¡°We¡¯re in the place that every man wants to go, but would never dare to.¡± ¡°You hid in the girl¡¯s bathroom again?¡± ¡°So you admit it?¡± ¡°Shut up. You guys can come out now if you¡¯d like. The bloodthirsty horde is gone. I can take you guys to Rose Cafe- Hey, just noticed that.¡± He chuckles, ¡°Anyways, you guys deserve a coffee after the days we¡¯ve been through.¡± ¡°That sounds good.¡± I eye the sweater I¡¯d given Rose to cover the blood. ¡°Also, do you have any extra clothes?¡± This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Twenty minutes later, I¡¯m sitting in the back of Blake¡¯s car, wearing a hoodie that shows a bald man punching a giant monster to pieces. Rose sits next to me, still wearing my sweater. It turns out that the two boys had only one piece of extra clothing between them. ¡°Is this really all you have?¡± I ask. I pull the bottom of the sweater out so that I can see the image better. ¡°You¡¯re lucky Damien had an extra sweater.¡± Blake says. Damien shrugs from the front seat. ¡°It¡¯s a good show.¡± I shake my head, then look over to what Rose is looking at on her phone. She¡¯d searched up ¡°video games becoming real life¡±, which mostly looks to have brought up a lot of Japanese and Korean media. ¡°That car is following us.¡± Blake says, making me look up sharply. I turn around to look through the back window and Rose does the same. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s just my dad.¡± Rose says. ¡°Yeah, I recognize the guy driving.¡± That makes sense I guess. His daughter has been shot at multiple times the last couple of days. Blake pulls into a parking spot, and we all exit the car. The two boys walk over to the cafe and enter, but Rose¡¯s hand on my arm stops me from going. ¡°The message that I got. It said that I no longer have access to the tutorial. What does that mean?¡± She asks. I run my hand through my hair, and pull it into a ponytail as I think, ¡°It means that you don¡¯t get the tutorial.¡± At her annoyed look, I continue. ¡°Which also means you don¡¯t get to choose a weapon, and you don¡¯t have access to a mentor.¡± I smile as I look sideways at her. ¡°But hey, look on the brightside! You don¡¯t have to die.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have to die?¡± She repeats my sentence and looks at me with disbelief. ¡°You died?¡± ¡°Kinda. Doesn¡¯t matter now though.¡± Her look of disbelief deepens, but she continues on anyway, ¡°What do you mean by a weapon and mentor?¡± ¡°When I entered the tutorial, I got to choose a weapon. I chose my gloves.¡± I show her the gloves on my hands. ¡°Then I was transported somewhere else and met my mentor, Sheyla. She told me a little about what¡¯s going on.¡± She continues to ask me questions, but about halfway through my explanations I decide that cup of coffee sounds nice. I pull her into the cafe where the two boys are waiting, then keep my voice low as I continue to explain things to her. Blake and Damien look to be having their own serious conversations, so I order Rose and I a mocha and iced tea (thank you nameless beta tester for your monies). We walk over to a small table with our drinks, and I finish up by telling her the little I know about Taylor and the Shop. Rose sips at her tea, digesting the information that I¡¯ve given her. ¡°So your mentor says that some kind of event is happening in two or three days, but you don¡¯t know what it is.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± I say, my gaze distracted by something outside. ¡°Elena.¡± Rose says, drawing me back to her. She follows my gaze out the window. ¡°What were you looking at?¡± ¡°Radioactive chemicals must be getting more common, cause I thought I just saw a glowing butterfly.¡± I turn back to the window, searching for any signs of the creature, but it appears to have disappeared. Absentmindedly, I take a sip of my mocha. I curse as the hot liquid rolls over my tongue. Immediately I activate the healing in my gloves, hearing the poor burned appendage. ¡°I don¡¯t see anything.¡± Rose says after a long moment, turning back to me. ¡°Also, I might be richer than my dad right now.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± I ask, using a spoon to stir my mocha with a vengeance after its unprovoked attack on my tongue. ¡°I don¡¯t think Scott Monroe only worked as a teacher.¡± Her gaze moves to a screen I can¡¯t see. ¡°You should¡¯ve paid for our drinks then.¡± I say, my thoughts go back to the Beta Tester I¡¯d killed. ¡°It¡¯s weird.¡± ¡°What is weird?¡± ¡°How you get benefits from killing other Beta Testers. I¡¯m just surprised the system would want us to kill each other.¡± My hand tightens around my cup of mocha. ¡°The whole thing is weird.¡± Rose says, sipping at her tea. ¡°Good thing weird is kinda my thing.¡± I say, leaning back comfortably. ¡°You can say that again.¡± ¡°Hey! You¡¯re not supposed to say that.¡± She snorts, then we both break into laughter. We continue to talk, the two boys joining us as the conversation turns to simpler things. A buzz on my phone distracts me. Pulling it out, I notice a text message from an old friend. Come see me. ¡°Everything good?¡± Rose asks. ¡°Yep.¡± I say, putting my phone away. ¡°I was just thinking about our dinner date with your dad.¡± She grimaces, ¡°Please don¡¯t say it like that.¡± I laugh. ¡°Sorry guys, it does look like I gotta go though.¡± ¡°See you tonight then?¡± ¡°Of course. I wouldn¡¯t miss it.¡± I respond, sincerely hoping that some kind of disaster will happen before the interrogation disguised as dinner. An earthquake, yeah, that would do it. Or maybe aliens can attack? I¡¯ve always wanted to see a UFO. I order a ride on my phone, then wave goodbye to the three of them when it arrives. The driver is quiet, which is nice. It leads to a nice ride to the suburbs. Soon enough, we stop in front of a house. I¡¯m not an expert on architecture, but it reminds me of a traditional Japanese house. I get out of the car, giving a ¡°thank you¡± to the driver. I shoulder my backpack, which I¡¯d barely remembered to grab from Blake¡¯s car. Then I walk through the small garden path to the front door of the house. I knock on the door. The other side is silent. ¡°Mr. Tanaka? Mr. Akiyama? Are you home?¡± I call out. A few moments later a young man a couple years older than me opens the door. He wears a traditional gi and gives me a slight bow of his head. His mouth twists into a barely perceptible smile. ¡°Elena, it has been too long. Sensei is waiting for you.¡± He speaks perfect English, but there''s a Japanese accent that you can pick out if you listen close enough. ¡°And if you¡¯re not going to call me senpai, at least call me Tanaka. Mr. Tanaka is too¡­ ¡°American?¡± ¡°Definitely.¡± He waves me to come in. I smile as I step into the dwelling. Chapter 16: Sparring A large smiling buddha greets me in the first room of the house, laughing his jolly laugh. Tapestries cover the wall behind him, and as Tanaka leads me further into the house, I find all kinds of different items from Japanese culture. Eventually, I¡¯m led to the back room of the house. Mats cover a wooden floor, and weapons of all kinds line the wall, from bo staffs to katanas. In the center of the room sits an older man, his hair silver with age. Tanaka sits on his knees in front of the man, and I move to do the same. The man himself is wiry from years of martial arts, and a small beard covers his face. Many of his wrinkles are laugh lines, but his age is hard to garner from a glance. His eyes open, revealing striking blue eyes on the half-japanese man. ¡°Why do you wear bandages to cover nothing?¡± He asks. ¡°Sensei,¡± I greet him, ¡°What do you mean?¡± His eyes narrow in on my shoulder. ¡°Your father told me about your wound, but you do not look to be in pain, and your eyes are not clouded with drugs.¡± He throws something at me, and I instinctively reach out to catch it with my bandaged arm. I look down to see a small river stone. Where did he get this from? ¡°You don¡¯t look injured at all. So why are you wearing bandages to cover nothing?¡± ¡°You¡¯re as observant as ever, sensei.¡± I grumble. I don¡¯t expand past that, not wanting to talk about the strangeness of the Beta Test. John Akiyama studies me for a long moment before speaking, ¡°There have been stories of people suddenly gaining powers. Most disregard them, thinking them nothing more than lies or exaggeration. I do not disregard them.¡± ¡°As is wise.¡± I say. He stands up, his movements flowing like water. Tanaka and I both stand up in response. ¡°It¡¯s been too long, Elena. I wish to see you perform the katas.¡± I bow, not daring to argue with the grouchy old man. I move through the katas slowly, my body more out of practice than I¡¯d like to admit. The Sensei stops me almost immediately, and adjusts my left hand ever so slightly. The day continues like that as he has me perform the katas again and again until I¡¯m doing them perfectly. Tanaka follows me, performing the katas as well. Grudgingly, I admit that his form is more fluid than mine. Slacking in my practice has given him a lead that he didn¡¯t have when we were younger. Even after I¡¯ve performed the kata without adjustments, Akiyama Sensei has us perform the katas twice more before he motions for us to stop. We bow to the sensei, and I notice two other students watching from the doorway. Akiyama gives Tanaka a look, and the older student turns to me. ¡°Would you spar with me Elena? It has been too long.¡± I look at Akiyama Sensei, who looks back at me expectantly. ¡°Of course.¡± I say. We move to the center of the mat, and bow to each other. I stand on the balls of my feet, my hands raised in preparation, my gloves safely stored in my inventory. I was once as skilled as Tanaka, but this last year, he has been training every day with the sensei. Something tells me that this will be more of a challenge than it used to be. Both of us circle each other for a few seconds, looking for weaknesses. We both move at once. Tanaka kicks forward, and I step into the kick, blocking with my forearm. I follow up with a strike towards his chest. His arm moves, almost gently pushing my strike to the side. I move forward putting my foot behind his heel. He attempts to grab me, but I duck under it, and shove him with my shoulder. He trips over my foot and falls. He quickly turns the fall into a backflip, sending a kick towards me with the flashy maneuver. I catch the kick, and jump backwards, attempting to absorb the momentum as I slide back on the mat. Tanaka watches me several feet away, a smile on the edge of his lips. I forgot how much Tanaka enjoyed being beat up, the crazy bastard. Our fight continues. I¡¯m steadily put on the defensive, his reach and power making me twist and turn as I do my best to use his advantages against him. It¡¯s not easy against a fighter that knows my tricks as well as I do. He lands a kick that sets me off balance, then he rushes in, grappling me to the floor until my face is against the mats. I tap the mat, signaling my surrender. He lets go of me, and offers me a hand to stand up. Once I¡¯m on my feet, we bow to each other and I finally notice the sweat that¡¯s covering the both of us. ¡°Thank you Elena, our fight was informative.¡± ¡°Likewise, Tanaka.¡± I respond. A quick glance to the two other students shows them looking at both of us in awe. I recognize them as Tanaka¡¯s younger siblings, although I can¡¯t remember their names. Both are young, the girl around twelve, while the boy is thirteen. They both run up to us, the girl handing me a towel, while the boy hands Tanaka one. