《Outworlder 2: Outworld Harder》 PROLOGUE Prologue. ¡°Is this necessary?¡± Samania said, looking over to Valerie and Judy on the opposite side of the table. ¡°I agree. If we''re going to waste time doing this, we may as well go out and actually complete contracts¡± Val said. ¡°I think it''ll be fun.¡± Judy said through gritted teeth. ¡°Thank you Judy.¡± Gavin said, grateful that at least someone was showing some enthusiasm. ¡°You''re just agreeing because he made you that bow.¡± Sam said. ¡°Hey, I worked hard on that¡± ¡°Not as hard as you worked writing this book I bet?¡± ¡°Ahh, no,¡± Gavin lied ¡°look, you find me a more powerful level one bow and you don''t have to play tonight.¡± ¡°Deal¡± Sam said, her chair scraping the stone ¡°I''ll go out looking for one right now, in the training hall, with Val.¡± ¡°Sit down, come on Sam. The longer you fuck about the longer it''s going to take me to get you your new armour.¡± Gavin said enticingly. ¡°Fine.¡± Sam harumphed, plopping herself back down in her chair. ¡°All right, let''s go around the table and introduce our characters.¡± Gavin said rubbing his hands together excitedly. ¡°This is embarrassing.¡± Valerie moaned. ¡°Val, I watched you get bodied by a level one slime monster. Embarrassing is right in your wheelhouse.¡± Gavin said. ¡°They''re slippery and it was hiding in a puddle.¡± ¡°No, he''s got a point, I''d be embarrassed by that.¡± Judy laughed. ¡°You guys suck. Whatever. I''m playing Valerie Westhart, a level one human fighter.¡± Val said. ¡°I''m playing Samania, a level one human fighter.¡± Sam said. ¡°Guys, you can make characters that aren''t just direct copies of yourself.¡± Gavin said exasperated. ¡°What character did you used to play?¡± Sam asked, accusation in her voice. ¡°A bard.¡± ¡°And what do they do?¡± she said condescendingly, having spent the afternoon forcing herself to read through his book. ¡°They''re a support class that uses the power if their sheer awesomeness and charisma to aid their friends.¡± Gavin said proudly. ¡°Okay, yeah, you''ve got a point, that''s nothing like you.¡± Val said mockingly. ¡°Rude. Judy, tell me you''ve got something different.¡± ¡°Ahh, yeah, I¡¯m playing Gromag, the unconquered.¡± ¡°Nice name, what class are you?¡± ¡°Human fighter.¡± Judy said quietly. ¡°Oh God damn it.¡± ¡°Can we just get this over with?¡± Sam asked. ¡°Okay, so, to set the scene, you''ve all been tasked with guarding a caravan as it delivers trade goods to the town of Phandelver. You¡¯ve been walking all day and you¡¯re worn out, everyone take a con save or take one level of exhaustion, the DC is ten.¡± ¡°What does that do?¡± ¡°Gives you disadvantage on ability checks.¡± Judy chimed in. ¡°Which are meaningless for combat right?¡± Val asked. ¡°It''s not useless, initiative is an ability check, and if you want to like, jump on a table I might ask for an athletics check, or if you want to try a feint to I might ask for a deception check.¡± Gavin said. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Where''s this in the rules?¡± Sam asked. ¡°Ahh, in the section at the front titled ¡®Rule of Cool¡¯.¡± ¡°What''s disadvantage?¡± Val asked. ¡°When you roll an attack roll, ability check or saving throw you roll two D20 and pick the lowest.¡± Gavin said. ¡°And a D20 is the one with twenty sides right?¡± Sam asked, holding up a twelve sided dice trying to find the higher numbers. ¡°Yes.¡± Gavin groaned, burying his face in his hands. ¡°Is this what passes for fun in your world?¡± Sam asked. ¡°Yes!¡± Gavin fumed ¡°I can see you all aren''t enjoying this, let''s just shelve this idea.¡± ¡°No.¡± Judy barked ¡°you two are being right assholes. You''re going to sit there and make an effort to enjoy yourselves. Gavin worked hard for us to have a fun evening and you two aren''t going to ruin it. Got that?¡± ¡°Yes mam.¡± Val said, chastised. ¡°Sorry, Gavin¡± Sam said earnestly, pulling her chair back in and taking one of the thin sliced foods from a bowl that''d been laid out on the table. ¡°What''s this?¡± she asked, her mood abruptly changing to a friendlier tone. ¡°Potato chip¡± Gavin said proudly ¡°salt and vinegar flavour.¡± ¡°I thought you said potatoes were only from your world?¡± ¡°They were. I paid a guy who specialises in plant magic to genetically engineer me something that''s nearly identical to one of the varieties of potato from my world.¡± ¡°You paid a guy to invent a potato?¡± ¡°Sure did. Worth every solar. Try one.¡± Sam tentatively placed the chip on the tip of her tongue, souring her face at the taste. ¡°Just chuck it in your gob and give it a proper try.¡± Sam bit down, crunching the salty bitter treat. She took a swig of her beer to wash it down, savouring the flavours. ¡°they''re- not bad.¡± She said as she reached for another, thought better of it and grabbed a handful. Valerie shrugged, digging out a handful of her own, Judy followed suit. Gavin''s grin returned as he watched his friends enjoying a little slice of his old life. ¡°Okay, as I was saying¡± Gavin began again, as a fairly realistic carving of a rutted road filled the table, illusory grass and trees grew up out of it as he concentrated on using Judys borrowed spell. ¡°Let''s go round and describe our characters.¡± *** After the evening wound down, their gear packed away and they''d retired for the night, Gavin knocked on Judy''s bedroom door. ¡°Come in.¡± She called as she ducked under the thick covers of her fantastically comfortable bed. Gavin pushed the door open and stepped into the room, closing it behind him. He pulled out the chair at Judy''s desk and sat on it, facing her directly. ¡°Thanks for tonight.¡± Gavin said ¡°I really wanted you guys to enjoy it.¡± ¡°It was fun, the other two came around in the end.¡± ¡°It wouldn''t have happened if you didn''t say something.¡± ¡°Probably not.¡± Judy conceded ¡°they were being assholes though.¡± ¡°A little bit.¡± Gavin laughed. ¡°They probably didn''t consider how much tonight meant for you. It must be hard, just being ripped away from everything you know and plonked on some strange world.¡± ¡°It''s not so bad. This world is way cooler than my old one, aside from cat videos on the internet, that''s as good as anything you could find in this world.¡± ¡°I''m being serious, Gav. You don''t talk about your old world other than when you''re trying to confuse people or you''re making a joke. You had friends and family back there that you haven''t seen in what, six, seven months?¡± ¡°I''ve got you guys. I don''t have a way back to my old world, there''s not much point worrying about something I can¡¯t change, I''m not even sure I''d want to go back, given the chance.¡± ¡°But you do miss your people back home. I''ve noticed how you¡¯re starting to get us to like the things you used to do back on your world, dungeons and dragons, potato chips, that funny hand game you tried to get us to do yesterday, what was it? Rock, paper, scissors, lizard, something?¡± ¡°Spock.¡± ¡°You miss your old world¡± Judy stated. It wasn''t a question. ¡°I think it¡¯d be a good idea if you shared your actual feelings once in a while. Sam and Val are just as block headed as you sometimes, they care about you, but unless you bludgeon them over the head with it they aren¡¯t going to know anything¡¯s wrong.¡± ¡°Yeah, okay. It wasn''t so bad when everything here was new and fresh and with all the stuff happening to us, it was easy to just not think about my old world. Now we''re settled, everything''s going okay, it''s a lot harder to brush that stuff aside.¡± ¡°Hey, if there''s a way back to your old world I''m sure you''ll get there. Some god has to at least come along and give you the power to get there right?¡± ¡°Ha. Maybe.¡± Gavin said, melancholy in his voice. ¡°Bet you you get there.¡± ¡°I''m not sure I want to go back, this is my home now.¡± Gavin said, smiling wanly. There was an awkward silence for a moment before Judy said ¡°Your locations tonight were really well done. You''re getting really good with your fabricate ability.¡± ¡°Actually, making illusory miniatures and concentrating on keeping the terrain in my mind is really good practice.¡± ¡°I thought about helping with that, but I didn''t want to impose on your night.¡± ¡°Impose away, it¡¯s good practice for you too, and it''s a collaborative game where everyone makes the fun.¡± ¡°Okay, will do.¡± ¡°Goodnight Jude.¡± ¡°Night Gav, get some rest, it''s a big day tomorrow.¡± ONE. Specifically, what are you offering? ¡°I''m so close to getting to level two I can taste it.¡± Gavin said as the team finished their morning training session. His primary skills had all reached level two over the past month, leaving only his less used and more difficult ones lagging behind. His crafting powers had slowed to a crawl until he gained experience in his other skills. He needed to be able to make level two mana to stretch their abilities, something that would only come when his body reached a nebulous magical threshold from ranking up his powers. ¡°I can''t wait either.¡± Judy said, beaming ¡°I think I''ll get there this week.¡± ¡°I will too.¡± Sam confirmed. ¡°Leveling my instant fortress ability has been a real fuckin prick.¡± Gavin grumbled. ¡°It''s not ideal for us either, we have to hear you bitch about how hard it is to rank up the power that an actual god gave you every other minute.¡± Sam said. ¡°I''m sorry for wanting to level our house up so you can have a bigger training hall, maybe I can go back to just using it for sleeping in and we''ll get that hall upgrade in a year or two.¡± Gavin said. ¡°No, no, there''s no need for that.¡± Val said. ¡°Easy for you to say, he does most of his complaining to me.¡± Sam argued. ¡°Hey, guys, you know, instead of arguing about having to grind up my super useful abilities, how about we get ready to go see our new mysterious benefactor?¡± ¡°Fine¡± Sam relented ¡°at least your magical secrets ability was easy.¡± [Divine magical secrets] (Level 1): Copy one spell ability from another person you observe. You may use that ability indefinitely, associated costs and cooldowns of the copied spell are increased. Only one ability at a time may be copied, using this feature again replaces the copied spell. Spell level restricted to the maximum level of the copied spell. [Effect (Level 2): Costs and cooldowns for the copied spell are reduced by an amount proportional to your [Intellect] attribute, cannot be reduced further than that of the copied spell. Once a spell is copied using this ability, it may be used indefinitely, copying another spell negates this effect.] Gavin''s ability he''d gained from absorbing Guile''s divine soul crystal allowed him to copy one spell at a time from someone else and use it indefinitely. He''d leveled it quickly, while Sam''s limited spell selection were big splashy effects with long cooldowns, Judy had several he could copy and use repeatedly, like her teleport power, haste, and prestidigitation. With his enhanced mana capacity and regeneration he''d spent a month having either an illusion or haste up at all times, their dining room now had a cyberpunk illusory mirror copy of itself on the far wall, with the team appearing in trenchcoats and dark glasses. Gavin portalled the team into Edomont from their mountaintop base, arriving at the portal square outside the local wardens guild. Instead of making a beeline for the guild to collect contracts they instead walked in the opposite direction, towards the commercial district. They found the River Dwyer that ran through the city in short order, Gavin had mapped out the entire city and a lot of the surrounding area with his user interface since they''d moved here after their trouble in Wildenesse had driven them far from Sam, Judy and Val''s home town. The river marked the location where the more prestigious shops were found. Their destination was on the far side, a restaurant known for its extravagant prices and fine dining. Spotting the fine filigree sign that read ¡®Kenneth''s fine cuisine¡¯ the team eagerly gathered inside, greeting the maitre d'' as they entered. They were directed to a private booth on the upper balcony overlooking the river. Waiting for them was a woman of an age with the team. ¡°Yo, howzit going?¡± Gavin said, taking a seat and shaking her hand ¡°I''m Gavin, that''s Sam, Judy, and Valerie¡± ¡°Morgan Dragonheart, I''ve been following your exploits for a while now, I''m impressed with what I''ve seen.¡± ¡°Not as impressive as some.¡± Sam said, sitting down beside him. ¡°But more than most. I understand you''ve been using Valerie here to take level two group contracts.¡± ¡°What''s it to you?¡± Val asked, on the defensive. ¡°I have, in my posession, a recording of your fight with Geraldine and Vance Stewardson. I wanted to convey my admiration for what you managed to accomplish there, and to hire you to perform a task for me.¡± ¡°Gotta say, I''m not super keen on the idea of doing someone''s bidding, this better be one hell of a pitch, starting with a drinks menu.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already taken the liberty of ordering drinks and food, they will be here momentarily.¡± Morgan said, glancing over his shoulder and nodding. ¡°Good. Now, this thing you want us to do, what is it exactly? Are we killing someone, finding some rare plant or is it a lost family heirloom?¡± Gavin asked, sitting back in his seat, appearing relaxed. Morgan didn''t answer initially, instead fixing him with an assessing gaze. He felt her peeling back the layers of his casual defences in the same was Anabelle Starbourne did. Gavin was well used to the sensation, and while Sam had to actively fight against it and Val and Judy instinctively recoiled, Gavin let the sensation wash over him as if it were no more unpleasant than walking through a summer shower. ¡°Oh, cheers mate¡± Gavin said, taking a beer off the waiter''s tray as he appeared next to them. ¡°You''re quite welcome sir¡± He said, placing a larger down for Val and Judy and a white wine down for Sam. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. He then produced dishes of food from an inventory power, a cutlet of lizard steak for Val, some variety of seared fish for Judy, a cheeseboard for Sam on an ornate ironoak platter, and a roast lamb on steamed vegetables for Gavin. The tablecloth in front of Morgan remained empty, apparently quite content to watch them eat. Once the waiter had left she turned to Gavin, her simmering intensity abating as she smiled, her too-white teeth flashing like a shark before her meal. ¡°Actually yes, I do want you to find me a lost family heirloom, it is a very particular sword.¡± ¡°So, what''s this sword and why do you want it?¡± Sam asked. ¡°It is the symbol of my house. Traditionally the head of the house carries it as the source of their authority to lead. I want to present it to my father as a gift.