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. I wipe the sweat off, then Akiyama Sensei leads us into another room where tea has been set out. I move to the table, and sit on my knees. Sometimes I forget how much I like chairs. The girl runs over to us and pours the tea for Sensei, Tanaka, and I. ¡°You are out of practice.¡± Akiyama Sensei says. ¡°I am. I wish I had more time to train with you.¡± I respond. ¡°You know you can come here whenever you wish.¡± ¡°Thank you, Sensei.¡± I take a sip of the tea, considering the questions I want to ask. ¡°Why did you call me here, sensei?¡± ¡°I had thought to help you with your injury. But I see that is no longer needed.¡± He sips at his tea, his eyes watching my every movement. I smile into my cup as I take another sip. The old codger was just worried about me. I place my tea down, and look at the clock in the room. ¡°I don¡¯t have much time left. I have an appointment with a friend.¡± The sensei bows his head. ¡°Safe travels, Elena.¡± I stand up and bow to him. ¡°Thank you for your instruction, sensei.¡± Tanaka follows me to the door as I leave the house. He stays quiet until the door is closed behind us and we¡¯re standing on the front porch. I wait patiently, recognizing that he is struggling with how to say what he wants to say. ¡°Sensei says the world is changing. He says that he feels it when he is meditating, and to be honest, so can I. I feel an energy inside and around me, something that wasn¡¯t there before¡± I hum softly in thought. That might mean that the energies The Game Of The Gods give me aren¡¯t just accessible to Beta Testers. ¡°Thank you Tanaka. It¡¯s good to know.¡± There¡¯s silence after that, so I take a step towards the garden path. Tanaka grabs my arm. ¡°Be careful Elena.¡± He says, his eyes serious. ¡°I know that whatever is going on, you are involved. So please, be careful.¡± I turn around and surprise the boy with a hug. ¡°When am I not careful?¡± I ask into his chest. ¡°Except for that time with those karate kids. Oh, and the time with that MMA guy.¡± I pull away from him, thinking, ¡°I almost forgot about that time with the gunman at that cafe.¡± I squint, as I examine my memories. ¡°I think that covers all the times I wasn¡¯t careful.¡± I take a full step away, smiling wide. ¡°At least while I was around you.¡± Tanaka laughs, ¡°Be as careful as you can then.¡± I give him a mock salute. ¡°Aye aye Captain.¡± Cadet? Not you. I wave goodbye to Tanaka as my ride arrives. I step inside, and watch the house as we drive away. It¡¯s a strange place in the middle of the US. A foreign place that feels more like home to me than a lot of places do. This time the driver is a lot more chatty. By the end of our ride, I know more things about being an entrepreneur than people that go to college for it. You see, the key is image. You can have the worst product in the world, but if you give it the right image, you¡¯ll be rolling in money. I actually feel a little sad when my house comes into view. I hurry up to my room and make my way to the shower. Then it¡¯s time to reapply makeup. I look at my phone, and thankfully it¡¯s a late dinner. I have time to actually get ready. My room quickly becomes a mess as I pull out outfits and throw them onto the floor or my bed. Eventually, I find a nice enough dress. Green highlights on a purple velvet with an open back. It¡¯s my nicest dress, and I am going to a mansion for dinner, so it seems appropriate. I match it with a black clutch and some heels that look like they could stab someone. I¡¯m not trying too hard, am I? Nah. Elizabeth is in the living room when I come down. Her mouth opens in shock as she sees me. ¡°You can dress up?¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± I walk over to her, and ruffle her hair. ¡°I¡¯ve been known to look nice on an occasion or two.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got to let me wear that dress.¡± ¡°Never.¡± I smile as I walk to the door, my ride already here. ¡°Come on!¡± I see the smile playing on the edge of her lips as she says that. ¡°Nope. I gotta go.¡± I wave goodbye, and close the door behind me. I walk up to an older car that looks well taken care of, and step in. This time it¡¯s an older woman driving, and she gives me lots of space for my own thoughts. As the driver pulls up to the mansion, she lets out a whistle. ¡°That¡¯s a nice house.¡± I nod in agreement, although she probably can¡¯t see it. ¡°Thanks, you can drop me off at the gate.¡± She shakes her head, mumbling something about ¡°kids these days¡±. The car pulls up and I step out. The gate is completely repaired, without a single blemish compared to the broken state I¡¯d found it in when the boys and I came by. I wave at the security guard at the gate and tell him my name. He opens a small side gate that I step through. The security guard greets me on the other side, and motions for me to hand him my clutch. I hand it to him, and he examines it closely before handing it back. ¡°I¡¯m going to need to check you for weapons, if you could please put your arms up like this.¡± He briefly moves into a T-pose before lowering his arms. I smile at him. ¡°You aren¡¯t going to be touching me,¡± I turn towards the house, ¡°Just call Rose or Mr. Demor, they¡¯ll tell you I¡¯m fine.¡± He grabs my arm, ¡°I have to insist.¡± I look down at the hand on my arm and smile up at the security guard. In a single quick movement, I grab his arm, twist it behind him and trip him to the ground. My knee presses into his other arm, stopping it from reaching the gun at his waist. ¡°Here¡¯s what¡¯s going to happen.¡± I tell him, pressing his face further into the ground. ¡°I¡¯m gonna call Rose, and have her meet us out here. She¡¯s going to tell you that I¡¯m fine, and I won¡¯t have to break either of your arms for touching me after I told you not to. Capiche?¡± The man nods into the dirt and mumbles ¡°Can you get off of me?¡± I look at him, not moving. ¡°You were the one that couldn¡¯t take the time to call your boss. We¡¯re going to stay like this for a moment to give you some time to reflect.¡± He tries to move, but I twist his arm, telling him that I could break it if I wanted. Using my free hand, I pull out my phone and call Rose. It rings a few times before it picks up. ¡°Elena?¡± ¡°Hey Rose. Could you meet me at the front gate? Your security guard and I had a small kerfuffle.¡± A few moments later, Rose is walking towards us, doing her best to hide a smile as she sees our position. I take the moment to admire what she¡¯s wearing, a light blue dress with butterflies traveling up and down it in captivating patterns. I¡¯m glad I dressed up. She looks at us from a moment, clearly trying to hold back laughter and failing terribly. She gets herself under control and with her best serious expression says, ¡°Elena, you can get off of him now.¡± ¡°One moment.¡± I say, then lean down next to the ear of the security guard. ¡°Be more careful next time.¡± I let go of his arm and get off of him. The man picks himself off the ground with a surprising amount of dignity, then he bows to me. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the way I acted. I should¡¯ve just called them.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± I say, blinking as I absorb his apology. ¡°Uh, all is forgiven.¡± ¡°Come on,¡± Rose says, motioning for me to follow her. ¡°My dad is waiting for you.¡± She turns around, heading towards the house. I throw one last glance towards the security guard, then follow her inside. Chapter 17: Dinner Party Rose leads me through the front lawn, her eyes lost in thought as we walk. I rub my arms, feeling a little nervous with the situation. I¡¯m not the best in polite situations, all too often I¡¯ll say something silly, or ridiculous, or outright crazy, you know? It doesn¡¯t help that I actually care to impress Rose¡¯s dad. Rose opens the door for me, and we enter the mansion. My mouth opens slightly as I take in the large home. Now that I don¡¯t have Rose¡¯s possible death in my mind, I notice the expensive paintings, the crystal chandelier, a marble staircase and the extravagant architecture. It makes me feel like I¡¯ve been transported back a hundred years. This house is so¡­ expensive. Rose pulls on the straps of her dress and makes an annoyed sound. ¡°I hate this dress.¡± I blink in surprise, looking closer at the custom dress that probably costs more than my dad¡¯s car, each butterfly blending in with another to create beautiful patterns. ¡°It screams ¡®I¡¯m expensive¡¯. It reminds me of those arrogant rich girls you see on TV.¡± She shivers as if remembering something, then adjusts a strap. ¡°Aren¡¯t you an arrogant rich girl?¡± I say without thinking. Her eyes narrow at me, and I feel a shiver run down my spine. ¡°Haha, very funny.¡± She says in a monotone voice. ¡°Sorry, yeah, I hear you. I was worried I¡¯d be overdressed myself.¡± She pauses, and finally seems to take in what I¡¯m wearing. ¡°No, you look¡­ you look beautiful honestly.¡± I giggle in response to the compliment. Oh. Ohhhh. Brain, work. Initiating system reset. Resetting in 3. 2. 1. Brain is functioning under normal parameters. Oh god, did I just giggle? She didn¡¯t notice, right? My face is normal, not blushing at all, right? ¡°Well, I think your dress is really pretty.¡± I say, trying to cover up the brief hiccup. Her face brightens, and she looks at me. ¡°Oh! That¡¯s perfect. We¡¯re about the same size, right? Follow me.¡± She runs up the stairs to the next level, and I hurry to follow her. She leads me to her room, which is a surprisingly cute place, with lots of fluffy critters resting on a large bed. The wall is covered in posters depicting different punk bands, only some of which I recognize. She turns to me ¡°You like this dress, and I really want to annoy my dad and Sofia, so¡­ would you wear it for me?¡± ¡°I¡¯d do anything for you.¡± Rose¡¯s face reddens and I realize what I¡¯d said a second too late. ¡°Right, well uh. I¡¯ll just change out of this into something more comfortable, then you can¡­ yeah. Haha. Oh god.¡± She grabs me, turns me around and pushes me out the door, then slams it closed behind me. So that might¡¯ve been a little cringe. But! Okay, there¡¯s no but. That was kinda cute though. A few minutes later, Rose walks out as if nothing had happened, wearing ripped jeans and a t-shirt that says ¡°I only kinda care¡±. She clears her throat, then points to the dress on the bed. ¡°If uh, you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯d appreciate it.¡± I hide a smile, then walk into the room. It¡¯s a quick change into the dress, and she¡¯s right that we¡¯re surprisingly similar sizes. I open the door, to find her waiting by leaning against the wall. ¡°Are you ready?¡± She asks. ¡°I feel a little overdressed compared to you.¡± I put on my serious face, ¡°But I¡¯m ready.¡± She laughs. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you look great, and dad¡¯s opinion doesn¡¯t matter.¡± She looks towards the stairs, ¡°Speaking of him, we should probably go downstairs for dinner.¡± She leads me back down and into a room where Mr. Demor greets us. He¡¯s sitting at the head of a beautifully carved table. Behind him is a large mural of a rainforest. The chairs are neatly arranged around the table, their backs reaching higher than my head. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Mr. Demor stands up as we enter the room, his eyes staying on his daughter for a long second before turning to me. ¡°Welcome to our home, Elena. I¡¯m glad you agreed to join us. I sincerely hope you can tell me more about the super human that rescued my little Rose.¡± he pulls out chairs for the both of us. ¡°My wife has a meeting, but she should be joining us for dessert.¡± I sit down next to Rose, feeling a little awkward at the formality of it all. Huh, I love this cushion. I¡¯ve never felt so comfortable in a wooden chair. A young man enters the room, placing salads in front of all of us. I eat the salad slowly, looking to Rose for cues on which fork to use. The salad is surprisingly good, with a nice balsamic dressing. It makes me look forward to whatever else is coming. ¡°Are you planning to share exactly what happened?¡± Mr. Demor asks, raising an eyebrow. I put my fork down and dab my face with a napkin. ¡°Nope.¡± I say, then I pick up my fork and take another bite of my salad. A laugh escapes Rose, only for her face to be completely neutral when Mr. Demor looks at her. ¡°Rose has been keeping things from me lately.¡± ¡°Strange.¡± I say, finishing up the last bite. ¡°That was delicious by the way.¡± Mr. Demor studies me, trying to understand what I¡¯m thinking. People try that a lot, it usually doesn¡¯t work. After a few seconds, Mr. Demor laughs, ¡°Thank you, I have one of the best chefs in the city.¡± On cue, several platters are brought out. Is that Chinese food? I should eat here more often. ¡°It must be nice to have people come at your every beck and call.¡± I say, grabbing the dish that has noodles in it and giving myself a large helping. Yeah, I know it¡¯s fattening, but it¡¯s also delicious. Sue me. ¡°There are stories.¡± Mr. Demor says, ¡°People with strange powers, videos of things that shouldn¡¯t be possible. Maybe your tale of a superhero held truth to it.¡± He picks up his glass, and takes a sip, his eyes never leaving me. ¡°Mhm. He had the tights and everything. There was a giant T on his shirt. I think he called himself Testificate man.¡± I say, taking a bite of food to hide my smirk. Rose starts coughing, and I pat her back. Her lips are quivering with laughter, and she turns away from her dad to hide the expression. I¡¯m surprised she got the reference. Mr. Demor looks at us curiously, ¡°Testificate man? The name is familiar, but I can¡¯t place it.¡± It takes all of my effort to stop from laughing; a sentiment shared by Rose if her shaking shoulders are anything to go by. The doors open, and a woman walks in. She¡¯s a petite latina woman with long wavy hair. Her face reminds me of an actress, and I spend several seconds trying to place which movies I¡¯ve seen her in. ¡°Hello hun, the meeting ended early.¡± She says sitting in Mr. Demor¡¯s lap and giving him a passionate kiss. He breaks off the kiss and tilts his head in our direction, ¡°Darling, we have company.¡± She looks at us, and her gaze zeros in on me ¡°Oh dear, you look gorgeous in that dress! Even if I did mean it for someone else,¡± she looks at Rose and shakes her head, ¡°esta chiquilla.¡± She stands up and walks over to me, holding out her hand ¡°What¡¯s your name dear?¡± I stand up and shake her hand, ¡°Elena, and yours?¡± ¡°Sofia Demor,¡± she smiles, her teeth pearly white. ¡°You look beautiful yourself, Mrs Demor.¡± She¡¯s wearing a feminine business suit without a tie. It fits her. ¡°Please, call me Sofia.¡± Rose clears her throat. ¡°How¡¯d your meeting go, Sofia?¡± Mr. Demor stands before she can respond and pulls out a chair, ¡°Darling, please join us.¡± She moves to the seat, and the conversation moves to inane things. Mr. Demor asks some probing questions, but doesn¡¯t push too hard when I avoid answering. Something tells me this isn¡¯t the end. He doesn¡¯t seem like the type to give up that easily. After dessert, they call a driver to take me home. Rose rides in the car with me, but the drive is quiet as she just rests her head on my shoulder. I can feel as she relaxes into me, and I take the chance to also enjoy the silence. After everything that¡¯s happened, it¡¯s therapeutic to just close my eyes and savor the moment. The car pulls up to my driveway too soon. I¡¯m careful to not wake Rose as I leave the car, but she still reaches for me all the same. She holds me tight for a long moment before letting go. It''s only after the car peels away that I realize I''m still wearing her dress. I unlock the door to find everyone quietly doing their own thing. Dad is probably asleep, but mom is sitting in the living room reading a book, while my sister watches something on her tablet. I take off my shoes and tiptoe towards the stairs, hoping to make it before my mom gets a chance to see me. ¡°Elena is home.¡± My not-so-cute sister says. ¡°Trying to sneak away?¡± Mom looks up from her book with a knowing gleam in her eyes. ¡°Of course not.¡± I say. I try to act natural as I place my hand on the handrail of the stairs. ¡°Did you have fun with¡­ what¡¯s her name?¡± ¡°Rose. And yeah, her parents were, ¡° I pause, pursing my lips, ¡°nice.¡± ¡°Mhm. So it was a good first date?¡± ¡°Date? As in a time where two people meet up to hang out?¡± I smile as sweetly as I can. ¡°Be careful honey. I¡¯ve heard some bad things about the Demor family.¡± Her eyes move back to her book. ¡°That¡­ that¡¯s all?¡± I ask. She looks back up from her book, ¡°Of course I¡¯m not exactly happy. I¡¯d hoped you¡¯d end up with a good guy, like Blake. But I¡¯d suspected for a while.¡± ¡°That¡¯s surprisingly cool Mom.¡± I say, tilting my head in confusion. She snorts. ¡°I¡¯m a surprisingly cool person,¡± her mouth tilts into a half smile, ¡°and I¡¯m not one to judge. I don¡¯t need to give you the sex talk again, do I? Doing it with another woman is a little different.¡± I flinch, ¡°No! No, you really don¡¯t. The first time was traumatizing enough. I¡¯ll use the internet for this one, thank you very much.¡± I don¡¯t wait for her to respond as I make a hasty retreat. Best not to wait for her response. I open the door to my room to find Dee floating in the air, waiting for me. Dee motions me into the room, her expression serious. ¡°We have a problem.¡± Chapter 18: Chakraik Paladin ¡°What is it?¡± I ask, taking off my heels and throwing them onto the bed. The little faerie waves her hand and a gray creature with red hair falls to the floor. It¡¯s humanoid, and about the size of an eight year old child, its skin is an inhuman dirty gray, and its hair is more of a dirty brownish-red that I recognize all too quickly as the color of dried blood. ¡°What is it?¡± I repeat. ¡°A Klo¡¯ktun. You¡¯d call it a Red Cap.¡± Dee says, her usual bubbliness replaced with a dead serious expression. ¡°It¡¯s not supposed to be here.¡± ¡°Yeah, neither are you.¡± I walk over to my closet and pull out an umbrella, no way I¡¯m touching that thing with my bare hands. I move the thing with the point of the umbrella, and the smell of burnt flesh hits me. Dee shakes her little head. ¡°No. You don¡¯t understand. It isn¡¯t supposed to be here. Monsters don¡¯t come to the Beta worlds until¡­ until later.¡± She motions with her hand and the corpse disappears, presumably into her inventory. My mind goes to the strange butterfly I saw outside the Cafe window. ¡°Do you know what could¡¯ve happened?¡± ¡°A god, or someone just as powerful let them through? I don¡¯t really know.¡± With that said, a large conspiratorial smile grows across her face. ¡°Sooo, how¡¯s it going with Rose?¡± ¡°She¡¯s cute, and I like her.¡± I pause, ¡°Where did you find the Red Cap?¡± ¡°He was watching your sister when she came home. I didn¡¯t want her to use her for the red in his cap, so I may have stretched the limits of your territory a tiny bit.¡± She flies to her favorite pillow and sits down, crossing her legs. ¡°I killed him. Oh! He dropped two gold coins. I¡¯m keeping one as part of my fees.¡± A coin as large as her head appears in one of her hands and she tosses it to me. I catch the coin and put it into my inventory. I have more questions, but a knock on the door stops me. ¡°What is it?¡± I ask. Elizabeth opens the door, and looks around the room curiously. ¡°Are you talking to someone?¡± ¡°No one, little sunshine.¡± I answer, noticing how her gaze skips right over Dee. ¡°What do you need?¡± She bites her cheek, taking one last look around the room before turning back to me. ¡°Mom told me to tell you that school called. Classes are canceled tomorrow, because¡­ you know.¡± ¡°Thank you sunshine.¡± I say, giving her a smile. She squints her eyes at me, then shuts the door slowly. I wait until I hear her walk away before continuing. ¡°You said that it was following my sister. Could there be others?¡± Dee nods. ¡°Red Caps usually travel in groups, but everything about this is a little weird.¡± I bite my cheek, only to stop as I realize where Elizabeth gets the tick from. ¡°Is there any way you can protect my sister? If they¡¯re following her already¡­ I don¡¯t want her to be alone.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not supposed to leave the home I¡¯m guarding, but there are ways to change that.¡± Dee¡¯s eyes focus on a screen that I can¡¯t see. And she mutters to herself for a few seconds before a notification appears in front of me.
Your (fabulous) guardian suggests that you buy an upgrade for her: Bodyguard: 1 gold, allows your guard to leave the property to guard a person of your choosing.
I look at Dee curiously. It¡¯s interesting how I happen to have exactly one gold, the perfect amount to buy this upgrade. But, my sister¡¯s safety is more important than a vague suspicion. I buy the upgrade. Dee smiles as she reads something in front of her. ¡°Thank you very much! Your sister is in good hands.¡± I snort. I finish taking off my dress, and turn off the light and fall into my bed. The mattress is the perfect amount of comfortable. Captain! All systems are shutting down. Entering unconscious state. Activate emergency system ¡°have to pee!¡± Aye aye, Captain. Aaaaaah. I push myself out of the bed and run to the bathroom. Thankfully, it woke me up enough to actually finish the nightly ritual of taking off makeup, applying moisturizer and brushing my teeth. I return to my room feeling refreshed. No school tomorrow means that I have lots of free time. I¡¯m definitely sleeping in, does two sound like a good time? Yeah. Two sounds like a good time to wake up. Dee is reading one of my books on the table using my lamp, so I just crash back into my bed. If strange butterflies and red caps were running around this world, someone must¡¯ve noticed right? Unless they¡¯re like Dee, invisible to normal people. That¡¯s a scary thought. I turn over to look at Dee, who is deeply invested in the urban fantasy romance she found. I know nothing about her really, except for the world she comes from. But even that name escapes me right now, probably just because I¡¯m tired. I trust her because the system recommended her, but what are her motivations? Why is she a guard in the system? I spent my only gold, which means that I can¡¯t even ask Taylor. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. The system is dangerous, and if monsters are starting to appear, I have to do what I already knew I had to do. I want more gold and experience, to play the game I¡¯m now a part of. Tomorrow, I¡¯m going hunting.
The goddess Isis has gifted you a present.