¡± ¡°Doesn''t seem like a good basis for a system of house leadership to me¡± Gavin said, scratching his chin ¡°supreme executive power should derive from the-¡± ¡°Gavin.¡± Sam warned. ¡°Oh, sorry, ahh, yeah, so, this sword got itself lost?¡± ¡°Yes. Many generations ago, the family suffered a schism in the leadership. In the fighting the sword was taken by my ancestors advisor, the wizard Timothy Jonstein. He disappeared along with any trace of the sword, the house barely survived the infighting that happened after that, even now we still are a shadow of our former selves.¡± ¡°So, it''s turned up again, I take it?¡± ¡°Yes. It''s come to my attention that Jonstein had a tower hidden out in the unclaimed lands to the north, heavily protected against divination magic.¡± ¡°So, just somewhere out in the jungle?¡± ¡°Yes, I understand the wardens guild is brokering a deal with the native peoples out that way to set up permanent bases of operations.¡± ¡°Yeah, heard about that.¡± Gavin nodded. ¡°My proposal is that your team head out that way, the guild is about to send out hand picked expeditionary teams as representatives for the guild. I can make sure you all are one of those teams.¡± ¡°The guild doesn''t do what you say¡± Sam interjected. Morgan laughed, her expression like a mother schooling an ignorant child about the ways of the world. ¡°They do, dear, the noble houses have been using the guilds for their own ends since their foundation, you should know.¡± She said, raising an eyebrow. Sam looked as though she was about to speak again, but Gavin shot her a look and a mental request to let him handle it. She nodded, knowing that her response wouldn''t be productive. ¡°So, you get us on the list to go out to the jungle, we look around for this sword, find it, bring it back here, and get what? We don''t need money or demon souls.¡± ¡°My family is ancient, we have a trove of items and power beyond the scope of your understanding.¡± Gavin glanced at Sam, who nodded ¡®I''m new money¡¯ she said through their telepathic link ¡®The old nobles are like countries unto themselves.¡¯ ¡°Specifically, what are you offering?¡± ¡°A standard land and title deal, I will grant you all the ability to found your own dynasty, hold lands, collect taxes in the kings name.¡± ¡°There''s a king?¡± Gavin asked, looking to Sam again. ¡°I feel like this is something I should have heard about by now.¡± ¡°Yes and no, after the civil war, Celestria broke up into independent city states. Nobles still collect taxes in the king''s name on their lands, but since there is no king the money just sits there, they, we-¡± she corrected herself, ¡°can borrow money against their held taxes, but can''t use it directly.¡± ¡°Oh, we have a similar loophole rich pricks use back on my world that does the same thing, you don''t have to pay tax on your income to the city because your income is a loan taken against your hoarded wealth?¡± ¡°More or less, yes.¡± Morgan confirmed. ¡°You call yourselves knights of the round table, and yet you''re out squatting up in the mountains? What I''m offering is the right to become knights in actuality, fifty acres of land in the mountains out between Silvertree and Wiggingum and access to one item each from the Dragonheart vault.¡± ¡°One whole item? Wow.¡± Gavin whistled. ¡°I assure you, the treasures in my family possession would be well worth the trouble alone.¡± ¡°I assume we can keep whatever else we find in this tower, assuming we find it?¡± Gavin asked. ¡°I don''t care about anything else that might be in there aside from the sword.¡± ¡°Why us though?¡± Sam spoke up, ¡°we are a group of level ones-¡± ¡°Level two by the time you get out there.¡± Morgan corrected. ¡°My point. Why not hire a fifth, or even a tenth level group? Whatever we find there is going to be much stronger than us.¡± ¡°I''m hiring you for your ingenuity and grit, not just your power. I also want this done without drawing attention to what I''m doing. Sending a team of fifth level adventurers out into an area with level two and three monsters will raise questions I don''t want asked. Further, if I''m correct, once the sword is found there will be a significant amount of attention on whoever digs it up, I trust your team to be more than capable of slipping out of danger and back to me unharmed.¡± ¡°And if we discover the danger is too high?¡± Sam asked. ¡°Nah, she''s right, the closer we are to danger the farther we are from harm.¡± ¡°Not the time.¡± Sam said, holding up a finger. ¡°If you feel you are unable to recover the sword safely and are confident it won''t be discovered I will pay you for the location of the tower.¡± ¡°How do we know you''ll keep your end of the bargain?¡± Val asked. ¡°I would be willing to make a binding oath at the temple of Oaths.¡± ¡°We will need to discuss this as a team.¡± Gavin said. ¡°By all means, I wouldn''t want to rush you, though the window for getting you selected to go is short.¡± ¡°All good mate. Man this lamb is good.¡± Gavin said through a mouthful of food as he inspected his next fork full of succulent meat. ¡°Well, while you''re here, I''ve been dying to know what that weapon was you used to kill Geraldine? I assume you made it, Gavin?¡± ¡°Yeah mate, it''s sort of like a one use weapon we use back on my world to blow up these big constructs we use to kill each other.¡± ¡°If you ever find yourself with some free time, my family would be willing to use your services as our house armourer, once you gain a few levels that is.¡± ¡°Yeah, nah, that''s probably gonna be a no from me on that one.¡± Gavin chewed, ¡°not super keen to be an arms dealer, I''d rather just make stuff for my team.¡± ¡°I thought you might decline, though the offer is always open.¡± Morgan smiled warmly. ¡°No worries mate.¡± Gavin said, putting his fork down on his plate. Glancing around the table his three companions nodded in turn. His smile widened, showing his teeth ¡°Sweet as. Alright, Lady Dragonheart, we''ll go out into the unclaimed lands get your sword or whatever.¡± ¡°Just like that?¡± Morgan asked, taken aback. ¡°Yeah, doesn''t make a whole lot of difference where we kill monsters, so long as they''re getting killed.¡± ¡°My thoughts exactly.¡± Morgan Said, her shark smile flashing for only a moment. ¡°So, of to the temple of Oaths?¡± Sam suggested. TWO. The potatoes weren鈥檛 that expensive. ¡°How did you know she wanted us to find a sword?¡± Sam asked when they portalled back to their fortress home. ¡°And Why do you think she''ll betray us?¡± Judy added. ¡°It''s pretty much how these things go. It''s always some lost mcguffin, and if shes paying us that much to find it itd be worth her time to find some way of weaseling out of the deal.¡± Gavin shrugged. ¡°This is based on what?¡± Val asked pointedly. ¡°Two decades of watching every movie and reading every other book from my world.¡± ¡°So just vibes then?¡± Val asked. ¡°Yes, just vibes.¡± Gavin said as if that was an adequate explanation. ¡°Also, her name is a little too close to Morgana Pendragon for my liking.¡± ¡°Is this the king Arthur thing again? You turned down that healer Florrin sent us because you didn''t like his name.¡± ¡°No, I turned him down because he sat on the sidelines until the danger was over.¡± ¡°I do recall you said that you wouldn''t allow anyone called Lancelott on the team.¡± Sam said, pointing a finger at his chest. ¡°He did say that, yeah.¡± Judy said. ¡°And look what happened. A lance turns up and instead of healing us when we were injured he was gonna let those pricks kill us. If he''d sent literally any amount of healing I wouldn''t have had to eat our beds to keep us alive.¡± ¡°Actually that''s a good point.¡± Judy said. ¡°It''s really not.¡± Sam said. ¡°Look, I just think we should operate under the assumption she''s super clever and will try to betray us somehow. Judy and I can game out ideas if you two don''t want to be involved.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± Judy said. ¡°The way she asked you to make weapons for her gave me the ick. Somethings not right with her.¡± ¡°That''s just how nobles are.¡± Sam shrugged. ¡°They get off on thinking they''re the smartest and most powerful people in the room. Any time they see something that could get them even a little bit more power they covet it.¡± ¡°Well, it''s done now¡± Val said, tossing her eaten core over her shoulder into the bin in the kitchen ¡°I think it''ll be interesting, we haven''t had a good betrayal in a minute.¡± ¡°We shouldn''t be getting excited about being betrayed.¡± Sam argued. ¡°Plan for the worst, hope for the best.¡± Gavin said ¡°regardless, who''s up for some Dungeons and Dragons tonight?¡± ¡°Yeah, sure¡± Sam said, deliberately trying not to look too enthusiastic. ¡°I don''t have plans.¡± Val said, picking her fingernails absently. ¡°When do we start?¡± Judy asked. ¡°After dinner? I''ll chuck a barbie on and we can play after that, I''ve got some crafting to do this arvo.¡± Gavin giddily teleported into his workshop, eager to finish his latest project. He''d spent countless hours watching gun restoration videos on the internet and as his intellect attribute rocketed upwards, his memory had experienced a similar jump. While he didn''t own guns himself, he had used them in the past and was mildly familiar with their function, he had even once made a revolver that worked for a dozen or so shots before it blew half his hand off. His latest invention sat propped up against his work bench, a replica of a Winchester lever action rifle, the gun that won the west. The tricky part had been making the ammunition for it. He had been convinced he could refine the rounds so they weren''t deafeningly loud, and with weeks of trial and error he''d come up with something useable. Using a rune of force inscribed into the firing pin, the whole thing was essentially a vessel to slam as much magical energy into the bullet as possible. Since he was using magically reinforced tier one materials the resulting weapon would be much more durable and powerful than an ordinary rifle, as powerful as Judy with her new bow even, but with far less mana investment. Now all that was left was to enchant it all. His plan was to create a soulbinding enchantment for the rifle and its adamantium ammunition, that way he could shoot and resummon the bullets straight into the gun. He would worry about special ammunition later, for now his goal was to deal as much damage as possible as quickly as possible. He began the process of laying out the enchantment architecture within the material. It worked on a very similar principle to an electrical wiring diagram, and he''d been able to adapt the information he''d gleaned from magical theory textbooks with surprising ease. This was the delicate part of the process, the part that required the most care and attention, after that it was a matter of dumping mana into his creation to enable the self charging enchantments. Hours later, after the technical part of the enchanting process was complete, he went outside to start on dinner. Their fortress was situated high in the mountains above Edomont overlooking the city. He''d plonked their home just inside of portal range of the wardens guild and constructed a wooden deck out over the trees around it, it was now complete with a barbecue area including tables and benches for the team, a copper hot tub for relaxing, and a flying fox that ran down to the bottom of the mountain. It was late summer, the warm weather was starting to turn, unusually the days were not getting shorter. Gavin guessed that this world wasn''t tilted on an angle, instead assuming it was on an elliptical orbit around the sun to give the whole world hot and cold seasons at the same time, though, ¡®magic did it'' was also a reasonable explanation. He fired up the coal barbecue, retrieving thick steaks and whole vegetables from his inventory to cook on the grill. His teammates all filed out of the house, drawn to the smells of the cooking meat. He set out a bowl of chips and beers for them all on the table to eat while he cooked. ¡°Gavin, what is that you''re wearing?¡± ¡°Clothes?¡± Gavin said, checking his user interface to make sure he wasn''t missing anything. ¡°No, what''s that thing you''re wearing over your clothes?¡± ¡°Oh this? Gavin said, hooking his thumbs into his apron, ¡°it''s something you have to wear while you''re cooking on the barbecue.¡± ¡°You haven''t worn one before?¡± ¡°Only just had it made.¡± he shrugged. ¡°Well, I think I can speak for all of us when I say none of us are going to kiss you.¡± Sam said. ¡°Judy might.¡± Val said. ¡°I don''t think so.¡± Judy said, turning scarlet. ¡°I''m not asking you to kiss me, it''s just what you have to have written on the apron, it''s a rule, I think.¡± Gavin said, brandishing his spatula dismissively. ¡°What''s that you''re holding?¡± Val said, changing the subject. ¡°Ahh, a spatula? Do you not know how cooking utensils work?¡± ¡°Not that you idiot, the other thing.¡± Val said pointing at the gun in his other hand. ¡°New weapon, remember that boom stick I made to kill one of those giant crabs with back when I first got here Sam?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Sam said apprehensively knowing how Gavins experiments tended to be unreliable. ¡°Its like that, but much better, it''s a model of gun that was used like two hundred years ago, modern guns are a lot better now, but they''re much more complicated and I haven''t watched hundreds of hours of them being torn down to their basic parts and put back together.¡± ¡°Is it ready?¡± Sam asked. ¡°Nearly, after dinner it''ll be good to go¡± Gavin said, pumping mana into it as fast as he thought wise. They sat down to their cooked meal, discussing their plans for the next few weeks, what they''d need to buy and any items that Gavin should craft. Finally, he announced his weapon was complete. He demonstrated how it worked to the team, operating its lever action to load another round into the chamber. [Item: Gavins pop-gun] [Type: Weapon, rifle] [Rarity: Level 1, epic] [Description: caution, do not leave unattended around children and/or irresponsible adults] [Effect: Fires a loaded projectile at the target dealing additional force damage.] [Effect: Increases users [Agility] attribute.] [Item: big boom bullets] [Type: Ammunition] [Rarity: Level 1, epic] [Description: Warning, may cause injury or death] [Description: detonates on contact with an enemy dealing [radiant] and [force] damage.] ¡°Alright team, reckon we should try it out?¡± He said, fabricating some aluminum cans and sitting them on top of the side of the hand rail facing the mountain. ¡°How close to the safe mana capacity did you make these things?¡± Asked Sam tossing the bullet back to Gavin. ¡°Pretty close. They''ll rupture if you give them a decent hit, which is what does most of the damage when you shoot something.¡± ¡°Isn''t that dangerous?¡± ¡°Yes and no, that''s why the gun is made out of obstanite, when they''re loaded up inside they''re safe as houses.¡± He said, smashing the rifle down on the solid wooden table like a fly swat for emphasis. ¡°Now, let''s shoot some stuff.¡± Gavin stood back against far side of the deck, shouldering his new gun. He sighted in his target, squeezing the trigger and flinched as the bullet shot out of the barrel with a crack, missed the row of cans, and hit a tree behind. The ancient oak disintegrated into a shower of splinters, its middle section vanishing in a cloud of light and debris leaving the upper branches to tumble down the side of the mountain. ¡°Huh. Sights must be off¡± Gavin said, watching two of the cans rock with the force of the passing bullet. He reloaded the rifle, unlike the real thing there was no spent brass to eject, his design used caseless ammunition and converted much less of its energy into sound and heat than conventional firearms. Taking a second shot, he missed again, then again the third time. The fourth time he hit the can next to the one he was aiming at, though the fifth and sixth shots hit their targets. ¡°First try.¡± Gavin laughed, brandishing his weapon above his head in triumph. ¡°Who else wants a turn?¡± The team took turns shooting at Gavin¡¯s targets, progressing on to thrown cans when they were all able to hit the stationary ones. Judy was especially good shot, and was surprised to find that her special abilities and attacks worked with firearms as well as bows, notably, her multishot ability that let her shoot several cans out of the air at a time with a bit of practice. Gavin felt himself jealous that that ability was a special attack, not a spell, so he couldn''t copy it with his magical secrets ability. Both Val and Sam put in orders for their own guns so they''d have ranged options in a fight, something Gavin was only too keen to accommodate, eventually. *** The following day Sam and Val went into town to collect a slew of tier two contracts, leaving Gavin and Judy back at the fortress. ¡°You alright Jude?¡± Gavin asked her as they finished their breakfast. ¡°Yeah, it''s nothing.¡± She said evasively. ¡°Come on, it''s just us, what''s on your mind?¡± he prodded. ¡°Its really nothing, I''ve just been in my own head a bit, it''s just, I''ve trained for years with a bow, then you make that gun and suddenly you three are all as good as me at killing with it as I am, but you''re all still better than me with swords and spears too.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah, I see.¡± Gavin admitted ¡°It''s something that happened on my world too. We went for thousands of years with swords and bows being the best weapons, then almost overnight everyone was using guns, archery is just a fun hobby now, no one actually uses them for combat.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°You''re feeling like you''re less useful to the team today than you were yesterday?¡± ¡°A little, yes.¡± Judy said. ¡°Well, you''re not on the team just because you do a lot of damage to enemies, that''s like sixth on the list of reasons¡± Gavin looked at the ceiling, ticking off fingers as he ran through the list ¡°You''re really good at reading the combat and dealing with problems before they affect the team. You''re better than all of us at using your powers creatively. You''re good at cooking, actually make that number two on the list. You-¡± ¡°Okay, I get it, thanks Gav¡± Judy said, her dour mood brightening somewhat. ¡°I wasn''t done though, You''re good at smoothing us all out, seriously, I used to flat with a bunch of guys I worked with, it was chaos, we were at each others throats constantly over every little thing. We live and work together all day, every day. We''re mates, but it''s not normal that people chained at the hip don''t have big blowouts. You''re the only one of us that even tries to resolve our conflicts, I usually don''t see when I''m pissing someone off, and most of the time I don''t care that I am. Val spent three years as a guild instructor, so there''s not a lot of give when she thinks she''s right. Sam trained literally her whole life to lead a team the way her parents wanted her to lead it, we all share the responsibility, but she''s a natural tactical commander. It''s her job to see everything going on and make snap decisions, without stopping to second guess herself.¡± ¡°You''re saying you three are all arrogant assholes and I¡¯m the pushover?¡± she teased. ¡°No one would accuse you of being the pushover, sure, you don''t really participate in the big group decisions unless we force you, but you''re the one that puts your foot down when we¡¯re being cocks, and when you do, we listen. We trust your judgment Judy, that''s way more important that how efficiently you kill monsters.¡± ¡°Thanks Gavin¡± she said, wrapping him in a hug. He returned it, holding her tightly. ¡°That was only four things¡± she said as they broke their hug. ¡°Oh, uhh, you look fuckin cool when you kill monsters¡± ¡°And that''s more important than actually killing the monsters?¡± ¡°Yeah, obviously.¡± He said, rolling his eyes. ¡°You''re not kidding are you?¡± ¡°Not even a little bit.¡± ¡°You really think I look cool?¡± ¡°Yeah bro, look¡± Gavin said, using his magical secrets spell to copy her prestidigitation ability. He crafted an illusion, like an action scene from a movie, complete with slow-mo and Dutch angles, the contrast ramped right up and the hues tinted towards the orange and blue ranges. His video showed Judy, up on a hill raining arrows down on unseen enemies, dust and debris blasting around her, hair tousled to the side as a gentle breeze caught it like some majestic hero. Her hazel eyes laser focused on her target as she drew an arrow to her cheek, releasing it, unflinching, as it swam through the air. ¡°Okay, yeah, that does look good¡± she admitted, inspecting herself ¡°does my nose really look like that from the side?¡± ¡°Yeah, pretty much.¡± Gavin laughed. ¡°You two ready to go?¡± Sam asked poking her head around the corner ¡°Judy, why are you showing a picture of yourself to Gavin?¡± ¡°I-¡± ¡°Yeah, we''re ready.¡± Gavin interrupted. ¡°Come on Judes, let''s go. Where to boss?¡± ¡°Starhaven, we''ve got four contracts around there.¡± Starhaven was the site of a meteor strike centuries earlier. A house sized lump of etherium ore had annihilated everything within a hundred kilometers and sparked a major trade war over the fortune that had dropped from the sky. Now, a bustling city had built itself inside the basin, a sister to Edomont, just two portal jumps away. Sam directed them to a ridge on the north east side of the crater, where an extradimensional bubble had formed around the hillside. It was heavily forested up here, not quite cold enough to freeze at night, but cold enough to have near constant mist or drizzle. The mirror-like bubble undulated violently, it was by far the least stable extradimensional space Gavin had ever seen. The team guessed it had less than two days before it collapsed, which would devastate the area around the ridge if that was allowed to happen. Valerie went in first as they''d discussed, she would stand the most chance against whatever lay inside. While she couldn''t leave until the bubble was dealt with, she could send them a message through their telepathic link to give them the all clear. Once she was inside she gave the confirmation that it was safe and the team all followed through. Inside was a dystopian caricature of the real mountainside, though notably without the view of the city in the far distance. The land around them was full of volcanic rocks, craggy and desolate. The land rose up in imposing spikes like withered fingers. Atop their mountain an elaborate castle loomed over them. It looked like the lair of a powerful evil wizard, almost entirely made of jet black obsidian shards, its high spires and looming parapets appeared to threaten them with their radiating malice. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°Uhh, are we sure we want to go in there?¡± Judy asked. ¡°It''ll be all good mate¡± Gavin said without a care. ¡°It''s a level two dimensional space, whatever''s in here killed the first guy that came in.¡± Sam said. ¡°Idiot.¡± Val huffed ¡°Should have known better going solo with these ambient magic levels is a very poor idea.¡± ¡°She says taking on a level two contract with a party of level ones.¡± Gavin said. ¡°Don''t say things like that¡± Judy said, sending Gavin a mental flick on the ear ¡°it puts bad vibes on the mission.¡± ¡°This castle looks a lot like the fortress, but like, way more impressive¡± Gavin said, marvelling at the complex unperturbed. ¡°Be on the lookout for traps.¡± Sam warned as she strode up the mountain, drawing her divinely enhanced sword from its scabbard, washing them in pure white light, the blade trailing thin wisps of ethereal light. Her final ability to round out her build had come from Paragon for her part in their capture and escape back in Wildenesse. It allowed her to create an etherial weapon or enhance an existing one indefinitely. The sword Gavin made for her now thrumming with divine power and would deal radiant damage with each strike. He''d originally enchanted it to deal a small amount of radiant damage in addition to its regular slashing damage, it''s divine transformation had transformed it into a blade of pure golden light, burning everything it touched with unavoidable damage. The party followed Sam''s lead, stalking up the hill, grim determination on their faces with the exception of Gavin, who''s smile shone with even more radiance than Sam''s sword. This was the sort of adventuring he loved, clearing out an ominous castle filled with unknown danger with his friends. The gates to the outer wall of the Castle had been disintegrated by the initial person who''d failed to fully clear the encounter. Splinters of black wood scattered across the ground in a wide arc inside the compound. Destruction laid a path that the Knights followed, inside the castle walls was a small guardhouse, armoury, and stable. All of it had been damaged by whatever explosive power had turned the front gate into tiny shards. The team briefly looked around for signs of life and valuables, but it was clear whoever had been here first had thoroughly looted the place. The castle itself was in similar disarray, doors blasted open and signs of detonations down the hallways and inside every room. The throne room was especially chaotic, stone shards, thick dust and splintered wood littered the charred ground. The whole area had been the site of a maelstrom of fire and death leaving nothing but a ruined room behind. Whatever had been inside here was long dead, turned to ash as it returned to the ether. ¡°Jesus, is the guy that did this right in the head?¡± Gavin wondered aloud. ¡°They don''t seem to have been very concerned with completely destroying everything in sight¡± Valerie agreed, looking around for any sign of movement. ¡®Or how much noise they were making¡¯ Sam said through their shared telepathic bond. Val at least had the sense to look mildly embarrassed, Gavin carried on walking as if Sam had said nothing, though his usual incessant banter did not resume. Sam guided them up the stairs to explore the castle with mental commands. The ability itself was fairly rudimentary, only able to convey basic emotions and ideas, but Sam had been practising a lot with it over the past months, able to send more complex signals through the use of a mental shorthand the team had developed. If there were any valuables, traps or enemies in the upper areas they''d been looted or destroyed in the chaos that had all but ruined the castle. Returning to the ground floor, the party made their way down into the levels below ground. Ornate black marble paved the way in winding staircases down into the bowels of the mountain, rooms on either side contained nothing but ruin. Gavin threw out a handful of enchanted luminous spheres that hung above them lazily, glimmering a steady light. As they approached the bottom of the stairs Sam slipped on a step, regaining her balance before her foot went out from under her. Looking down she inspected the tile, which was covered in a fine film of black soot. ¡®Judy, Gavin, go in fast, val and I will follow.¡¯ Sam said through their link. ¡®I go left, you go right?¡¯ Gavin sent to Judy. When Judy nodded in confirmation, the two leapt down the stairs, coming up at the entrance to the vault. They had a moment to take in the scene before they were off, sprinting in opposite directions. The vault door had been blasted out into the chamber with as much care as had been shown in the rest of the castle. A single blackened cone of soot washed out of the inky darkness, blanketing a wide area around the door and up the walls. Gavin''s glow globes drifted into the room as if pulled on a string, illuminating more of the area as he and Judy ran the perimeter of the room. He threw his two new adamantium spiked balls out in front of him, using his force of will to pull them into orbit around himself. They were shaped like a regular twelve sided dice, with the vertices pinched into sharp points. [Item: Gavins Deadly D12] [Type: Trinket] [Rarity: Level 1, epic] Description: Caution: Do not mix into your dice bag. I''m serious Effect: Highly resistant to all forms of damage. Effect: Causes [Bleeding] Effect: Soulbound Gavin saw a flash from the opposite side of the room as a jet of red-orange washed over the far wall, the flame reflected the silhouette of the great wyrm surrounded by its glinting horde. The dragon was armoured in shards of black glass, and Gavin caught a glimpse of its intelligent beady eyes before the stream of fire subsided. The fighting began in earnest then, Samania using her compelled duel to force the dragon to fight, or at least mildly suggest it should. Her power was more or less effective based on the relative power of her strength and the dragon''s spirit attributes, damaging the enemy if it strayed too far from their bubble. The efficiency of the ability would be minimal, not only was the dragon an order of magnitude stronger than her, but the damage it would suffer if it left the area would also be negligible, rank two monsters having vastly more health and resistances than their lower ranked equivalents it would very likely heal faster than it was damaged. However, dragons were typically arrogant and strong willed, the idea of a lesser being trying to compel it to do anything was an affront to its nature. As soon as she challenged it to a fight the beast had singled her out to be the first to die. Val would be its true threat here, she and her four swords lit into the room at high speed. She flanked the dragon in