Class gained: Chakraik Paladin
Chakraik Paladin A guardian, a healer, a defender of peace. No obstacle can block your path. You do not kill without reason, you kill to defend those you love. Let all those who threaten your flock, cower in fear. You are a Chakraik Paladin Abilities Gained: Danger Sense Mark Of Protection Perseverance Physicality +5% Brilliance +5%
Your Brilliance has hit Graduate 100% and evolved into Doctorate. You gain the skill *#$WE*2*$^&&^*
I blink at the messages, my consciousness fading. Why do things keep happening right as I¡¯m about to fall asleep? It looks cool at least. My eyes close and I¡¯m brought into the world of dreams. *** I wake up to the screens waiting patiently in front of me. I sit up in my bed, and place my cushion behind me as I read through all of the messages again. ¡°[Define Danger Sense, Mark Of Protection, Perseverance and uh¡­ whatever that fourth skill is please]¡±
Danger Sense: If someone seeks to harm you or someone you have marked, you become aware of the danger. (Psi required: 0) Mark Of Protection: Someone marked by you is affected by your class abilities (currently: Danger Sense, Perseverance). You also gain knowledge of their location compared to yours. (psi required to place a mark: 20) Perseverance: You will overcome any harmful state caused by magic within 30 seconds. This time is shortened to 10 seconds if someone you have marked is in danger. (Psi required: 30) *#$WE*2*$^&&^*: @(*BROTH+#(*e%R&*@#¡¯sPRo*(#TEC(*&^&^&^@)(&($TioNEmER(*#g&^EN(*&$@cy)(*
I stare at that last skill for a long moment, then shrug. If the system is having a mental breakdown, it¡¯s not my fault. The other skills seem really cool though. I¡¯m ¡°[Status]¡±
General Info: Elena S. Trudeau Age:16 Lvl: 3 Class: Chakraik Paladin Mana: N/A Psi 240 Sponsor: Isis Titles: Beta Tester, Crazy In A Good Way (Is that even possible?), Watched By The Gods, Chosen Of Isis Special conditions: Most Definitely Not-Normal Physical Condition: Healthy Physicality: Athletic 93% Brilliance: Doctorate 4% Equipment: Gloves(unique)
There¡¯s the class and Brilliance change. I really should get more information from Taylor, but that requires money. Thankfully, I have a plan to make more money. Watch out Winchesters, I¡¯m coming for your job. I get out of bed with more pep in my step, the covers falling to the floor as I walk past them. I feel¡­ strange this morning, as if my thoughts are coming to me easier. The voices are still there, but they¡¯re calmer than usual. I walk to my bathroom, and stare at myself in the mirror. I¡¯m looking good too. I hop in front of the mirror, then smile. I feel energized, almost as if I could run a few miles without breaking a sweat. The feeling persists as I take my shower and finish up my morning routine. I return to my room with a small skip in my step and pull out my phone. I create a group chat with Blake, Damien and Rose. Me: Hey. You guys want to come to Rose Cafe in an hour? I have some information that you might want to know Rose: *thumbs up* I might be a little late Blake: Damien and I r nearby, meet you there? What¡¯s this about? Me: Magic Blake: Can¡¯t wait Rose sends me a private message, so I open it. Rose: I thought that we can¡¯t talk to people about- you know. Me: There are ways around it, I think. Just can¡¯t talk about the main thing Rose: *Heart* I close my phone, then search my room for some comfortable clothing. A pair of jeans and a t-shirt with a picture of a cat in space are perfect. I walk downstairs to find Mom sipping a cup of tea as she watches something on her phone. ¡°Hey honey, you¡¯re up late.¡± She puts her phone down, and gives me a smile. ¡°Hi mom. Aren¡¯t you going to the book club today?¡± I double check the time on my phone. ¡°It was canceled.¡± ¡°That¡¯s too bad.¡± I say, swiping an apple from the fruit bowl. ¡°I might not be home until late, don¡¯t wait up for me.¡± ¡°Be home by eleven. The streets aren¡¯t safe these days.¡± She sits up from her chair and wraps me up in a hug. ¡°I should be back by then.¡± I say. Then I take a bite of my apple while hugging her. Mom pulls away from me and returns to her seat. ¡°I¡¯ll be watching the time.¡± I smile at her as I double check that I have everything I want in my inventory. I put my gloves on, enjoying the softness on my skin. I grab a pink hoodie on my way out, since today¡¯s looking a little chilly. I take a deep breath, then head out to meet my friends. Should I make a name for our monster hunting party? The Hunters. Nah, too bland. Anti-Demonic Defence. ADD seems too on the nose. Eh, I¡¯ll come up with a good one eventually. Chapter 19: ADHD (Anti-Demonic Hell Defence) It¡¯s a short run to the cafe, and the bell on the door rings as I step inside. Blake and Damien are sitting in a corner, watching a video on Blake¡¯s phone. Damien notices me first, and waves me over excitedly. ¡°Look at this.¡± He says, as I move over to see what they¡¯re looking at. He rewinds the video and presses play. The video has a time stamp in the left corner, making me think we¡¯re looking through a video camera of some kind. The video shows a back alleyway between two stone buildings. It¡¯s a clean alleyway, with barely any trash or graffiti. Snow falls lightly, turning the ground white. A woman steps into frame, a hoodie and scarf covering her face. She stops in the middle of the frame, and says something that isn¡¯t picked up by the camera. Frustrated by something, she turns around, only to be brought up short as two men enter the alleyway. Two more men approach from the other direction. She stands still, strangely calm as the men approach her. She says something, and a thin rapier appears in her hand from seemingly nowhere. An inventory. She says something again, and the wall next to one of the men reaches out, grabbing the man and wrapping around him. A glow surrounds her similar to the Beta Tester I¡¯d killed who worked for Doss. She moves, and her sword cuts through all three men as she covers space faster than a normal human should move. Every man falls to the ground, bleeding out. She looks at something outside the camera¡¯s view. She says something else and walks out of the alleyway. The video ends, and Blake sets down his phone. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking everywhere for people like you. There are a couple other videos that look like they could be real, but she was the only one that had the same glow as that guy.¡± ¡°It looked real.¡± I say. The video had been gory. ¡°It did.¡± Damien says, letting out a sigh. ¡°So what did you call us here for?¡± Blake asks, sitting up in his seat. I move around to the other side of the table, and sit down. ¡°Let¡¯s wait for Rose before I answer that.¡± I pull out my phone and msg her. ¡°She says she¡¯ll be here in about thirty minutes, so I¡¯m gonna grab some food. You guys want anything?¡± Both of them chime up with requests, happy to eat off my dime. I stand up, and walk over to the counter. The woman in that video moved with a speed that I could barely match with my supposedly ¡°unmatchable speed¡± spell. Whatever power she and that guy glowed with, it obviously gives them a physical advantage. I order a sandwich for myself, and something else for the boys then hand over some cash. Enhance Body and Unmatchable Speed are strong, but I don¡¯t doubt that the others are also improving their skills. I return to the table, and the three of us talk about a show that¡¯s coming out until the food arrives. Rose arrives right at the thirty minute mark, and sits down next to me. ¡°Hey guys, sorry for the hold up. Dad decided it was a good time for a lecture.¡± She steals a fry from my plate, taking a bite. ¡°S¡¯all good.¡± Blake says, then turns his attention to me. ¡°So are you going to tell us the mysterious reason you brought us here?¡± ¡°So you guys all believe in magic now, right?¡± I ask. I grab one of my fries, and take a tiny bite as I think about how I want to phrase what I¡¯m going to say. A series of nods answers my question. ¡°What if I told you that monsters are real too?¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. I get some disbelieving stares, but no one argues. ¡°I think that most people can¡¯t see them, but I have a way to fix that. And¡­ well, I¡¯m going to hunt some of them.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re not planning on doing that by yourself, right?¡± Damien asks. I lean forward with a smile, ¡°Gentlemen and gentleladies, the mission I suggest is a dangerous one, not for the faint of heart. Are you willing to join me?¡± The three of them share a look. ¡°Absolutely.¡± Rose says. ¡°Are you kidding?¡± Damien asks. ¡°You¡¯d be lost without me.¡± Blake adds. ¡°Alright, well, I¡¯m going to try something a tiny bit experimental, so uh¡­ stay safe?¡± I stand up and walk around to the two boys. I place my finger against Blake¡¯s forehead, and send the smallest bit of my psi into him. His psi, although small, is immediately identifiable. I find the third eye chakra, and gently stimulate the flow of psi. A third eye opens on his forehead.
Congratulations! You have used your psi to control another person¡¯s chakra. You have gained the spell: Stimulate Psi (duration: 1 hour)
I move my hand away. ¡°What did you do?¡± Blake asks. I pull out a small hand mirror and show Blake. His eyes open wide. ¡°What do you see?¡± I ask. ¡°A- an eye.¡± ¡°Good! Your turn Damien.¡± I move to him, then Rose, and finally myself. Everyone stares at each other, able to see the third eyes on the other people. ¡°Well, you guys ready? Let¡¯s go hunting.¡± I stand up, scooting my chair back. ¡°That¡¯s just a little cheesy.¡± Rose says, shaking her head as she stands up. I do see a small smile that she tries to hide. ¡°Do you know where exactly we¡¯re going to hunt these monsters?¡± Huh. I uh, I didn¡¯t really think about that. She laughs at my expression, and sits back down at the table. ¡°You¡¯re lucky I¡¯ve been practicing.¡± She pulls out one of those maps of the city that you used to be able to find in every gas station. I didn¡¯t know we still had those with the invention of phones. She unfolds the map and unclips her necklace. She dangles the necklace over the map, then looks at me, ¡°What are we looking for exactly?¡± I tilt my head with curiosity, ¡°Red Caps.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see if this works. [Scry Monsters: Red Caps]¡± The pendant at the end of the necklace moves, and her hand moves with it. She moves her hand until the necklace points directly at a small park near my sister¡¯s school. Blake and Damien look at Rose with wide eyes. ¡°You can use magic too?¡± Damien asks. ¡°Yep.¡± Rose picks up the map and it disappears into her inventory. She picks up her purse and stands up. ¡°You driving us Blake?¡± ¡°I guess I am,¡± He stands up and pauses, ¡°Unless any of you have a car?¡± At our vacant stares, he shakes his head. ¡°Come on. ¡®Let¡¯s go hunting¡¯¡± I frown. How is it somehow cooler when he says it? This is unfair. We leave the cafe, and I shiver as a small breeze pushes past me. Winter¡¯s coming soon. ¡°Why¡¯s this the first time you¡¯re casting magic?¡± Blake asks Rose, pulling his coat tighter around himself. ¡°I just figured out magic recently¡­ Whoa. That¡¯s weird.¡± Rose says, blinking rapidly. ¡°What¡¯s weird?¡± He asks, opening the back door of his car for the both of us. Wow, sometimes I forget why Blake had so many girlfriends. He¡¯s far too gentlemanly for his own good. ¡°I don¡¯t want to tell you the whole truth, like my very thoughts are affected. It¡¯s weird.¡± Rose moves into the car, and I follow her in. The two boys take the front seats. ¡°I¡¯m all for making an entrance, but how are you guys expecting to fight the Red Caps? Guns are a big no-no for a public park.¡± Rose asks. ¡°Not sure. I have a crowbar in the back, but that only works for one of us.¡± Blake says, pulling out of the parking lot. ¡°That reminds me!¡± I say, reaching into my inventory and pulling out a wooden box. I hand it over to Rose. I¡¯ve never thrown a knife accurately in my life. I¡¯d probably be more of a danger than a help with Throwing Knives. Rose opens the box, then looks at me curiously. ¡°[Identify] them.¡± I say. ¡°[Identify the box?]¡± She moves her head back as a screen only she can see appears in front of her. I look out the window, my eyes going to the sky. Dark clouds move in on strong winds, turning the world gray. ¡°I hope you guys brought umbrellas.¡± I say, smiling as the first drop hits the window. I love the rain. Something about it brings out the child in me. I¡¯ve caught more than a few colds just sitting in the rain. It reminds me of laughter, play, and a young man¡¯s smile. A smile that I¡¯ve forgotten in a lot of ways. ¡°I have one umbrella, but we should be fine.¡± Blake leans past the wheel to look at the sky. Rose lets out an appreciative noise, and Damien turns around in his seat to look at what she¡¯s holding. Four throwing knives are in the box, covered in the same hieroglyphics that cover my gloves. ¡°Where did you get those?¡± Damien asks. ¡°Elena.¡± Rose says. ¡°I stole them off a dead guy.¡± I add. ¡°Not funny.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t trying to be.¡± I shrug, my gaze returning to the sky as more drops start to fall. Blake pulls into a parking spot. The park we stopped in is a large one, with a playground sitting in front of a decent sized wooded area. Little paths go through the woods, leading to other parts of the park. I take a deep breath, then let it out. Chapter 20: Red Caps The car turns off and we get out of the car. Blake grabs the umbrella and crowbar he mentioned earlier, offering them to Damien who shakes his head. I stretch and look up at the sky, ignoring the others as droplets land on my face. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about her. She always does this when it rains.¡± Blake tells Rose. A touch on my arm brings me back to the real world. Rose smiles at me, while Damien and Blake lean against the car, sharing the umbrella. Damien holds a wrench, leaving Blake with the crowbar. ¡°We should get going.¡± Rose says. ¡°Do you know how to find them from here?¡± I ask. She shakes her head. I look at the park, running through all of the abilities I¡¯ve learned. My breath calms as I twist my communication chakra to bring my thoughts outside of their usual box. ¡°[Telepathy]¡± My thoughts brush over the three other highschoolers, briefly touching on each of them. I ignore their thoughts, and instead move farther out. I expand my mind, recognizing a homeless man as he rests underneath an overhang. Then I find them. Their voices aren¡¯t as loud as a human¡¯s, and at first I think they are animals, but their thoughts are too concise for that, too organized. One of them watches the homeless man, its thoughts gruesome in nature. In total, I sense six of them, but one is different from the others, its mind more advanced, capable of complex thought. I recoil as I touch its mind, getting flashes of a darkness that I don¡¯t want to examine too closely. All at once, I feel my body again. I open my eyes. I glance at the blue window that had appeared before turning to the park. ¡°I found them. There are five normal ones, and one that feels different. The closest should be by the basketball courts.¡± Blake pushes himself off the car, Damien sticking close to stay under the umbrella. ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡± I turn my attention to the blue window as I follow Blake.