an instant, steel flashing in the dim light and raking deep gouges in its legs on her first pass. She was forced to break off almost immediately to avoid the slashes from its ebony claws as it lashed out at her. Samnia strode into the room, Gavin¡¯s old wand of magic missiles blasting bright blue lights across the gloom in quick succession. As she shot bolts of energy from her wand she transformed, growing to nine feet in height as her body became encased in an awakened tree. Thick limbs of oak and vines sprouted to form filigree patterns across her armoured form. Her torso and head were fully exposed inside her new form, bright steel protecting her as she strode into the fight. Her sword, the one Gavin had made for her, grew to fit her new size, trailing dazzling white light as she leapt across the open expanse. Judy, who had barely been a priority for the dragon as it focused on the two women hacking at it with stinging swords, shot arrow after arrow at it with her new bow. Shards of razor sharp obsidian blasted off in flakes where her ensorcelled ammunition exploded against its hide. [Item: Judy''s reflex bow] [Type: Weapon, bow] [Rarity: Level 1, epic] [Description: a weapon made for a friend to help her protect those she cares about] [Effect: Arrows shot from this weapon gain additional velocity. Stamina cost required for abilities that used with this weapon are reduced] [Effect: Bow contains ten charges. Expend one charge to empower an arrow shot with this weapon. Empowered arrows accelerate once shot until mana is expended, when arrow hits its target all unspent mana is expelled into the target dealing additional force damage. Spent charges recover over time or can be charged by the user by expending mana into the weapon] [Effect: Soulbound] Gavin readied his new rifle, shooting six bullets at the dragons head, muzzle flash pulsing rhythmically in the dark. Three of his bullets hit, two in the neck, one in the cheek, volcanic scales shattering under the force of the explosions. He jumped to the other side of the room as the dragon turned its head on him after he''d drawn its attention. His new focus was on sustainability, being able to deal damage the entire combat, but also to survive whatever the combat threw back at him. His new armour, loose overlapping layers of fabric that concealed his breastplate, light chain shirt, leather bracers and boots were an extension of this new philosophy. [Item: Gavin¡¯s armour] [Type: Armour] [Rarity: Level 1, epic] [Description: Self made armour designed to protect the user allowing for as much flexibility and comfort as possible, surprisingly cool] [Effect: Contains mana storage that charges slowly over time. When user is at full mana capacity, Gavins armour will drain mana from the user until full, user may absorb stored mana] [Effect: Energy shield. When attacked shield will partially or wholly block incoming damage with stored mana until depleted.] [Effect: Soulbound] Together, these two items formed the core of his fighting style, with the optional backup of his spear for close range fighting. He shot off blasts of light at the dragon who seemed less concerned with him and Judy than with Sam and Val. The dragon spread its wide ash wings and beat them with a solid flap, roaring a guttural roar that shook the heart of the mountain. Gavin felt its dread presence like talons needling into his heart and felt the instinct to grovel before the magnificent beast. He faltered, legs flailing out from under him sending him sprawling to the hard marble floor. His rifle skittered away, tumbling and rolling out into the shadows. Steeling himself he staggered to his feet, his title [imperturbable] lending him a modicum of resistance to the effect. His soulbound gun rematerialised back to his hand and he resumed his flanking manoeuvre, blasting bullets at it, his hands working on autopilot as he gritted his teeth against the weight of the dragons domineering presence. Sam took the full brunt of its wrath, furious spittle stung her face as she felt its will lock onto her. She took a raking attack to her torso, the deadly black claws flashing arcs of blue light where they scored her new armour. The attack left deep rents in the metal, something no other monster they''d fought thus far had been able to do. Trusting in Gavin¡¯s crafting ability she fought on, the armour would hold, even against this onslaught. She felt mana flowing from undamaged parts to refortify the hard shield infused into the steel. Her armour was nearly identical to Gavins, though with a greater emphasis on maximum mana and less on regeneration. Valerie staggered for only a moment, her enchanted swords missing only a beat as they stabbed and slashed. She''d retreated out of its immediate reach after its tail had battered her aside as she advanced in her second round of attacks. Its sharp scales skittered across her armour, gouging chunks out of the steel and snapping leather straps. From there she''d stood back, concentrating on harrying the creature, slashing at its more vulnerable wings with her animated swords. Her tier two strength was having more effect than the rest of the team, and soon her swords were tearing strips from the hardened membrane. Judy was hit the worst of all, having no resistance to the dragon whatsoever, she felt herself crumble to the ground, bow discarded, and mind unable to think. She watched unfeeling as the dragon scoured Sam with a claw then latched onto her sword arm with a snap of its dagger sharp jaws. It whipped its head to the side, throwing Sam''s body around like a rag doll, hearing bones snap like kindling as it tossed her aside. She hit The ground hard, rolling and sliding to come to a halt at the edge of the room. The dragon turned its sights on its most dangerous opponent, Valerie. Lunging For her in great strides, smashing piles of coins with its bulk to rain down like waves in its wake. She watched Val dodge to the side, only to be batted back the other way, crunching hard into the ground, and still Judy could not act, could not think to act. ¡®Judy.¡¯ Gavin''s voice floated into her mind like a distant lighthouse in thick fog. ¡®we need you.¡¯ They needed her but there was nothing she could do in the face of that rampaging monster, tearing her friends to shreds while she was powerless to stop it. ¡®Be brave Judy.¡¯ She couldn''t, she was terrified, too terrified to move, at least her death would be painless. ¡®The dragon is in your head, it''s making you think you can''t win.¡¯ No, it wasn''t the dragon. Her friends were all fighting, the dragon wasn''t in their heads. It was her. She was too weak, she knew this would happen, the first time she fought someone she couldn''t beat she would falter. Except that wasn''t true. Judy had stood alone against Vance Stewardson, a level three warrior while she, a lowly level one with less than half of her abilities unlocked, had won. Not only won but it wasn''t even close. She had demolished him, and that man was far more powerful than this lizard. She stood, her bow returning to her hand and shot arrow after arrow at the thing, watching them zip across the cavernous vault, accelerating, gaining speed and momentum as they showered silver motes of light behind them. Explosions smashed into the dragon''s head, distracting it and letting Val get free. Sam was up again, in her tree form and charging her quarry, angelic wings extended behind her as she flew through the air, her great sword held high, ready to slice into the dragon''s back as it was distracted. The obsidian beast reacted, slamming her with its tail, blasting apart the bubble shield around her and knocking her out of the sky with a loud whump. Sam had the skill and presence of mind to interpose her sword, so even as she was sent tumbling back to land heavily against the wall she''d been beaten against earlier, the dragon was left with a sword, burning white light fully thrust through its tail. Screeching in pain the dragon thrashed its tail wildly trying to loose the stinging blade. It hammered the sword repeatedly against the tile as it tried to escape the searing radiant light. It turned its razor maw on its own tail, biting and tearing at the flesh to get away from the pain. It snapped its jaws down on the blade, blasting a wave of white hot fire out between its teeth. The sword bent then snapped in half, detonating an explosion that evaporated the end of its tail and cracked its front teeth. Valerie was back at the attack, her swords hacking at the more vulnerable areas of their enemy, one was tasked with going for its face, particularly its eyes. The dragon didn''t need them to see, having a psychic connection to its lair, but that didn''t mean that damaging its eyes was useless. Vals'' attacks served to enrage the beast further, driving it frothing mad. These pitiful animals had invaded its home and were needling it to death with their insignificant weapons. The dragon turned on Sam, irritatingly up for a third time, and now looking to put her out of the fight for good. It unleashed its flaming breath with its full force, scorching an inferno directly at Samanias unmissable bulk. She blurred to avoid the attack, dodging forward and under it as it followed her in a wide arc. She returned to normal speed, leaping into the air with inhuman strength as flames blazed across her legs, she caught its neck and used her momentum to sling herself on top of it. Wreathed in smoke as her lower half smouldered. She resummoned her sword, feeling it tax her mana heavily as it reformed then once again shimmered with radiant light. Valerie watched as the dragon, pummeled by arrows from Judy¡¯s powerful bow, being ridden by Samania who was now busy trying to pry scales loose with her sword. She had been too apprehensive to even attack the beast properly, relying on her dancing swords to do the majority of the work for her. Her lower tier friends were throwing themselves into the fight with wild abandon even though she was a whole tier above them all and much harder to put down than the whole team combined, and yet she was hesitating. Shame washed over her as she watched Sam hold on for dear life on top of the colossal creature. This would not do. She threw herself into the fight activating her divine aura of rejuvenation spell. Dodging under a ruined tail she darted in, swords chipping glittering black scales off in increments. She joined Sam, leaping into the air and cashing down behind her friend on the wildly thrashing beast, her enhanced reflexes helping her from being toppled off. With heavily practised skill, she laid into the dragon''s wing joint with all four of her swords, her two animated swords thrusting in to chip the scales while she hacked down with increasing strength. She layered her special attacks to increase her attack speed and power against her armoured target, feeling her mana finally begin to drop even through the compounding buffs. She bashed great gouges into the flesh beneath the ruined scales, exposing bone through the welling blood that poured freely. She thrust her two swords down with all her might, lodging both into the joint. Wrenching them opposite ways she felt the wing pop free, tendons severed and flesh tearing. The dragon reared up on its hind legs, one wing flopping free to uselessly dangle at its side. Toppling over, Sam and Val were just barely able to leap free before the dragon crashed on top of them. ¡°Kill the thing!¡± Sam shouted over them battle as she regained her feet. Gavin, now close to the beast, dumped all his mana into his force of will ability, the two circling spiky lumps howling as they lashed out at the dragon, twisting into its raw wounds like lemon juicers. His rifle didn''t stop firing either, detonating its violent energy against its shattered scales scales. He locked onto its ruined face, broken and bloody from Valerie''s assault, blasting away flesh and exposing bone below. His mana now fully depleted, he retrieved his spear from his inventory and threw it like a javelin, pushing on it with the final fumes of mana left in the tank. The dragon bucked wildly against the onslaught of pain, righting itself with an effort of will to attack whoever it could reach first, sighting Gavin right as his spear slammed it in the nostril. The crackling weapon buried itself straight through the back of its soft palate to stop lodged in its meaty neck. Sizzling white light burst from the dragon as it thrashed, fully in panic now, pain searing it from the inside. With a strangled crack the spear snapped, exploding its stored mana out in a concussive wave. Flesh and bone shattered from the creature, it''s neck rupturing with a vicious wound. Hot blood flowed as the dragon collapsed to the ground. Dead. Gavin slumped down beside it, completely out of mana, a pounding Headache throbbing between his temples. ¡°Gavin!¡± Sam yelled, seeing only her downed companion and not how or why he''d fallen. She transferred her health to him, realising it was mana drain when her healing had no effect. ¡°I''m okay.¡± Gavin groaned as he regained his coherency. Val helped him up with an extended hand that he took gratefully. ¡°That was so fuckin cool.¡± Gavin beamed as soon as was able to talk. ¡°It was sloppy.¡± Sam admonished. ¡°Are you kidding me, when you and Val were on its back hacking it to pieces that was probably the most awesome thing I''ve ever seen. ¡± Judy returned to the group in a flash. ¡°Nice work Judy, keeping it distracted for so long kept it from tearing me apart.¡± Sam said, clapping a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Thanks.¡± Judy muttered. ¡°You see her fight off the dragon''s psychic attack though? Pretty impressive for someone without any defence against it.¡± Gavin said, sending Judy the mental wink. ¡°No, I was too busy getting thrown about the room.¡± Sam said. ¡°You missed out then Sam, you should have seen Gavin faceplant when it went off, he was sprinting full speed then just stopped running. He skidded along the ground on just his face for a good two yards.¡± Val said laughing off her pent up adrenaline. ¡°I''d pay good money to see that.¡± Sam said. ¡°Did it look like this?¡± Judy asked, perking up as she crafted an illusion of Gavin running then tripping to fall flat on his face, sliding along the ground for a comically long time. ¡°Ha, yes, exactly like that.¡± Val confirmed as the three women launched into peels of laughter. ¡°You guys suck.¡± Gavin said as he gave Judy a mental high five, ¡°just for that, I''m keeping all the loot.¡± ¡°You keep all the loot anyway.¡± Val said. ¡°Do I? Don''t think I didn''t notice you buying yourself a whole new wardrobe and bed linen last week.¡± ¡°She did what?¡± Sam screeched ¡°I''ve been making do with two changes of clothes and the bedding Gavin bought, it''s been awful.