Thanks to your ingenuity, you have gained the skill [Psychic Search]
Psychic Search allows you to find nearby creatures and read their surface thoughts
Surprisingly useful explanation, system. Blake stops, his body freezing. I look up, following his gaze. A gray creature stands over a bloody mess that used to be human. ¡°Shit.¡± I say, my gaze moving over the scattered body parts of the homeless man. A strange feeling fills me, and all of my focus turns to the creature. The creature dips its hair into the puddle of blood it had created, not even looking at us. A crooked smile spreads across my face, as water pours down it. ¡°[Unmatchable Speed]¡± In an instant, I¡¯m in front of the thing, my fist moving towards its face. My punch sends its small body flying. It falls to the ground, its head twisted at a strange angle. I keep my gaze on it, making sure that the others can¡¯t see my strange expression. Some of the rain traveling down my face tastes saltier than it should. I ignore that last thought. I take a deep breath, trying to calm down, when something catches my attention. The blood at my feet flows to the creature, sucked into it as its head cracks and goes back to a proper angle. It opens its eyes, staring at me with anger. The blood around it rises from the ground, hardening into sharp spikes. I bring my arms up, creating the same shield that had saved my life against the other Beta Tester. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. The darts hit the shield, splattering against it and turning it crimson. My vision is obscured by the blood, and I lose sight of the creature. A shout from Rose is all the warning I have, but my Danger Sense is enough for me to jump away from where I¡¯m standing. The Red Cap stands where I just was, two bloody knives in its hands. It smiles at me, showing pointed teeth. I smile back at it. ¡°You must be a Beta Tester.¡± It says, its voice harsh on my ears. ¡°How proud I will be when I take your head-¡± It stops as a knife stabs into its shoulder. It turns to look at the knife, only for the knife to glow malevolently. The creature wilts, its body sagging. Desperation in its eyes, it pulls all of the blood in the area to itself. The blood enters its body and it begins to gain back its strength. Then it starts to wilt again. The creature reaches towards the knife in its shoulder, but I don¡¯t give it a chance. My fist impacts its head, multiple cuts appearing across its body as I use the ability ¡°[Force Of Many Blade]¡± All the blood dries up on the ground as I continue to punch it and it continues to wilt. As the last of the blood disappears, it looks up at me one more time, hatred in its eyes, before it disappears into dust. The dagger that had impaled it falls to the ground. I kneel there, breathing heavily. Slowly, the other approach. Rose wraps me in a hug. ¡°It¡¯s okay, everything is okay Elena.¡± She says softly. The rain hides my tears as they fall into her shirt. I focus on my breathing, bringing it under control. Damien leans down and picks up the dagger. He studies it with warrines. ¡°Thank you.¡± I say to her, ¡°And nice throw.¡± She lets go of me, and I stand up. In a quick movement, she spins around, grabbing the dagger from Damien¡¯s hands. ¡°You probably don¡¯t want to touch that. Who knows what an accidental knick would do?¡± The dagger disappears into her inventory. Damien shakes his head, his eyes on the body parts littering the ground. Blake steps into view, his expression neutral as he looks at the carnage. ¡°Where¡¯s the next one?¡± ¡°The rest are in the woods.¡± I say, looking towards the trees. ¡°Hey, so I hate to be that guy, but don¡¯t you think we should call someone about this?¡± Damien asks, his gaze staying off of the gore that surrounds us. ¡°I mean, I understand why they never call the authorities in movies. But this is the real world, shouldn¡¯t we be calling the police?¡± I shake my head, ¡°I can¡¯t answer the questions they¡¯d ask, can you?¡± I pause. ¡°And we don¡¯t have time, there are five more of these fuckers out there.¡± ¡°What if some kids see this? Shouldn¡¯t we do something?¡± Damien continues. ¡°I¡¯ll call my dad.¡± Rose says. ¡°He¡¯ll make sure the police find the body, and there won¡¯t be any connection to us.¡± Before any of us can respond, she pulls out her phone and puts it to her ear. ¡°Who is Rose¡¯s dad again?¡± Blake asks me, Damien leans in closer, curious about the answer. I look at them, surprised that they didn¡¯t know after everything we went through with Doss. ¡°A mob boss.¡± ¡°That makes a lot of sense.¡± Blake says. A few moments later, Rose hangs up. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get going.¡± I take the lead as we enter the forest, heading towards the creatures I know are haunting these woods. The drops of rain become bigger from the filtering of the forest leaves. I let the water wash away my harsh thoughts and feelings, bringing back the good feelings it brings me. I lead them down the path until we reach an old oak tree. Two Red Caps are sitting there, sleeping. I pull my gloves tight, ¡°You guys take the one on the right. I got the one on the left. [Unmatchable Speed]¡± My fist punches its head into the tree, its face caving in with the power of my gloves. I don¡¯t let up, my fists pounding into its head as I make sure it¡¯s dead. It doesn¡¯t heal as it turns to dust. My gaze turns to the other Red Cap, only to see Blake¡¯s crow bar meeting its head in a wide swing. Blake plays baseball, and his swing shows that as the head bursts from the power of his swing. We stand there for a few minutes as the both of them turn to dust. ¡°Three down, three to go.¡± I say. I look at my companions. Rose is resolute as she grabs one of her daggers from the ground. Damien is pale, but his face is set. Blake keeps his neutral expression as he stares at the blood on his crowbar. I look to where the two creatures used to be. They disgust me, their thoughts are horrible, their very lives depend on being horrible but they still have a sentience. I could tell when I first sensed their minds and I could tell when the first one looked at me with hatred in its final moments. So, I say a small prayer, not for them, but for whatever they went through to make them what they are. I won¡¯t let their viciousness destroy my empathy, nor my convictions. Chapter 21: Sculptors I grab the group''s attention with a wave. ¡°Let¡¯s get going.¡± I close my eyes, and circulate the psi of my third eye. [Psychic Search]. My mind travels through the park, as I stand still. I search for a few minutes, then a few more, and then a few more. ¡°Shit.¡± I say, opening my eyes to see the expectant looks of my friends. ¡°What is it?¡± Blake asks, wiping the rain off of his brow. ¡°I can¡¯t find them. They¡¯re gone.¡± A shiver passes through me, and I¡¯m reminded that I¡¯m soaked by the rain. ¡°What do you mean t-they¡¯re gone?¡± Damien¡¯s teeth chatter in the middle of his question. I shrug, not sure how to explain it. Captain! Sensors are noticing a significant decrease in heat. I suggest we follow emergency protocol: get inside. We can¡¯t, Cadet. Those buggers are out there somewhere. But sir, the protocols. Screw the protocols. Every great captain has ignored the rulebook at least once. Just look at Captain Kirk. Sir, I don¡¯t think he¡¯s the best example¡­ ¡°Are you alright, Elena?¡± Rose asks. She grabs my chin and tilts my head to look at her. I feel the slight trembling in her fingers, a combination of adrenaline and the cold rain. What the hell am I doing? I¡¯ve lost track of the Red Caps, and I¡¯m forcing my friends to wait in the freezing cold rain. The rain increases in intensity, proving my point. At this rate, the weather conditions will make it impossible for us to fight safely against horror movie monsters, and if the Red Caps have learned how to escape my detection¡­. ¡°We should head back.¡± I say, surrender in my voice. ¡°I¡¯m starting to freeze, and you guys aren¡¯t looking any better.¡± I can see that Blake wants to argue, but one look at our group quickly changes his mind. We make our way back to the car without any troubles, and pile into it. Blake turns on the heat full blast and we all shiver in silence for a few moments. Blake jumps into the car, a singular dish towel from his trunk in his hands. He hands it to Rose. ¡°Sorry, I''m lucky I had anything at all.¡± She shakes her head as she uses it to dry off. ¡°Better than nothing.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we do more?¡± Damien asks, a slight shiver visible in his body. ¡°What can we do?¡± I ask, ¡°I¡¯ve lost them.¡± I lean my head against Rose¡¯s shoulder, enjoying the warmth. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Damien says, ¡°but I feel like there is something we should do.¡± ¡°I agree with you, I just wish I knew what it was.¡± I give him an exhausted smile, to take any bite out of my words. Left with no other options, we peel out of the street, and make our way to my place. I invite the group inside, and we all enter to the curious look of my mom. She has a broom in her hand, but as soon as she sees a group of wet teenagers, she enters mom mode, and hurries all of us into warm clothing. The boys wear shirts I recognize as my dad¡¯s, while Rose and I are able to change into some of my clothes. ¡°What were you kids doing out in the rain?¡± She asks, pouring all of us some hot-chocolate she¡¯d found time to make while rushing us all into dry clothing. ¡°Hunting monsters.¡± I answer, warming my hands with my mug of hot-chocolate. Mom snorts, and turns to Rose. ¡°My daughter can¡¯t be serious. She definitely gets it from her father. What were you all up to?¡± Rose opens her mouth, then closes it again. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°We were at the park when it started to rain.¡± Blake comes in for the save with his usual charming smile, ¡°Elena somehow managed to bring us into a game of tag in the downpour. Don¡¯t ask me how she did it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not surprised. My daughter has a way about her.¡± Mom laughs, and a buzzer starts ringing. ¡°Oh! That¡¯s the oven. I¡¯ll be right back.¡± She putters off to the kitchen, and the four of us find spots to sit in the living room. ¡°What could¡¯ve stopped you from finding them?¡± Blake asks, waking me up from my hot-chocolate induced drowsiness. I fold my arms on the edge of the couch and rest my head on them,¡°They could¡¯ve left the area,¡± I say, my voice muffled by my arms. ¡°Or they were hidden from me somehow. I don¡¯t know.¡± *** I hold the six gold that I¡¯d gained from killing the Red Caps, feeling the texture of the coins in my hand. I look up to the portal in my bedroom, the one that leads to The Shop. With a sigh, I push myself off of my bed and walk through the portal. The colors around me twist and turn, eventually solidifying into the entrance of The Shop. I look around, and notice another Open sign on the mostly empty street. Curious what it could be, I walk over to the shop and enter it. A soft humming comes from the interior of the shop, as a man and woman walk around, placing objects on counters. The bell above the door rings, and the woman turns to me. Her eyes and forehead are covered by a scarf, but two spiraling horns are visible peeking out of the top of her head. Her clothes are flowy, with lots of tiny bells and jingling pieces, reminding me of one of the mystic seers you might see on tv. She smiles at me, showing two sharp fangs. ¡°Hello, young one. Welcome to The Shop Of Statues.