¡± ¡°What''s wrong with that bedding? It was good value.¡± Gavin asked defensively. ¡°Gavin, we have near unlimited money for mundane stuff like that, we can afford the best there is. You spent gods knows how much on inventing potatoes, we can afford the good stuff, look at where we are, in an actual dragons horde, all that cash could buy all the linen in Edomont.¡± ¡°Actually, the potatoes weren''t that expensive. I worked out a deal with that wizard and a local merchant to patent and distribute them. I got an up front bonus I used to pay the wizard. They''re going to be able to retire off the royalties alone if they merchant we contacted is any good.¡± ¡°How did you even get the money, he keeps it all in his inventory?¡± Sam asked Val. ¡°No, he keeps it all in that big chest at the end of the dining room.¡± Judy answered. ¡°He does what?¡± Sam all but shouted. ¡°Yeah, it''s pretty much all in the chest, did you not know?¡± Val said frowning. ¡°No?¡± Sam said growing more exasperated. ¡°Judy and Val have been raiding it for bits and pieces, I just figured you were going with your stoic minimalism thing, only needing the bare essentials to get by or whatever.¡± Gavin Said scratching His head. ¡°Could have sworn I told you all that''s where it was.¡± ¡°No!¡± Sam said, her voice raising several octaves. ¡°How about we go on a shopping trip after training tomorrow? You can get a new backpack or bedroll.¡± Valarie suggested. ¡°Right after I get some new linen.¡± Sam huffed. ¡°We also need a decent wine stockpile in the fortress.¡± Gavin soured his face. ¡°Do what you like, I''m sticking with beer. Anyway, let''s rustle through this things pockets to see what it has.¡± [You have looted: level 2 adult obsidian dragon demon] [you have looted:] [10 obsidian dragon scales] [10 obsidian dragon bone] [10 dragon blood] [20 dragon tooth] [Level 2 potion of alchemical fire] [Demon soul: Obsidian dragon] [Amulet of the dragonheart] [864 level 1 copper coins] [576 level 1 iron coins] [384 level 1 bronze coins] [256 level 1 silver coins] [170 level 1 gold coins] [113 level 1 platinum coins] [75 level 2 copper coins] [50 level 2 iron coins] [33 level 2 bronze coins] [22 level 2 silver coins] [15 level 2 gold coins] [10 level 2 platinum coins] ¡°Ehh not that great.¡± Gavin said offhandedly as the pile of gold around them vanished into his inventory. ¡°How could it not be great? It''s a level two dragon?¡± Val said incredulous. ¡°Must have been faulty.¡± ¡°Faulty? Like your power isn''t working properly?¡± ¡°No, powers working fine¡± Gavin confirmed looking around as if bored. ¡°What did we get?¡± Sam asked. ¡°Oh, ahh, some okay crafting mats, and some other junk.¡± ¡°What exactly is the ¡®other junk¡¯?¡± Val asked pointedly. ¡°Oh, ahh, just a unique obsidian dragon demon soul, couple magic items, and something like one point three million solars.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± ¡°Alright, let''s get out of here, this place is going to collapse soon, now the monster is dead.¡± THREE. There are rules? The following day was sixthday, the teams rest day. Gavin was up early, leaving the fortress at dawn. He''d summoned his portal into the city for the team to come and go from the house and headed off up into the woods by himself. The mountain was tranquil at this early hour, birds were just beginning their morning chorus, beams of light pierced the canopies of mist shrouded trees. It was cool up here, though his confident pace soon had him warm. He''d grown strong over these past few months, and his magical abilities and equipment were aiding that immensely. His body of iron ability that increased his resilience seemed to prevent mundane things like pulled muscles and rolled ankles, while his ring of stamina regeneration and increased endurance meant he could keep up a pace much longer than normal. His walk took him on a meandering path through the bush, having no destination in mind he was just out to explore. Aware of potential dangers lurking in the wilderness he was keeping his eyes peeled for signs of monsters. He picked out several alchemical plants, taking care to harvest them correctly with knowledge he''d picked up from a skillbook. He wouldn''t have a use for the ingredients, nor did he need the money from selling them, but the local apothecaries were always grateful when people bought them piles of herbs and magical plants, sometimes the warm fuzzy feeling for doing a good deed was enough. He broke for a small meal when the sun was high in the sky, a glass of ice cold mystery fruit juice and a cold cut sandwich with a local bitter condiment that filled the same role mustard would to give a bit of tang to the rich fatty slabs of meat. He sat, looking out over the mountain ranges from a vantage point where The large trees had been blasted away in a small area, potentially a small extradimensional space had collapsed here some time ago, destroying the larger trees so only thin shrubs had been given time to grow. When he was done he stood and looked around, contemplating the direction he should walk now. Something odd caught his eye, standing out in amongst the untouched tranquility of the overgrown trees. The mountain behind him had a bit of a sheer cliff where it''d been smashed by the same force that had blown away the surrounding trees. At the base of that cliff a pile of rubble had formed as rock and dirt had cascaded down the face. At the top of that pile was a crack in the rock that looked older than the more recent damage. Moving closer to inspect it he found it was the covered entrance to an old cave. Gavin began funnelling the rocks into his inventory making very short work of the task. when he''d cleared a good chunk of the cave he floated his dancing lights inside to get a look. The cavernous crag Delved down into the depths of the mountain. He figured He could easily traverse it, he had a natural aversion to caves and a healthy respect of the dangers of spelunking. He did have two teleport powers, a stronger body than a normal human, a supply of magic items and the ability to craft new magic items or deconstruct his surroundings on the fly. ¡°What''s the worst that could happen?¡± Gavin said, taking a step into the cave. Inside was dark and dank, his lights glinted off the slick walls. He took out his spear periodically, using it as a walking stick in trickier areas. The cave looked unnatural, it wasn''t carved by hand, but it wasn''t all erosion either. The whole thing looked like it was designed to look like a cave by someone who didn''t understand how caves were formed. Bone white stalactites clung to the ceiling at regular intervals mirrored below by stalagmites, the effect felt like he was walking into the jaws of some great stone beast. The cave widened out to a pool filled with crystal clear water. Around the pool a small track barely wide enough to walk scribed a path to where the cave carried on down. Gavin looked into the pool, feeling that this perfectly still body of water would be the ideal place for some hidden monster to lurk unseen. Sending his lights into the water he had them explore all the nooks and crannies looking for any sign of movement. Satisfied there was nothing alive in there he teleported across the cave. As he appeared on the other side the rock gave way, sending him slipping down the winding path right at some glowing green and purple fungus that grew on the rock walls below. ¡°Shit a brick!¡± Gavin yelled, stepping through time once then a second time to get up and out of the passageway back up into the chamber above. He felt a deep boom in the rocks beneath his feet followed by a concussive wave that pushed him back into the water. Above him purple green flames washed over the surface as he used his force of will to press himself into the rocks below, keeping himself fully submerged in the rapidly warming ice-water. Chunks of rock splashed down around him, trailing sizzling bubbles. Gavin let them rain down on him, unwilling to dodge out of the way for fear of putting himself into a worse situation. The flames subsided after a time, though he stayed under the water with held breath. He sent his lights up to illuminate the area around him, surprised to see the smoke slowly clearing as a gentle wind carried it up and out of the cavern. He waited there until his lungs screamed for air, his ring of stamina regeneration pushing that time out to minutes even with his rapidly beating heart. Breaking the surface he prepared to summon his portal, but found the air, although acrid with ash and burnt chemicals was breathable, moreso when he retrieved a cloth to breathe through from his inventory. Shining his lights down to the source of the explosion he saw something curious. A spiderweb of iridescent metal had been exposed and left completely unharmed as the rock around it had disintegrated. ¡°So uhh¡­ that''s neat.¡± Gavin said. Picking his way down to the strange metallic formation he stretched his hand out to touch it [Etherium] [Type: metal] [Rank: Tier 3] [Description: Metal that has an affinity for magical enchantments, safe enchanting capacity significantly higher than other metals of its rank at the expense of malleability and ductility] ¡°Damn.¡± Gavin whistled, reaching a hand out to deconstruct it, and, nothing. ¡°Fucks sakes.¡± he swore. Standing back to look at the glittering metal, he wondered what he was going to do about it. He fabricated an adamantium bar, then, jamming it into a gap between slivers of etherium he pulled with all his physical and mental strength. Nothing. Returning his bar to his inventory he inspected the metal. The razor thin edge hadn''t even crinkled over where he''d been hauling on it. Well shit¡± he said as he sat down to think of a way to harvest the metal, realising with horror that the smoke from the explosion would waft out of the cave. Surely someone would come to investigate and take his horde. He suddenly had an appreciation for the greedy dwarves in Tolkein''s novels; concerned with the glittering wealth of the deep mines. ¡°Gavin you dumbass.¡± he said, snapping his fingers. Placing a hand to the rock wall, he deconstructed part of the rock it was embedded in. With a widening smile Gavin worked, carving out a wider and wider section of rock, revealing the true scope of the seam of etherium. When his mana ran low he equipped his armour, drawing on that to sustain his deconstruct ability. While his ability didn''t typically use a lot of mana, disintegrating dozens of cubic metres of solid rock was beginning to tax him. His armour more than compensated however, the deep reserve of mana as well as its regenerative property was enough that he didn''t have to pause until he had the whole chunk of metal free. With a deep groaning sound the weight of the etherium tore itself free of its rocky confines. Gavin teleported back up the tunnel to get clear of the tumbling chunk that would easily crush him. When it settled he jumped back down to it, touching it to add it to his inventory. He felt even with his seemingly unlimited storage space trying to take this chunk of metal would put him well over that limit. The higher tier material taking up more space than it otherwise would if it was of a lower level. ¡°Oh bugger off.¡± Gavin groaned, jumping back up the cavern in bursts as his short range teleport power came off cooldown. He dumped vast quantities of raw materials from his inventory, stacks of wood, piles of ore and rubble, dirt and water jettisoned down the side of the hill. Finally feeling a lot emptier he returned to his prize, stuffing the entire seam of metal into his inventory. He had found that typically rank one objects took up one slot in his inventory and were stackable out to ninety nine items, rank two Objects typically took up four slots, and were likewise stackable. This block of etherium took up an entire tab of space by itself and pressed up against the edges of that power. He''d found in the past that certain things in his inventory gave him a visceral feeling, human corpses especially felt disgusting. The lump of etherium left him feeling like the wolf stitched up with a belly full of rocks in a story his mum used to read to him. Jumping back out of the tunnel again he picked his way back to the fortress, a spring in his step. He left the prodigious amounts of crafting materials and waste items on the side of the mountain, none of them were worth coming back for. It was late afternoon when he stumbled back into the house. He was exhausted, but satisfied. He had no idea how to go about doing anything with the metal, but he was definitely excited to try. ¡°Gavin?¡± Judy exclaimed as he walked through the dining hall. ¡°What happened to you?¡± ¡°Went for a walk.¡± ¡°No, you''re filthy, it looks like you''ve been in a fight.¡± ¡°Nah, didn''t see anything bigger than birds.¡± ¡°Is that ash?¡± Sam said coming up from behind and swiping a finger over the side of his cheek. You smell like that explosive fungus you used to make that bomb. Did you try to harvest some yourself?¡± ¡°He would be dumb enough to try.¡± Val said walking into the room eating a hunk of meat straight off the leg bone. ¡°Hand on heart I haven''t gotten any of that stuff since that one time.¡± Gavin said honestly. ¡°I bet he stumbled into it and nearly killed himself.¡± Val said. ¡°Yeah, that''s definitely what happened.¡± Judy agreed. ¡°Gavin you moron, Why''d you go and do that?¡± Sam said with the same tone his mother used. ¡°Where did you find it anyway? That stuff only grows deep underground and in tier three dimensional spaces.¡± ¡°Uhh- deep underground, I found a cave that goes into the mountain.¡± Gavin admitted. ¡°You''re lucky the mountain didn''t collapse on top of you.¡± Sam said. ¡°I was fine, didn''t even get hurt, and I found something cool down there¡± Gavin said proudly, taking the intact chunk of metal from his inventory and dumping it on the floor of the dining hall. It rocked perilously as it found its stable orientation then came to a halt, scattering chips of stone as it ground against the floor. ¡°What''s that?¡± Judy asked, inspecting it. ¡°Some exotic level three metal, I can''t even scratch it let alone deconstruct it.¡± ¡°What are you going to do with it? You wont be strong enough to craft with this until you¡¯re level three in all your crafting abilities, that''ll take a year.¡± Val said tapping it with a finger. ¡°Haven''t figured that one out yet. I can actually enchant it as is, technically. It might be a rank three material, but that doesnt mean I can''t put a level one enchantment on it, it¡¯d just take me actual years to fill all the way, and carrying the whole thing around as a necklace probably isn''t super practical. Anyway, how was your day, I see you all got new clothes.¡± Gavin asked, looking over his companions. ¡°They look good.