¡± ¡°Hello,¡± I say. I walk over and take a closer look at the objects they¡¯d been putting up on their walls; small statues carved exquisitely into different creatures and shapes. ¡°These are stunning.¡± I look closer at a wooden sculpture of a fairy, so similar to Dee, that you might think it is her. Wooden water flows around the sculptures hands, looking so real that I¡¯m surprised it isn¡¯t moving. ¡°Thank you dear. We take a lot of pride in our work.¡± Her smile brightens as a thought occurs to her, and she leans closer to me. ¡°Have you ever been to a sculpture shop before?¡± I open my mouth to respond, but she shakes her head before I can say anything. ¡°What am I asking? This is a Beta World, of course you haven¡¯t.¡± She motions for me to follow her, ¡°A world that has never experienced true magic, what a novelty. Let me show you what we do.¡± She leads me to a small table where three wooden statues, all wolves, sit facing an ogre. ¡°Sayas, reon.¡± The woman says in a breathy voice. The statues move, their stillness becoming fluid as the wolves shake their fur, and the ogre lowers its club. The wolves growl at the ogre, and the ogre roars back at them. The roar shakes me with its intensity, as if its larger brethren were standing in front of me. The wolves leap at the ogre, tearing apart as it attempts to strike them with its club. My mouth opens in shock as the creatures fight. Harry Potter chess is possible. Oh gods and goddesses in heaven, you¡¯ve made a little girl¡¯s dreams come true. Eventually, the wolves take down the ogre, losing a member of their pack in the process. The woman simply waves her hand, and the parts of the creatures strewn across the table reform themselves, until all of the statues are standing without a scratch. ¡°We give life to objects that did not have it. My husband and I are some of the finest sculptors you¡¯ll ever lay your eyes on.¡± ¡°What are you doing on a Beta world then?¡± I ask, my eyes staying on the immobile statues. The woman laughs. ¡°You¡¯re a bold one, aren¡¯t you?¡± I look at her and shrug, ¡°How much would it cost to buy a chess set from you?¡± ¡°You know of chess? I didn¡¯t think a Beta world would know of the exquisite game.¡± She smiles wide and leads me over to a part of the shop with a few different sets displayed. ¡°We have a range of prices, but considering that you are our first customer, I¡¯ll give you a discount. Our lowest price set would be, let¡¯s say four gold?¡± I consider it for a long moment, then shake my head in sadness. ¡°I need to save my gold.¡± The woman studies me from behind the scarf that covers her eyes. ¡°I understand. In the spirit of friendship, I would be willing to offer you a set for three gold, but no less.¡± Who am I to ignore such a good deal? Although I don¡¯t know the original price, so I don¡¯t actually know how good a deal it is. Still, the little girl inside me screams in excitement at the idea of a chess set that moves on its own. ¡°Deal.¡± I take out the three gold. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to pay back the favor someday.¡± The woman takes the money from me with a practiced hand, then leads me to a set with tiny dragons representing each piece. She hands it to me, then leans into my ear, and whispers words that I can¡¯t quite remember. Somehow, I know that if I need them, they will appear for me to animate the chess set. I thank her again, before leaving and heading towards Taylor¡¯s shop. She greets me with her usual sharp smile, ¡°What brings you to my shop today, Elena?¡± She motions towards a chair. I sit down, ¡°Hi Taylor. I¡¯d like to know why there are Red Caps in my city.¡± Taylor¡¯s eyes sharpen, and she lets out a small hum. ¡°That information will cost you four gold coins.¡± I purse my lips, ¡°I only have three, can I owe you one?¡± Taylor snorts, then waves her hand towards me, ¡°you¡¯re lucky I like you so much.¡±
Would you like to trade three gold coins to Taylor Flameborn in exchange for information regarding the Red Caps in your city? Yes/No
I click yes, and a sphere appears in my hand. I crush it, letting the information flow through me. Interlude: Isabelle Smith Bloody cameras. I curse to myself as I look at the footage from when Connor¡¯s men had surrounded me. Of course I had defended myself, but these days, London has cameras everywhere. I¡¯m lucky I had my hood up. My face in that video would¡¯ve attracted attention from all kinds of nasty buggers. Just to be safe, I¡¯d thrown away the hoodie that I¡¯d worn on that day. It was a limited addition too. Connor¡¯s men will pay double for that. I let out a soft sigh. He should¡¯ve just let me go, we would both be happier that way. But no, Connor O¡¯Neil always gets what he wants, and he wants me bad. My hand tightens around my phone, my attention no longer on the video. The bloody bastard. This time, he¡¯s not getting what he wants. I¡¯m a Beta Tester now. I have power, and I¡¯m not at his mercy. A cracking sound comes from my phone. I look down in surprise and curse. I let out a small whimper at my cracked screen. I just bought it too. It¡¯s the one downside of always having a small buff active. I¡¯ve really got to watch my strength. I stand up from my chair in a cheery little pub called Danny¡¯s. Or at least, cheery for me. I don¡¯t think Connor¡¯s friends find it very cheery, not any more. I step over the body of Larry nonchalantly. He¡¯d given me the most trouble out of the group. He¡¯d actually been carrying a gun, fancy that. I¡¯m lucky he missed his first shot, or this whole revenge business would¡¯ve been over before it started. I glance over to the waitress and the barkeep, both of whom are fast asleep. I didn¡¯t want them to see my face, so I went through the trouble of fixing up a sleep spell. It was that or kill them. Killing them would¡¯ve been such a waste, plus, I think the waitress looks cute. I pull out my sword and activate my buffs as I look down at another body. Andrei Kuznetsov, a Russian man who works very closely with Connor O¡¯Niel. I stick out my tongue as I focus on carving a message into his chest with the tip of my sword. I¡¯m thinking loving thoughts, Connor. -I.S. Too much? No, it sounds just creepy enough. I think it sends my message wonderfully. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. I put my sword back into my inventory. I¡¯m curious how he¡¯ll respond. This is going to be fun. I glance at the blue window which had been begging for my attention.
Apophis has gifted you the class: Revolutionary
Class Gained: Revolutionary You have risen from the chains of a slave. You fight against your former oppressors You are a Revolutionary Abilities Gained: Break Bonds Fight For Freedom Path Of War +5% Physicality +5% Brilliance
Break Bonds: No one can chain your mind, +90% resistance to mental attacks. Fight For Freedom: Each time you kill someone that you deem an ¡°oppressor¡± you gain a .01 up to .1% increase to both physicality and Brilliance Path Of War: You have chosen the path of war for your freedom, while activated, you cannot fall below 1 health (Chi Required 100/s)
I smile at the message. I may think that Apophis is a rather disgusting snake, but he certainly treats me well. I¡¯m curious to see how this affects my status.
General Info: Isabelle Smith Age:22 Lvl: 3 Class: Revolutionary Mana: N/A Chakra: 240 Sponsor: Apophis Titles: Beta Tester, Enslaved With Broken Chains, Revenge Seeker, Watched By The Gods, Chosen Of Apophis Special conditions: Mentally Damaged Physical Condition: Healthy Physicality: Olympic 12% Brilliance: Genius 88% Equipment: Saber (unique)
Perfect. Run run as fast you can, I¡¯ll still catch you, gingerbread man. Wow, my thoughts have been getting creepier and creepier lately. Chapter 22: World Event ¡°Why are the gods breaking their own rules?¡± I ask. I cross my legs as I adjust my position on the fold-out chair Taylor had prepared for me. Taylor gives me a look, ¡°You don¡¯t expect me to just tell you that, do you? That¡¯ll cost gold I know you don¡¯t have.¡± I puff out my cheeks. I¡¯d hoped that she might just answer my question, but she already gives me allowances, and I don¡¯t mean to push my luck. The gods had made a treaty with each other, but Set had decided to break the treaty by letting monsters in before the proper time. That¡¯s literally all the magical ball had told me. How does this information benefit me? It gives me the benefit of knowing that I still know nothing about everything. ¡°To be honest Taylor, I was expecting more for four gold coins. That didn¡¯t tell me anything.¡± Taylor meets my gaze, and her eyes sharpen as her usual friendliness disappears. ¡°You¡¯re asking for the entirely wrong information. You haven¡¯t asked any questions about your abilities, about the gods, about the system or why the Beta has started in your world in the first place. You¡¯re driving blind, and you don¡¯t even realize it.¡± I let out a small laugh, ¡°Not that I¡¯m trying to excuse myself, but it has only been six days, and I¡¯ve done better than the other Beta Testers I¡¯ve seen.¡± Taylor lets out a sigh, ¡°Listen to yourself, you think you¡¯re more powerful than the other Beta Testers? Two out of two million. You barely escaped with your life both times and yet you still think you¡¯re invincible.¡± She pauses and takes a deep breath, ¡°Look, I¡¯m only saying this because I like you. You¡¯re actually a good person, and you¡¯d be surprised how rare that is.¡± She looks into my eyes and holds my gaze, ¡°I know things that you cannot imagine, it is my job to know things. You¡¯re not as far ahead of the pack as you think you are. And if you don¡¯t prepare for what¡¯s coming, then you¡¯ll find your throat slit by a monster. You¡¯d just better hope that the monster isn¡¯t wearing the face of someone you trust-¡± She stops her tirade, her green skiing tinged red with emotion. I bite my lip and turn my eyes to the ceiling of Taylor¡¯s shop. My chair tilts back on two legs as I push myself up with my feet. A mural of stars is painted on her ceiling, but they¡¯re not the stars I recognize. I lose myself in the painting as I process her words. It¡¯s a few minutes later that I let out a breath, and my tension leaves my body. The front legs of my chair hit the ground with a *clunk*, breaking the silence. ¡°You¡¯re probably right.¡± I say, my usual playfulness gone from my voice. ¡°I¡¯m definitely not perfect. There is probably more I can do to prepare myself.¡± I smile at her, letting my personality shine through. ¡°But I like having fun and doing things my way. After all, if you can¡¯t have fun while living life, then what¡¯s the point of living? I can¡¯t let silly things like possible death and dismemberment stop me from kissing the girl I have a crush on- I can¡¯t wait to do that by the way.