¡± ¡°We didn''t actually do a lot.¡± Val admitted ¡°We got a couple of outfits, Sam got some new bed linen, then had lunch at a nice little Valerian cafe, then we found a bath house to relax.¡± ¡°Nice, I could use one myself.¡± Gavin said, lifting an arm to sniff himself. ¡°Gross.¡± Judy gagged. ¡°What? Like you haven''t reeked after coming back from a day of adventuring.¡± Gavin said frowning at her. ¡°Not like that I haven¡¯t.¡± ¡°Ya-ha. You might not be as bad as Sam when she takes her boots off, but it''s not great.¡± He laughed, ducking Sam''s thrown steel boot. ¡°You''re an ass, Gav.¡± Judy laughed. ¡°Is this new information for you?¡± Val asked. ¡°You guys suck.¡± Gavin said. ¡°Anyway, I''m gonna go wash up.¡± ¡°Good. We bought take-out for dinner, then we can, uhh, play some Dungeons and Dragons?¡± Sam asked haltingly as she shot a glance at Judy. ¡°Sounds good to me.¡± Gavin said, his grin widening as he skipped to his bedroom to have a long soak in his enchanted copper bath. Afterwards, feeling refreshed, he led the group through the adventure he had prepared, the party managed to fight their way through a cave system and rescue a man held captive by some goblins under the command of a bugbear and return to the local town. He''d constructed the cave from actual rock, with running water and wooden miniatures. Judy used her prestidigitation power to add glowing effects to torches, eerie darkness, and sound effects. While they played, Gavin had idea he wanted to try, though it would require practice. They ended in high spirits, Sam and Val joining Judy in getting right into the game. He retired to bed that night feeling fully content for the first time since he could remember. The next morning was the start of the week. They ran their morning loop around the mountain, a trail they''d cut over months of running the same route before returning to their training hall in the fortress. They took turns sparring against each other, Gavin and Judy paired off first using melee weapons while Sam and Val bludgeoned eachother with training swords. Gavin and Judy made a wicked team, Judy being able to copy any of Gavins abilities with her Divine Imitation ability, and Gavin being able to copy that spell, using it to copy another of her abilities, or one of their opponents. Both of them had teleport powers, and favoured non-linear fighting, though their approaches were subtly different, Gavin tried to confuse and tie his enemies in knots while she tried to find unexpected angles and exploit weaknesses. Sam and Val made a complementary pair too, with their own similar approaches to combat, Val easily had an edge with her natural strength and speed, but had taken to fighting with a handicap, either using only her animated swords, no weapons, fighting on low mana or stamina, or while Judy and Gavin blasted her with attacks unexpectedly while they trained. In one on one fights all four of them agreed Gavin was easily the most frustrating opponent, even though he never managed to actually win more than his fair share of fights. Every time any of the women beat him, they were left feeling as though they lost, emotionally and physically worn out. Even Val, was pressed hard to beat him when he was fully suited up and fighting in earnest, when he reached rank two he would be a menace. They broke for their mid-day meal while their exhausted bodies recovered from the intense training. Sam was right on the cusp of levelling up, and Gavin estimated with a few decent fights it''d put him over the line too. ¡°How''s this for an idea¡± Gavin said, staring up at the sky as the team relaxed in the hot tub out on the deck, overlooking the forest ¡°What idea?¡± Sam asked suspiciously. ¡°Sam, you and Val go take some level two contracts this afternoon, Val, you just act as backup, let Sam push herself, I go out with judy, we take some high level one contracts, it''s good practice for all of us.¡± ¡°Except me.¡± Val pointed out. ¡°You can do some knitting or whatever.¡± ¡°What? Is that because I''m older than you? It''s two years Gavin, I''m not an old woman¡± she complained, splashing him with water. ¡°I like it.¡± Sam said ¡°Val, you can jump in and work on your evasion, you tend to trade attacks or stand out of the fighting instead of dodging or parrying.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Valerie said. ¡°Alright, let''s go grab some contracts, come back here, I''ll open up a portal for you two, and Judy can open up a copy for us.¡± ¡°Okay, Let''s go.¡± Sam said, hopping out of the tub, trailing water as she made for her towel. Gavin did the same, though instead of towelling off, he used his force of will to scrape the water off himself, leaving him completely dry. ¡°Neat trick¡± Judy said, copying his ability and trying it herself to moderate success. ¡°It''s harder than it looks, your control is really good Gav.¡± ¡°I do practise with it a lot more than you.¡± ¡°Do me.¡± Val suggested hopping out of the tub last. ¡°Ahh.¡± Gavin stammered. ¡°Its ahh, a pretty intimate feeling.¡± Judy said. ¡°Oh.¡± Val said, eyes going wide ¡°No, no thank you then, I don''t need Gavin¡¯s mind touching every part of me.¡± ¡°Why''d you have to make that sound so dirty? Gavin gagged. ¡°Judy could have done it.¡± ¡°I don''t think so.¡± Judy said. ¡°You''d like that wouldn''t you, pervert.¡± Val teased. ¡°You two are the worst.¡± Gavin said with mock frustration. Twenty minutes later the team was back in the fortress, fresh contracts in hand. Gavin opened a portal out to Vivek, a small mining town South of Edomont, while Judy took them back out to the North of Starhaven. ¡°You kids have fun.¡± Val said as she and Sam disappeared through his portal. Their first destination was a dimensional pocket near the village of hampstead, one of the villages that branched off Starhaven. This one was only small but had appeared right in the middle of a sheep farm of one of the local villagers. Gavin portalled up to the farmhouse door and knocked, the sound starting a flurry of activity. An excited child wrenched the door open, his jaw dropping as he saw Gavin and Judy standing there in their full adventurer regalia. ¡°Muuum!¡± He screeched racing back into the house. ¡°Wardens are here! Can I go with them?¡± ¡°Sorry about him, you''re here about the dimensional pocket?¡± the kids mum asked as he dragged her to the front door. ¡°That''s right, just wanted to let you know we were here. I''m Gavin and this is Judy, we should be done in no time.¡± Gavin said, offering his hand to shake. ¡°Thanks, I''ve had to stop this one trying to look inside for himself a half dozen times today.¡± ¡°You told him it''s dangerous right?¡± ¡°I did, but he''s as block headed as his dad.¡± ¡°Can I go with them mum? I''ll be safe.¡± ¡°Not a chance¡± Gavin said at the same time his mum said ¡°No.¡± ¡°You''ll be cleaning out the chicken coop if I see you so much as glance at that thing again.¡± ¡°Well, we best get going, I''ll come back and let you know when it''s safe, missus?¡± ¡°Harriet.¡± ¡°See you soon Harriet.¡± Gavin waved the kid goodbye and walked back down and out of their fenced front yard then cut around until he got sight of the mirrored ball undulating in the middle of their paddock a short way off. The two jumped the distance in a blink, popping up an arms reach from the dimensional space. They stepped through the mirrored sphere into a world of rolling grassy hills. On the hill where they''d appeared, lay scattered statues half buried in the ground. At the top of the hill was a transparent dome of golden light, surrounded by slate plinths. On an altar in the middle of a dome sat a tiara of fine filigree with a large square cut amethyst set in the centre. Inspecting the statues, they discovered the statues were all monsters of every variety, though each subtly themed with elemental effects. ¡°There''s fifteen elements and fifteen plinths.¡± Judy said after a moment. ¡°You''re right, good spotting Morocco. Reckon we need one of each on those plinths?¡± ¡°That would be my guess, come on, let''s grab some.¡± They each took a pile into their inventories, placing them on the plinths. When the last was placed, nothing happened. ¡°Wonder if they have to go on in a particular order?¡± ¡°They must do, I can''t see anything that would show us what ones go where though.¡± Judy said, crouching down To inspect each plinth in turn. ¡°Any ideas?¡± ¡°I''m assuming they''re going to be in divine order.¡± ¡°Come again?¡± Gavin said, raising an eyebrow. ¡°Like the diagram of the fundamental forces?¡± Judy said, cocking an eyebrow to match his ¡°You haven''t seen it?¡± ¡°No?¡± ¡°Here¡± Judy said, materialising an image of a five pointed star encompassed in a circle. The diagram had the symbols of several churches Gavin recognised at each point of the star as well as one midway between each point. Floating around the outside of the circle were more images though these ones depicted things like fire, water and lightning as well as a dozen others he could only guess at. ¡°You''re gonna have to explain this one to me¡± Gavin said, what''s this one? He said pointing at a circle filled with wavy lines. ¡°Thats ether-¡± ¡°Ether is an elemental force?¡± Gavin asked cutting her off ¡°are there ether elementals? How is that different to arcane?¡± ¡°There are, and I don''t know-¡± ¡°Wait, does this mean? Hold on, I have an idea.¡± Gavin said, zoning out as his mind began to work on a problem. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡°Can it wait until after I''ve explained how all this works and we''ve completed these contracts?¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Gavin said, forcing himself back to attention. ¡°So, this shows the original five major gods and ten minor gods. No interrupting¡± Judy said holding up a finger to forestall Gavin from starting in on another tangent. ¡°Each minor god fills sort of a midway point between each of the major ones, see balance is between Creation and Entropy?¡± ¡°Yeah, makes sense.¡± ¡°Then we have the fundamental forces, which are closely related to each of the gods they''re near on the diagram, like necrotic is a mix of Spirit, Death and Simulacrum but is more anchored in death, then as we go around to ice it gets a bit closer to spirit and further from Simulacrum.¡± ¡°Okay. I think I follow, one quick question, when I first got here Sam said there were thirty six gods, eight major and twenty eight minor ones?¡± ¡°Yes, there used to be fifteen, then we got more. Some of the old gods changed their domains and others abdicated their power or split up.¡± ¡°What do you mean abdicated? They handed their power over? To who?¡± ¡°To mortals, Intellect and Life gave their power over to members of their church.¡± ¡°Soliece and Florrin?¡± ¡°Yes. It was a whole thing.¡± ¡°I bet.¡± ¡°It was what set off the calamity.¡± ¡°This seems like the sort of thing that would have been important to know earlier.¡± ¡°Then you should read more history books.¡± Judy said unapologetically. ¡°I mean, fair, but like- how do you know all this?¡± ¡°I can have hobbies too dumbass.¡± Judy said, rolling her eyes. ¡°Okay, fair. So, we find the right statues and put them in that order?¡± After a bit of searching they arranged the statues, when that didn''t work they sat back to think again. ¡°I wonder if the monster types have anything to do with it?¡± Gavin asked. ¡°Maybe, we''ve got two minotaurs here.¡± ¡°Yeah, I wonder if this owl is too close to this roc?¡± They tried various combinations until Judy stumbled on the idea that they should look for monsters that would typically be associated with the elements Together they found a water themed turtle, fire salamander and so on. Placing the last statue on the plinth the golden dome faded to nothing. ¡°Fuckin nailed it!¡± Gavin said, high fiving Judy who was looking very chuffed with their problem solving. ¡°Would the lady like to do the honours?¡± said Gavin gesturing towards the tiara. ¡°Magic items are your area.¡± Judy said, flourishing her hands as she too gestured towards the tiara. ¡°Okay, that''s fair, but I am definitely not wearing it even if it''s really good.¡± [Item: Diadem of the spirit thief] [Type: Jewellery, head] [Rarity: Level, rare] [Effect: Activate to drain mana from target enemy once per day, effect lasts until target is completely drained of mana or line of sight is broken] ¡°This could be good.¡± Gavin said, tossing the tiara to Judy to inspect. ¡°Drains mana as long as you don''t break line of sight? Too situational for combat, if an enemy ducks behind a wall it''ll be a waste.¡± ¡°I can strip it for a general mana drain effect.¡± Gavin shrugged. ¡°Oh, yeah, that would be good.¡± ¡°Alright let''s blow this popsicle stand¡± They sauntered out of the bubble as it started to collapse, the field and henge behind them crumbling to ash. True to his word, Gavin returned to the house to let Harriet know they were done. ¡°That didn''t take long¡± She said as she opened up the door. ¡°Yeah, it was just a puzzle, we, uhh, Judy got it figured out pretty quick.¡± Gavin said, glancing over at his team mate. ¡°Before you go, I- Nevermind¡± Harriet said, apparently changing her mind. ¡°What?¡± Asked Gavin ¡°It''s Theo, he wants to be a warden.¡± ¡°Yeah, I got that.¡± Gavin smiled. ¡°It''s just, I-¡± ¡°Don''t want him to?¡± Gavin asked, guessing at her apprehension. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°And you want us to talk him out of it?¡± ¡°I know what you do is important, but he''s my boy.¡± Harriet said, her pent up worry bubbling to the surface. ¡°No worries Harriet. I''ll have a yarn with him.¡± ¡°I don''t think-¡± Judy began before Gavin cut her off. ¡°It''s fine Jude.¡± Gavin said waving her concern away with a gesture. ¡°Where is he?¡± ¡°Down in the chicken coop.¡± Harriet said wryly. Gavin found Theo covered in filth raking out soiled straw surrounded by a mess of flapping chickens. He looked on the verge of tears as he worked, muttering to himself as he worked. ¡°How''s it going mate.¡± Gavin said, leaning on the fence. ¡°Fine.¡± Theo said, turning away. ¡°Here, chuck us a turn.¡± Gavin said vaulting the fence with a surge of will. ¡°Huh?¡± Theo said, not understanding as he held out his hand expectantly. ¡°Your mum asked us to come talk to you.¡± Gavin said, taking the rake. ¡°She doesn''t want me to be a warden like you.¡± ¡°No, because she cares about you.¡± Gavin said, hauling out more straw From the coop. ¡°She thinks I''m not strong enough, but I am.¡± ¡°No, you''re not. Not yet at least. Back before I had any powers I accidentally walked into a dimensional space like that one.¡± Gavin said pointing over to the now empty field ¡°There was a monster inside that killed two adventurers and was about to kill a third before I got there. We got lucky and killed it, but it could have easily gone the other way.¡± ¡°Everything worked out though?¡± Theo asked. ¡°For me and my friend Sam, but her two teammates went home in boxes because they weren''t ready. Once you step into a dimensional pocket the only way out is to win. If you aren''t ready to face absolutely anything that could be inside you die. Your mum is right to be worried, I wouldn''t want my kid doing what I do.¡± ¡°Your parents let you though.¡± ¡°They don''t care about me as much as your mum cares about you. I haven''t seen them in four years, I don''t think they even know if I''m alive or not.¡± ¡°What about her?¡± Theo said pointing at Judy. ¡°They''re dead. My mum was an adventurer, she died on the job.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Theo said, his mood dampening. ¡°I''m not going to pretend being a warden isn''t fun a lot of the time, but you have to have the right attitude. You have to be willing to get your hands dirty without complaint, use your skills to do the most good where it''s needed, not just where and what you want.¡± ¡°I can do that.¡± ¡°Good. Right now your skills are best used here helping your family. I''ll make you a deal, when you get to twenty one and you still want to be an adventurer come find me and I''ll help you out.¡± ¡°Twenty one? That''s forever.¡± Theo complained. ¡°It is, but you don''t get anything for free in this world, and my price is for you to work hard and do what your parents say until you''re old enough to understand what you''re getting into and what you''re giving up.¡± Theo looked at him a long moment and nodded, resolving himself to fulfil Gavin''s pledge. Gavin handed him back the rake with a toothy smile. Theo returned it and bent to finish the last of the cleaning. ¡°One last thing.¡± Gavin said, holding out a hand, palm up. A leather strap with a small metal charm appeared in his hand, radiating energy as he infused it with arcane power. He let the charm drop to his fingers to dangle in front of Theos bulging eyes. ¡°Take it and remember your oath. Work hard and do what needs to be done because it needs to be done.¡± ¡°I will¡± Theo said, taking it reverently and slipping it over his head. ¡°It''s magic? What does it do?¡± ¡°You''ll work it out.¡± Gavin said, winking ¡°Better soul bind it before anyone sees you with it.¡± ¡°Thanks mister.¡± ¡°Call me Gavin.¡± Gavin said, shaking his hand a final time before letting go and vanishing. One portal jump later and they emerged on the far side of a mountain just a few short kilometres from their fortress. It was heading into the middle of the afternoon and Gavin was eager to get this done so they could return to base. ¡°Any ideas on how we should fight this?¡± Gavin asked as he looked over the contract again. ¡°Gavin, what was that necklace?¡± Judy said, putting her hands on her hips. ¡°Oh, mainly just stamina and health regen, it gets more potent if he''s injured.¡± ¡°Mainly?¡± Judy said with a mild hint of accusation in her voice. ¡°Maybe just a small boost to his attributes too.¡± ¡°That''s all?¡± ¡°Yeah, aside from the soulbinding enchantment. I''m not gonna give a kid some broken relic on a whim.¡± ¡°Thats- actually really thoughtful Gavin.¡± Judy said, her expression softening. ¡°Yeah, well, we can get back to dealing with what we''re actually meant to be doing out here.¡± Gavin said gesturing at the forest ¡°Ideas on fighting an aberration?¡± ¡°Aberrations don''t usually have ranged attacks; we can just let it follow us and shoot it,¡± Judy said nonchalantly. ¡°Okay, fair, let''s find the thing.¡± Gavin said feeling completely at ease. They tracked backwards and forwards all over the mountain. Judy stumbled on its trail several hours later. Her vision power making her exceptionally sharp at picking up small details others would miss. Soon even Gavin could follow the trail, trees pushed aside with large teeth and Claw marks, dirt churned up in a wide track. It looked as though someone had taken A piece of heavy machinery through the trees and hadn''t much cared about the condition of it or the forest afterwards. Picking up their pace they leapfrogged forward with their short range teleport powers. ¡°I see it¡± said Judy pointing at the mass of writhing flesh that towered over the trees. ¡°Up ahead, over there, see? It''s a big one, level two I think¡± ¡°Big means slow, right?¡± Gavin hoped. ¡°Wouldn''t count on it, aberrations don''t follow the normal rules.¡± ¡°There are rules?¡± ¡°I think that''s probably the most you thing you''ve ever said¡± Judy said fixing him with a smirk. ¡°Ha, maybe. Want to bail on this one? It''s tougher than the contract said it would be.¡± ¡°Aaand that''s probably the least you thing you''ve ever said.¡± ¡°Want to start us off then? It''ll take a while to get here if we start shooting from this far away¡± Judy took out her bow, Readying it, she began shooting arrows in rapid succession, each splitting into two as it shot free. Her three soulbound arrows first, followed by five rune etched arrows, then her enchanted arrows again as the first volley hit their target. Gavin could see from here small explosions that cratered into the mass of flesh in the distance. It reacted instantly, bulldozing its way through the trees towards them, smashing thick trunks aside in its path. ¡°Ahh, so not slow then¡± Gavin said ¡°We''re going to need our A game for this he said, shouldering his rifle. He began hammering shots down range at the same pace Judy was shooting beside him, finding now that he''d had some practice his aim had improved significantly. He looped his magical secrets ability, copying Judy''s spell that let her copy abilities then used that to copy her multishot power. As he shot, his bullets split into two bullets, nearly doubling their effectiveness against the massive sack of health points that was barrelling towards them. Gavin fed Judy his stamina as she depleted hers, keeping her topped up. Her armour was more than adequate for her mana requirements, it served an almost identical function to those he''d crafted for the team, though hers was more focused on regeneration than storage capacity in contrast to Sams that focused on capacity over regeneration and Gavin¡¯s that filled a middle ground. Stamina was Judy''s limiting factor in a prolonged engagement, mana was only an issue if she started taking damage or needed to rapidly use her teleport power. As it drew close the pair jumped to their maximum teleport range away from it, shooting it again, though Gavin had to duck aside as an entire tree was launched their way, crashing down to tumble end over end from the exact point he''d been standing ¡°Lucky shot?¡± Gavin said as he readied his rifle again, getting one shot off before another tree launched his way with blistering speed, forcing him to jump again. ¡°Doubt it¡± Judy said through gritted teeth as they jumped back again through the trees. The aberration came into Gavin¡¯s view crashing through at them, a house of rippling flesh, eyes, mouths, and an impossible number of clawed arms. It cast a bow-wake of rock and soil, the world bending to get out of its way. He sprinted off its path, blasting it with his gun as Judy jumped the opposite way, her arrows lighting up like tracers from opposite directions as she teleported. The monster appeared not to notice, barreling straight past her to get to him. ¡°Shit, fuck, shit.¡± Gavin swore as it thundered towards him. He was forced to jump, then jump again to get out of range. His teleport power working at maximum efficiency as he used it the instant it came off cooldown. ¡°Shit Gav, get out of here.¡± Judy yelled, seeing the aberration had eyes only for him. ¡°We need to slow this thing down, somehow.¡± Gavin said, his spear appearing in his hand. He took three running strides, launching his spear like a javelin and pushing on it with all his strength. The golden dart shot at the aberration, punching through an open eye as it erupted viscous goo. A moment later there was a dull thud as the spear detonated inside the colossal abomination, its stored energy exploding violently inside. Judy jumped out in front of the monster, casting an illusory screen of rainbow lights over the thing. It made no difference, the monster tracked Gavin wherever he was, launching trees and rocks his way the instant he tried to attack it. Teleporting to its opposite side, they watched as the aberration capsized as it tried to stop on the spot, arms flailing and mouths screeching silent cries. ¡®It can''t turn around quickly¡¯ Judy said through their link. ¡®Okay, good, let''s play keep away with it then.¡¯ Gavin sent back. They popped over the aberration, blasting it from one direction then the other as it turned to fight them. Judy''s arrows and Gavin''s spear, rifle, and spiked hexahedrons having a mild effect on the creature as he dumped all his mana into pushing on them. ¡°We''re going to need a better plan¡± Gavin said, chugging a large mana potion as his armours stored charge gave out. ¡°Use the tiara.¡± Judy said. ¡°I won''t be able to jump with it on.¡± ¡°I''ll distract it.¡± Judy said. ¡°I don''t think it cares about distractions.¡± ¡°Try me.¡± Gavin ran, getting further away from the aberration as Judy popped up on the other side, shooting arrows its way ¡®It''s still after me¡¯ Gavin sent, ¡®why is this thing after me? I''m not even attacking it.¡± ¡®I got it. Stop Gavin, I think it''s attracted to sound¡¯ Gavin slid to a halt as Judy created a deep thrum that vibrated through the ground. Instantly the aberration tumbled over, tearing great rents in the earth. Gavin retrieved the tiara from his inventory and placed it on his forehead ¡°This is so fuckin lame¡± he grumbled, activating the enchantment. A wave of mana sapped from the aberration flowed into him. It was not a magic user but still, as a tier two entity it had a gaping chasm of mana that was now his to command. He stood his ground, launching his spear again and again while his D12''s battered it mercilessly, using the aberrations own mana to shoot the deadly weapons at their foe. Apparently tired of Judy''s cat and mouse game it stopped on the spot, shooting out waves of shrapnel in all directions, splinters of bone, teeth, and consumed wooden shards blasting out of the hundreds of open mouths. Judy fell back, a spray of arm sized wooden splinters punching her armour, cracking the shield and denting the breastplate. ¡®Ahh, it got me Gav, I can''t breathe¡¯ she wheezed through their mental link. ¡®I got you, get to me¡¯ Gavin said, maintaining eye contact with the beast. Judy appeared next to him taking strained short shallow breaths. Gavin slapped a hand to her breastplate, reforming the metal in an instant back to its former glory. ¡°Thanks¡± she huffed, leaping back into the fight. ¡®No worries mate.¡¯ Gavin thought after her as she teleported away. More wary of the aberration now, she jumped a greater distance, thumping the ground to draw it away from Gavin who was acting as their stationary weapon emplacement, shooting out his missiles of divine energy to detonate inside the writhing beast. Their plan had worked, the aberration had no chance of catching Judy, and it was too single minded to do anything other than react to external stimuli. Soon Gavin had sapped all of its mana, the aberration sagging to a puddle of formless flesh. They didn''t let up. It may not have been able to do anything without mana to sustain its form but it was still alive. Gavin stalked up to the helpless creature, soaking up mana as it regenerated, blasting it straight back. He thrust his newly materialised spear into the pile of flesh, funnelling mana back into it, letting its radiant light burn the aberration. The two of them unleashed shot after shot into it. Judy sat at point blank range, shattering soul bound arrows into it, her bow so powerful that each magically reinforced shaft disintegrated on impact.b Finally they felt its life force give out, its flailing arms went limp and its many eyes lost their integrity, oozing out of their sockets. Gavin tentatively touched a toe to the creature, not wanting to get too close. [You have looted: level 2 abyssal aberration] [you have looted:] [Amulet of eldritch horror] [1673 level 1 copper coins] [1232 level 1 iron coins] [6783 level 1 bronze coins] [453 level 1 silver coins] [341 level 1 gold coins] [298 level 1 platinum coins] [209 level 2 copper coins] [163 level 2 iron coins] [99 level 2 bronze coins] [46 level 2 silver coins] [41 level 2 gold coins] [18 level 2 platinum coins] ¡°I uhh, I think I''m just going to sell this¡± Gavin said holding up the Amulet for Judy to see. It was a chain made of what looked like sinew and umbilical cord pulsing with strange fluid, the Amulet itself was a flap of flesh with nine eyes blinking back at Gavin, tracking him as the Amulet swayed between them. [Item: Amulet of eldritch horror] [Type: Jewellery, amulet] [Rarity: Level 2, legendary] [Description: Mortal minds are not made to understand the true horrors from beyond reality] [Effect: Cast a random spell. Cooldown depends on the nature of the spell cast] [Effect: Can be soulbound] ¡°How about you just deconstruct it, I don''t think anyone should have that thing.¡± ¡°No way am I going to let anything this is made of into my inventory. It feels- wrong.¡± ¡°That''s fair. Come on, let''s go turn in these contracts, I definitely need another wash after today, and you smell like chickens.¡± The two portalled back to Edomont, filled in their paperwork, sold their various unnecessary items including the amulet and returned home. Finally, they dumped their cash into the storage chest and sat down for a break at the dining hall table both opting for a cold beer as a reward for a job well done. ¡°We made a good team today¡± Judy said, slurping her ice cold drink and taking a handful of chips from the bowl on the table ¡°Yeah, we did. I know it''s usually bad juju to split the party, but It''s good training for when shit really hits the fan. I''ll talk to Sam about having us go out as different teams again. I had fun though, just us.¡± ¡°Same here.¡± Judy said, clamping her mouth shut as she began to say something else. ¡°Well, I''m gonna go have another bath. I''ve got a surprise for after dinner¡± Gavin said, slapping his knees and teleporting from the room. ¡°Oh, you''re back. Where''s Gavin?¡± Sam asked, stepping through the portal ¡°how''d you guys get on?¡± ¡°What? Oh, ahh, that aberration turned out to be a level two aberration, took a while to kill.¡± ¡°Oh nice, you figured out that you need acid to stop its health regenerating then?¡± ¡°What? No? We just shot it until it died.¡± ¡°Judy, I''d expect that level of bumbling pigheadedness from Gavin but not from you. Did Gavin not think to check his interface power again for weaknesses?