¡± I tilt my head forward and let my hair cover my face as I look at Taylor. ¡°I¡¯m going to win either way, you want to know why?¡± ¡°Why?¡± Taylor asks. I motion her closer, and she leans forward. In a mock whisper I continue, ¡°Because I am invincible.¡± I stand up, scooting my chair backwards. ¡°Thanks for the information Taylor. I owe you one. Until then, I want to spend some time with my sister. I feel like I¡¯ve been neglecting her.¡± I walk towards the door, feeling Taylors dissatisfied stare on my back. I stop in the doorframe, and look back at her. ¡°By the way, I¡¯ve been wondering; why does Dee like honey so much?¡± Taylor responds without thinking. ¡°It¡¯s a drug to the Fae. It makes them feel good and chills them out.¡± My fairy gets high on honey. Now that¡¯s a sentence you don¡¯t hear very often. Chuckling to myself, I leave the shop and return to my home. My room is how I left it, with the exception of a small fairy reading an equally small book on my pillow. Dee turns the page, not even looking up as I enter the room. I smile at the otherworldly creature, then pull out my phone. I scroll through my notifications as I make my way down the stairs to the living room. ¡°Mom! I think I have super powers!¡± Elizabeth says, making me look up from my phone. I walk into the kitchen to see Mom chopping vegetables and putting them in a large Wok. Elizabeth sits at the table, her homework layed out in front of her. ¡°What makes you say that?¡± Mom asks, trying to hide a smile. ¡°You know those girls that have been bullying me lately?¡± Elizabeth asks, running her hand through her hair, another habit we both share. Mom frowns, her knife pausing mid-chop. ¡°Yes. They¡¯re still bothering you? I can talk to the principal again.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t do that. You¡¯ll embarrass me even more.¡± Elizabeth shrinks into her chair before jumping back up as she remembers what she was talking about, ¡°You don¡¯t have to anyway! Something way cool happened at school today. So Blair started making fun of me, and then- bam!- lightning came from the sky and struck her. It was so cool, and I think it happened because of me!¡± ¡°Oh dear! Is she okay?¡± Mom looks at elizabeth. Elizabeth rolls her eyes and mutters ¡°I hope not.¡± ¡°Elizabeth.¡± ¡°What? She¡¯s a total B-I-T-C-H.¡± Elizabeth spells out each letter of the word. I laugh from where I¡¯m standing. ¡°Elena! Don¡¯t encourage her!¡± Mom points her knife at me, then continues chopping. I don¡¯t respond, instead leaning against the counter to enjoy the show. ¡°Mom! You¡¯re ignoring the important part! Lighting. Came. From. The. Sky.¡± Elizabeth looks at her hands in wonder, ¡°I think I have super powers.¡± Dee. What did you do to my little sister¡¯s tormentors? Whatever it was, I owe you some extra honey. I grab Elizabeth from behind, eliciting a small squeak. Then I squeeze her in a hug. ¡°Something tells me it was just a coincidence, little sunshine.¡± Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Elizabeth wiggles, trying to escape from my clutches, but I refuse to let go. ¡°Mom! Elena won¡¯t let go of me.¡± She tries to be grumpy, but I can hear the small smile in her voice. ¡°Squeeze her extra for me.¡± Mom winks at me. ¡°Mom!¡± Dad walks into the room. He looks half-dead from the bags under his eyes, and the stubble on his face tells me he hasn¡¯t had time to shave. ¡°You girls look like you are having-¡± He yawns mid-sentence, ¡°fun.¡± ¡°Dad!¡± Elizabeth breaks free from my hug and hides behind him, eliciting a small chuckle from him. ¡°They are ganging up on me.¡± ¡°What? They¡¯re ganging up on my precious little girl? The heathens.¡± A wan smile appears on his face. Mom walks over to him, and gives him a quick kiss on the lips. ¡°How was work?¡± He wraps her in a hug, resting his head on her shoulder. ¡°Not good, and it isn¡¯t over yet. I¡¯m on call.¡± She holds him for a second, then one of the lids starts to boil over. She hurries back to her cooking, leaving dad reaching for her sadly. ¡°I thought you had tonight off.¡± Mom says. Dad falls into one of the chairs at the table, ¡°I did, but the number of violent crimes are through the roof. They needed some extra doctors on call, I volunteered.¡± Mom dishes out the food into four plates, ¡°You¡¯re exhausted enough as it is. You needed this time off.¡± She sets his plate in front of him, a little more forcefully than needed. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, and duty calls.¡± he responds as we all get our food. The table is quiet as we eat. Elizabeth looks between our parents questioningly, while mom sends my dad annoyed glares that he doesn¡¯t notice as he eats mechanically. I finish my meal fast, and hurry upstairs to get away from the awkward atmosphere. Dee is still reading her book when I get back to my room. ¡°What are you reading?¡± I ask as I sit down at my desk. Dee looks up at me with a guilty smile, her face a little flushed. ¡°It¡¯s a romantic story set in the warring seasons period. It¡¯s about the forbidden love between a water fairy and an electric fairy.¡± She coos, and holds the book close to her chest. ¡°And it is steamy.¡± I giggle. ¡°You¡¯ll have to lend it to me sometime, I¡¯ve been looking for some new reading material.¡± She hides the book behind her and hisses at me playfully, ¡°Mine.¡± ¡°You owe me for the trouble you caused my sister. She doesn¡¯t need that kind of attention.¡± I say, losing some of my playfulness. ¡°What? I only zapped the other girl a little bit.¡± She flies into the air so that her eyes are even with mine, then lifts her chin. ¡°People are starting to realize that the world is changing. Supernatural attention on my sister is a bad thing.¡± I leave my desk to fall on my bed. ¡°Next time, be smarter about it.¡± I give her a sly smile as I pull out a small bottle of honey from my inventory. She zips over to me and grabs the honey. It disappears into her inventory. ¡°Will do.¡± ***
Welcome to the first event of The Beta Test! Your objective is to stop the infestation from spreading. You have twenty minutes to prepare! Good luck. You¡¯ll need it.
I¡¯m shaken awake roughly. I open my eyes to the message in front of me, a small timer ticking down next to it. Why do these things always happen when I¡¯m asleep? ¡°Hello! It¡¯s time to get up, love. This is not a safe place to sleep.¡± A young woman with a British accent helps me to my feet. I shake my head, getting rid of the last vestiges of sleep. ¡°Where am I?¡± I ask. ¡°An American girl?¡± A man with a french accent says from a few feet away. I look around at the group of people surrounding me. There are three more people who haven¡¯t spoken yet, plus the Frenchman and the young woman who woke me up. The young woman holding me up has raven hair, and brown eyes so dark they are almost black. I catch a brief glance of scars on her arm before she lets me go and covers it with her sleeve. ¡°My name is Isabelle, what is yours?¡± She asks in a calm voice. ¡°Elena.¡± I answer, studying the room we¡¯re in. A stone floor and marble walls box us in, the only exit being a door made of steel. ¡°Anton Pierre.¡± The Frenchman introduces himself. He¡¯s the oldest in our group, with all gray hair, and a few wrinkles lining his face. I look at the last three people in the room. A tall Asian man in a business suit ignores my stare. The second person I look at smiles in greeting. His brown hair is tied back in a bun and a single earring hangs from one ear, ¡°My name is Nicolas Guerrero.¡± He says in a Spanish accent, rolling all of his ¡®r¡¯s beautifully. The last person introduces himself with a simple ¡°Hans.¡± Hans is muscular, but not overly so. He has blonde hair and blue eyes, and looks at me with a mildly irritated expression. ¡°Everyone here is a Beta Tester.¡± Isabelle says, ¡°And we just figured out that no matter what language you are speaking, we all hear it as our own. You and I are the only ones actually speaking English.¡± ¡°The devil tests our faith again and again, why do you act as if everything is normal?¡± The Asian man asks. ¡°How else should I act?¡± Isabelle asks, sending a glare the man¡¯s way. The Asian man doesn¡¯t meet her gaze. ¡°Do not let the acts of these false gods cloud your eyes. That is all I will say.¡± ¡°Helpful, aren¡¯t you?¡± They break out into an argument, which I ignore, instead turning my thoughts to the blue screen in front of me. I¡¯m as prepared as I can be, but what did it mean by infestation? My mind goes to zombies. If that¡¯s the case, then I hope they''re the slow-easily-killed kind. But it could mean something else, like a disease or mushroom-zombies. I pull out Sheyla¡¯s book and look for a filter-spell. Detoxifying Mask: Auric Enchantment. Blocks all harmful bacteria, poisons and viruses up to level 10 from entering your system. Must remove to eat. Enchantment is broken if cloth is soaked in water. Requires: Cloth large enough to cover your mouth. Cost: 100 psi. I look through my inventory and pull out the extra clothes I¡¯d stashed away for a rainy day. A hello-kitty shirt appears in my hand, and I twist it into a makeshift cloth that covers my nose and mouth. A meditative state comes to me quickly, and I twist my psi into the shapes needed to cast the enchantment. The auric enchantment settles over the shirt without too much trouble, and I let out a small breath. ¡°What is that?¡± Hans, who I now recognize as speaking a germanic language of some kind, asks. I look up to see all of the other Beta Testers looking at me. ¡°Protection,¡± I answer, my voice muffled by the cloth. ¡°Against what?¡± Hans asks in an impatient tone. ¡°Stupidity.¡± I answer, smiling behind my ¡®mask¡¯. Hans looks at me with annoyance while Isabelle laughs. ¡°Use Identify on it.¡± Isabelle says. I glance at the timer in the corner of my vision, it says that we have roughly eight minutes left. Anton, the Frenchman, hands me a scarf, ¡°Can you enchant this for me?¡± I nod, and meditate to bring my psi back up to a good spot. Once it¡¯s there, I begin to work on his scarf. I finish and hand it back to him. ¡°Thank you.¡± He says, wrapping the scarf around his face. ¡°We¡¯re out of time, or I would ask you to do the same for me.¡± Nicolas says, pulling a staff out of his inventory as the timer goes into its last few minutes. I pull out my gloves and put them on. The asian man, who¡¯s name I still don¡¯t know, pulls out a large case nearly as tall as him. Anton pulls out a revolver, his movements nonchalant. Hans pulls out a large broadsword, lifting it easily as his body glows with energy. Finally, Isabelle pulls out a familiar looking sword. Exactly like the one I saw in the video that Blake had shown me yesterday. I look at the clock as it shows the final seconds. 5¡­ 4¡­ 3¡­ 2¡­ 1¡­
Preparation time is over! Each group will have a score, the groups to get the highest scores at the end of the event will receive prizes. Now please leave through the door to the event¡¯s stage. Good luck and remember; the gods are watching!
The only door in our room swings open, a bright light on the other side preventing us from seeing where it leads. The others hesitate, staring at the entryway. I shrug, and walk through the door. Chapter 23: Cute And Cuddly I walk through the door into an alleyway. Skyscrapers surround me, and the noises of a large city hit me immediately. Traffic and voices fill the air, despite the darkness of evening. The other Beta Testers follow me out the door slowly. Isabelle is the first to come out, followed by Anton, Hans, Nicolas, and finally the Asian man who¡¯s name I don¡¯t know. Together, we walk out of the alleyway and onto a busy street. The signs all along the street have Asian characters on them. I think it¡¯s Korean, but I can¡¯t tell for sure. ¡°The devils appear to have sent us to South Korea, Seoul to be specific.¡± I jump, not having heard the Asian man approach behind me. ¡°What¡¯s the infection?¡± Nicolas asks, studying the passing pedestrians. The passerby give us strange looks, but none of them start moaning like a zombie or growing second heads. ¡°Maybe it-¡± Isabelle is cut off mid-sentence, a scream reverberating down the street. ¡°It appears we have found the infection.¡± Anton says, with a wry chuckle. ¡°What¡¯s the wait? Let¡¯s go.¡± Nicolas moves towards the scream without waiting for a response. More screams echo down the street, and we hurry to follow the Spaniard. The street fills up with people running the opposite direction of us, making it near impossible for us to make our way through the crowd. The sirens of police in the distance reach us, and I frown at the lack of progress we¡¯re making. I consider how we could get there faster, and the spells that Mr. Monroe used on the class comes to mind. If he can do it, then I can too. I grab the psi of the communication chakra in my throat, and manipulate it with ease. GET THE FUCK OUT OF OUR WAY RIGHT NOW. Please. The psi moves like a wave through the crowd, and they all pause, then part before our group like the red sea. The other Beta Testers stop as well, but more out of confusion than anything else. I walk through the crowd with nonchalance, making the others turn their gaze to me. The crowd starts running again, but keep the space open for us. I feel the other Beta Tester¡¯s gazes on my back, but I ignore them in favor of continuing towards our destination. Finally, I see it, the ¡°infestation¡±. Spiders, thousands of them, in all shapes and sizes flood out of portals that open at and close at random. Why does it always have to be spiders? With their fuzzy spiders, long spindly legs and beady little eyes. I mean, they¡¯re just so¡­ so cute! I hate killing the poor little things. Alright, so that spider spinning up that poor civilian in webs isn¡¯t as cute, but still! Spiders aren¡¯t evil. I sigh as I realize what I have to do. The creatures may be cute, but they are still deadly monsters that want suck these poor people¡¯s blood. ¡°[Enhance Body]¡± I cast the spell on myself, watching from the corner of my eyes as the other Beta Testers similarly prepare themselves. I run up to the spider wrapping up a human, my eyes set in what I have to do. The spider is a brown one, the size of a car. Two eyes stare at me from the center of its head. It hisses at me, then jumps, its front legs looking to skewer me. It¡¯s fast. I jump out of the way, rolling to dodge a follow up attack. My mind goes to the common jumping spiders I¡¯ve seen around the house. The ones that could move faster than my eyes could follow. Multiplying that speed by this creature¡¯s size is mildly terrifying. It jumps at me again, looking to stab me with fangs dripping with venom. I bring up my gloves, creating a shield that blocks its fangs. Wow, those are some pretty colors on its head. I kinda want to pet it. Is there a smaller replica of this guy on earth? It might be cool to find one. Awww, it¡¯s going to suck to kill this lil guy- A gunshot rings out, and its head explodes and viscera lands all over me. I have to say, I much preferred its blood inside its body.
Points gained:10
I look behind me trying to place where the gunshot came from. The Asian man lies on top of a nearby truck, a sniper rifle lined up in front of him. So that¡¯s what he had in his case. I look at the other Beta Testers, busy with their own spiders. Anton seems to be keeping his distance, helping anyone who needs it, but not getting into any kind of close range fight. Hans and Nicholas work together to take down another jumping spider, while Isabelle approaches a spider hidden against the side of a tall building. I look at the spider in front of me and sigh. Today is going to be a weird day. I leave them to their fights and move to the man partially wrapped in webs. I feel his neck for any vitals, doing my best to remember all the first aid my dad taught me. I feel a faint pulse. I hum, not sure what to do. There¡¯s probably some kind of venom running through his system, but I¡¯m not sure how to detect it or treat it. ¡°Oh!¡± I say as an idea comes to me, ¡°[Psi Manipulation]¡± I reach into the man¡¯s own psi, twisting it into spells I¡¯m well familiar with now. ¡°[Clear Impurities] [You Better Heal Right Now]¡± I focus, trying to save the man¡¯s life as the other Beta Testers fight around me. *** Time passes as we continue our fight, the five Beta Testers and I work together to take down the spiders. Occasionally, we see signs of other Beta Testers fighting in the distance. We even see a military plane observing the fight before it¡¯s caught by the webs of something deeper in the city and brought out of the sky. The farther we travel into the territory of the spiders, the stranger and more powerful the spiders get. We¡¯re forced to take a break a couple hours in to recoup our energy. We make our way to a corner store, and break in to hide ourselves while we recover. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. I move over to the checkout counter and sit down. The mask had done a good job protecting me from the poison of many of the spiders, so I¡¯d agreed to make more for the rest of the group. ¡°It might be a good idea to get to know each other while we¡¯re here.¡± Anton says, finishing the last bite of a snack stolen from the corner store. ¡°I think that¡¯s a terrible idea.¡± Isabelle says, sipping at a bottle of beer she¡¯d found. ¡°Why do you say that?¡± Anton asks, his friendly smile twisting into a frown. ¡°Because we¡¯ll be forced to kill each other at some point.¡± Isabelle¡¯s face is carefully emotionless. She takes another sip of her bottle. Everyone looks at her, surprised at the proclamation. She looks at us, a sad smile spreading across her face. ¡°Come on. Is it that hard to believe? This is The Game Of The Gods. What do you think our role is in that game? It isn¡¯t to become best buds.¡± She downs her bottle, then tosses it to the floor. ¡°We¡¯re supposed to fight for our gods and kill for them. My god has already told me who¡¯s followers I¡¯ll need to kill. Amun-Ra, Osiris, Horus, and Isis.¡± She gives me a direct look. ¡°Among many others.¡± I finish a mask and toss it to her. ¡°Your god sounds like an asshole.¡± I say, covering a yawn with my hand. I wonder what the time difference is between here and my home? Isabelle chuckles. ¡°Yeah, he is.¡± Nicolas looks to me, ¡°Why haven¡¯t you killed the girl? I¡¯m sure your god would¡¯ve rewarded you.¡± I narrow my eyes at the man. What a strange way to say that. ¡°I¡¯m not so far gone that I would bloody kill a sixteen year old girl because some powerful snake told me to.¡± Isabelle grabs another beer from her inventory, then walks towards the door. ¡°We should get going, we¡¯re wasting time and points.¡± No one argues with her as we gather our things from the store. I notice as the others grab extra food for their inventories. It¡¯s not a bad idea, so I do the same. It¡¯s only a street later that we encounter our largest obstacle. A tunnel made out of web leads deep into the city. ¡°Maybe we should find a way around?¡± Nicolas asks, ¡°I have no desire to fight these things on their own ground. ¡°Does anyone have control over fire?¡± I ask, wondering if we can just burn the thing down. ¡°I have something, but it¡¯s-¡± Nicolas is interrupted by the ground next to him erupting. Long legs reach for the spaniard. Hans is the first to react as a giant sword crashes down on one of the legs. The spider screams in pain and it pulls itself back underneath its trap door. Nicolas stares at the leg that had almost reached him. Long, hooked claws at the end of it would¡¯ve pierced flesh and pulled him into the ground. ¡°That¡¯s the third one that¡¯s gone after me.¡± He kicks the dead leg. ¡°Eventually Hans won¡¯t be fast enough to react.¡± ¡°Should we go after it?¡± Anton asks, studying the piece of asphalt that looks completely normal, but houses a multi-ton spider. ¡°No.¡± He answers his own question with a shake of his head. ¡°It would take too much time.¡± ¡°Nicolas, you said you have fire?¡± Isabelle asks, she reaches over to the leg and places it in her inventory. ¡°Yes. But I don¡¯t have enough control over it to do what Elena is thinking.¡± ¡°[Event Points]¡± I say, bring up the screen.
Team 32 Points: 248 Ranking: #8
Best we can tell, the ranking is only for the Beta Tester teams in this area, which means that there are others getting a lot of work done. ¡°Light the web on fire.¡± I say, sad at the spiders that will be killed because of what we¡¯re about to do.¡± ¡°Maybe you misunderstood. This is not normal fire, and I have little control over it.¡± I look at the web. What are the chances that there are people still alive in there? The poison of these spiders works fast, and all the people we are passing at this point are dead before I can get to them. ¡°I understand, just make sure you have your mask on tight.¡± I say. Nicolas looks unsure. He looks at the other Beta Testers, silently asking for their opinions Isabelle speaks up, ¡°Do it. We¡¯re already struggling, we don¡¯t want to fight these spiders on their own turf.¡± ¡°You realize that there may still be people trapped in there¡­¡± Anton says. I hold my hand up, then rotate my psi, ¡°[Psychic Search]¡± My mind goes through the webs, brushing over thousands, maybe millions of predatory minds. Eventually, I find other Beta Testers, but no regular humans. I open my eyes with a sad sigh. ¡°There aren¡¯t any.¡± ¡°Just kill the demons.¡± The Asian man says, ¡°We have wasted enough time as it is.¡± Nicolas raises his hand towards the web. Black fire jumps from him onto the web. It lights instantly, and spreads at an unnatural pace. My eyes widen as it spreads, moving faster than my eyes can follow. Strange screams come from the fire, and my eyes tear up a the sound. I take a deep breath, and let it out. The smoke hits us like a wave, but I can barely smell it through my enchanted mask.
Points gained: +10, +20, +30, +40, +50, +80, +100, +124, +143, +168, +200
The fire continues to spread, moving over the webs that cover the ground around us. Shields appear around us as the others cast defenses against the strange fire. It spreads in a circle around our shielding. The trap-door spider that had tried to grab Nicolas jumps out of its hole, already caught on fire. It flails about in pain and anger, before turning its eyes to Nicolas. Its leg flies forward faster than any of the other spiders we¡¯d faced. It punctures the shield, and stabs through his shoulder spreading the black fire to the man. Nicolas screams and falls to the ground. I run over to him, as The Asian man concentrates a spell on the fire that covers the spaniard. Sweat falls from the forehead of the Asian man, until with a grunt of effort, the fire goes out. I place my hands on Nicolas, channeling my own healing spells as he screams in agony. Blessedly, he passes out, and I continue to work to the sound of the roaring black flames. I breathe a sigh of relief as I heal up the majority of the damage, but the burns from the flames refuse to be removed. I glance at the blue window telling us of our massive increase in points. It¡¯s still slowly increasing, but the fire around us seems to be losing steam after Nicolas passed out. I sit on the asphalt, staring at the destruction around us. I¡¯m very much done with the constant battles I¡¯ve been going through for the past week. I¡¯m going to take a nice long bath when I get home. Silver lining, is that with the amount of points we¡¯ve been getting, we¡¯re probably going to be ranked first. I chuckle as the lyrics to Highway To Hell come to mind. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect it to work this well.¡± I say. No one responds. I look down at Nicolas, who is sleeping soundly. ¡°[Status]¡±
General Info: Elena S. Trudeau Age:16 Lvl: 3 Class: Chakraik Paladin Mana: N/A Psi 240 Sponsor: Isis Titles: Beta Tester, Crazy In A Good Way (Is that even possible?), Watched By The Gods, Chosen Of Isis Special conditions: Most Definitely Not-Normal Physical Condition: Healthy Physicality: Athletic 93% Brilliance: Doctorate 4% Equipment: Gloves(unique)
I haven¡¯t been getting experience or gold for these spiders, just points, so I hope that whatever the rewards are, they¡¯re worth it. We¡¯ll all find out soon enough.