¡± ¡°I don''t know, he didn''t say. We figured out it was attracted to sound and Gavin mana drained it with this new tiara we found in an extradimensional pocket.¡± ¡°Oh, this I have to see.¡± Sam said. Judy created an illusion of Gavin, rifle shouldered, covered in ash, blood, robe flowing in the wind with a determined look on his face, his piercing brown eyes staring fury at an unseen enemy, a comically pretty tiara, bright and shining in the afternoon glow on his forehead. ¡°Oh, did Gavin''s more attractive older brother turn up to fight too?¡± Val teased standing beside Sam. ¡°Oh, shut it you.¡± Sam said punching vals arm, hard. The illusion winked out as Judy''s face turned red. ¡°Well, I''m going to go have a wash.¡± she said in a huff. It was Vals turn to cook, she¡¯d made coal-roasted fish over boiled grain. It was simple and tasty. After they''d eaten, Gavin took them into the lounge, which was just the far end of the dining hall where he''d set up several comfortable ¡®L¡¯ shaped couches ¡°Alright team. I had this idea while we were playing DnD, you know how I sometimes talk about legends from my world?¡± ¡°...yeah?¡± Sam said hesitantly. ¡°Well, some of them are like, recordings of people acting out a story. My memory is a bit better now im levelling up and getting free intelect points off my mana power, and I¡¯m pretty sure I can make some of the ones I know the best, when I get to tier two I should be able to do a lot better, anyway, I think this is a good opportunity to practise copying Judy''s illusion power.¡± ¡°Oh gods, what are you going to inflict on us?¡± ¡°Calm down, I¡¯m not going to give you anything too intense, just a half hour show to start out with, I''ll have to work you up to the good stuff.¡± ¡°Can you show us other stuff from your world? What it looks like?¡± ¡°Yeah, fine, after though¡± Gavin said dismissively as an image appeared on the wall, music booming from all directions. ¡°What language is this Gavin?¡± Sam asked ¡°is that a translation down the bottom?¡± ¡°It''s Japanese, or at least I think it is, it sounds about right.¡± he said offhandedly As he concentrated on his illusion ¡°Yeah, Those are subtitles.¡± ¡°I thought you said these were recordings? These are like drawn pictures.¡± Judy asked. ¡°Yeah, it''s a style we sometimes use. Just watch the show, it''s hard talking while I''m concentrating.¡± ¡°Shut it Jude, let him concentrate,¡± Val said, giving her a pointed look. Judy mouthed an ¡®oh¡¯ and turned to look at Gavins illusion, hoping it wasn''t all going to be a singing montage. She idly wondered if she could make something like this, she was no great storyteller, but she was vastly more practised with her power than Gavin; his illusion seemed to be a series of still images played at a high rate of speed rather than a smooth recording. She''d have to show him some better techniques there. The story had an odd charm she enjoyed, even though there were obvious cultural aspects she was missing. Why the odd language? Surely Gavin''s homeworld with its purported vastly better technology could translate the audio instead of text at the bottom of the screen? Also, why were the characters acting with so much exaggeration? It looked unnatural. Judy was full of nitpicks and questions to ask after Gavin was done that she was surprised to find herself oddly invested in the story as it unfolded. She was even disappointed when it ended, and was about to ask for another until she saw the strain on Gavin''s face, sweat sheeting his brow. ¡°That was awesome Gavin¡± Sam said ¡°having two necromancers as the main characters is an odd choice, but I''m interested to see where the story goes.¡± ¡°When I''ve leveled up a bit, I''m buggered after that¡± he laughed. ¡°Thanks for sharing that with us, you haven''t really talked about your life back on earth much.¡± Sam said. ¡°My world is way less cool than this one¡± he said, grabbing a chip and popping into his mouth. ¡°Well, that can''t be true, everything you have shown us from your world is pretty cool. Even Dungeons and Dragons, we don''t have anything like that here.¡± ¡°Can you show us your old home?¡± Judy asked, sitting forward. ¡°Yeah, give me a minute,¡± Gavin said, watching his mana creep back up. He felt exhausted after that. His ability to multitask had increased, but keeping so much information in his head at once had been taxing. ¡°Take your time.¡± Judy said excitedly. ¡°Nah, it¡¯s okay, this is my country¡± he said, creating an image of New Zealand on the wall, annotated with place names. This is where I lived, here, in Auckland.¡± ¡°That is an enormous city, how many people live there?¡± Val said in wonder. ¡°Ahh, more than a million, probably one and a half, I''m not really sure.¡± ¡°More than a million? One million?¡± ¡°Yeah, it''s the biggest one in the country, but it''s actually a pretty small city compared to some other countries, there are a lot of cities that have more people than my entire country in them. The country that made that anime I just showed you has a city that''s forty million people.¡± ¡°In just one city?¡± ¡°Yeah, their whole country has like a hundred twenty million.¡± ¡°That must be a massive country.¡± Sam said ¡°That''s a little bit more than we have in the whole world, I think¡± ¡°Not that big, here¡± Gavin said, creating a new image, showing a map of the whole world ¡°New Zealand is down here, in the middle of nowhere, and Japan is up here¡± ¡°They''re tiny,¡± Judy said. ¡°How many people live on your planet?¡± ¡°Close to eight billion I think¡± ¡°Eight Billion?¡± Sam asked incredulously ¡°how do you feed that many people without magic?¡± ¡°Good farming techniques I guess? There''s no monsters, so we can just bowl down a bunch of forest to use as farmland. My country''s most deadly animal is probably a wild pig, that''s an animal that looks a bit like a swamp trotter, or we have a spider that can give you a bit of a sore bite.¡± ¡°Hey Gavin,¡± Judy asked, getting up to look at his map ¡°Why doesn''t the ice go up the sides of the map?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± he asked ¡°what do you mean?¡± ¡°Here, you¡¯ve got the ice wall up top and down the bottom, but not up the sides¡± ¡°Ice wall? Those are continents¡± ¡°What stops the water sloshing off the edge?¡± Sam asked sceptically. ¡°Wait. No.¡± Gavin said horror dawning on his face ¡°You guys are flat earthers?¡± FOUR. That鈥檚 not how that works. The following day the knights were up at dawn. After their morning run around the mountaintop they portalled into Edomont to collect a fresh batch of contracts. They were dressed in their full battle attire, Valerie in her roughly matching heavy plate and assortment of swords clanking as she walked, while the other three were dressed in similarly themed bright polished steel, patterned with intricate detail, and layered with fine cloth to varying degrees, dyed orange for Sam, red for Judy, and purple for Gavin. The morning sun glinted off their armour as they strode in unison towards the guild. ¡°We look so fuckin cool¡± Gavin said proudly. ¡°Well, three of us do.¡± Judy ribbed. ¡°Hey!¡± Gavin and Val complained at the same time. ¡°What? Val, you guys look awesome as shit.¡± Gavin said. ¡°You''re like the cool older sister who''s back from uni and wants to hang out with her younger sister''s friends at parties with tattoos, and smokes, and drinks spirits, and doesn''t give a fuuuuck.¡± ¡°I have no idea what you mean there, you can get your own alcohol. Also, what''s uni? Actually, I don''t want to know.¡± ¡°You four, come with me.¡± said a woman with a thick accent. Gavin looked around for another group of four individuals she could be referring to. Spotting noone in the otherwise deserted courtyard he turned to her, looking her up and down. ¡°Lady.¡± he began belligerently, ¡°not really sure who you are, but we''re off to go do some contracts, and I''m not super keen to jus-¡± ¡°I am deputy director Natalia Venom. I am even less keen on having to wait on a team of level one wardens than you are at being told what to do. So if you don''t mind, come this way.¡± ¡°Well, lead on then, I guess.¡± Gavin said, shrugging his shoulders and following along behind her. Natalia led them through the campus, into the administration building, through a labyrinthine series of hallways and into a meeting room. She took the seat at the head of the table leaving the team to find their spots. ¡°So.¡± Gavin began, breaking the silence ¡°What''s the story morning glory?¡± ¡°The story, young master Gavin-¡± ¡°Just Gavin, cheers mate.¡± The story, Gavin is that your team name has landed on a list of teams that the guild is sending to the unclaimed lands and no one seems to know how or why your name is there.¡± ¡°I heard the guild was sussing out a deal ro send wardens out there.¡± Gavin said casually, ¡°so you guys want to send us out to kill some monsters?¡± ¡°That is what this meeting is for. I''m inclined to strike your team from the list unless you can adequately explain why I should let you go.¡± ¡°I''m not sure why we should have to explain how we''ve ended up on some list. Can the guild just tell us where to go? Sam?¡± Gavin asked, turning to his teammate who bobbed her head side to side in consideration before she nodded in the affirmative. ¡°There are twelve teams being sent out into the unclaimed lands. That''s twelve level two and three teams who are the top performing members the guild has to offer. I''ve looked up your records, and while I can agree that it is impressive for your level, it isn''t nearly close to the best the guild has to offer. Your name on this list reeks of politics.¡± ¡°I mean, that''d explain it. But I will say in our defence, when push comes to shove, we haven''t met a challenge that could knock us down without getting right back up again, and pushing back harder.¡± ¡°You do want to go then?¡± Gavin shrugged ¡°I want to kill monsters. I want to look good killing monsters. And I want to protect people from getting killed by monsters. Not necessarily in that order, mind. I don''t see that it matters where we kill the monsters, but it would be nice going to the place where we could do the most good.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Natalia said, eyes narrowing. ¡°I don''t know what to make of you or your team Gavin, and frankly I don''t see it as a wise choice that the guild sends you.¡± ¡°I guess that''s your decision then¡± He shrugged. ¡°Look. I can see our name being on some list looks suspicious, but is there anything in our records that even hints that our team will bend when hard choices and hard work are on the line?¡± ¡°No. But your records do have some irregularities¡± Natalia said looking at Sam in particular. ¡°My guess is someone wants us there because they feel we specifically will do the most good.¡± Gavin said as if that settled the matter. ¡°What do you think your team has that any other team we might choose to send doesn''t?¡± ¡°Plot armour?¡± Gavin shrugged. ¡°Meaning what?¡± ¡°Well, each of us had been personally given at least one divine power by one god or another. I''m not super clued up on how gods work, but I assume they will eventually call in old favours, until then, I''m pretty sure we''re immune from failure. I''ve died twice, well, once, but the second time was- it is relevant Sam, anyway, we''re here and alive, and some powerful entities have an interest in us staying that way.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Wouldn''t recommend the whole death thing, it''s not ideal¡± Gavin said behind his hand conspiratorially. ¡°I will take that under advisement.¡± Natalia said peevishly. ¡°So, we going or not?¡± Gavin said, leaning back in his chair, ¡°because if we''re not I''d really like to go collect some contracts.¡± ¡°Against my better judgement I will allow your team to stay on the list. In two hours there will be a portal from the guild courtyard to Westbrook for the eastern teams. Your team will accompany them.¡± ¡°That soon? We''re going to have to rush to pack our spare undies.¡± ¡°You are a very difficult team to contact, you would have been informed earlier but no one could track down where you were when we checked.¡± ¡°Ohh, yeah, thats probably because of the fortress Paragon gave me for stabbing Sams mum in the face, shit, forget I said that, anyway, pretty sure not even gods can see what we''re up to in there.¡± Gavin said. They watched Natalia''s eyes twitch as she glanced at Sam again then back to Gavin who held her steely gaze with casual ease. ¡°Do not make me regret my choice.¡± ¡°No worries mate. Well, if we''re done here.¡± he said, slapping the table as his team stood in unison. ¡°There will be an official briefing at the Westbrook guild, everything you need to know will be explained there.¡± ¡°Cheers mate. Sam, you reckon we have enough time to clear a contract? One more should push you up to rank two right? I was gonna try get there today, but looks like that plans been shot.¡± ¡°I don''t think it''s wise to leave the city.¡± Sam suggested. ¡°Fine. Let''s go get some snacks for the road then.¡± The team filed out of the meeting room, avoiding Natalia''s stare, Gavin grinning like a cheshire cat as he pulled the door closed. ¡°Gerome?¡± Natalia asked, glancing to the corner where her old teammate stood invisible. ¡°That has to be the single most arrogant man I have ever met.¡± Gerome said, dropping his stealth. ¡°More than Lora Cartwright?¡± ¡°I said most arrogant man, Natalia, no one is worse than Laura.¡± ¡°Reasonable. What''s your assessment of them?¡± ¡°The man is a fool, but his team are solid. The level ones all had unnecessarily impressive gear for that rank, did the outworlder make it?¡± ¡°That is my understanding.¡± ¡°Then he is either very good at acting like a fool, or he''s a very dangerous fool. I don''t know why his team tolerates him, even if he does make them that gear. Did you pick up on anything?¡± ¡°His team has the forged in battle trait, they were using it the whole time to talk with each other. They seemed content to let him ramble at me, they were annoyed that I was wasting their time. The boy might be especially arrogant, but his team have high opinions of themselves as well.¡± Natalia said. ¡°When you''ve got gods, plural, offering you divine power can you blame them?¡± Gerome said. ¡°I suppose not. Do you think they''ll cause trouble out in the unclaimed lands?¡± ¡°I don''t know. I do know the guild should keep a close eye on him.¡± ¡°We are. Anything else?¡± ¡°He only told one lie¡± Gerome said, scratching his nose absently. ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°That they''d need to rush to pack their underwear.¡± *** ¡°So, why do you think she came at us like that?¡± Gavin asked as they left the administration building, ¡°trying to intimidate us like that was never going to work.¡± ¡°Maybe she wanted to judge how you''d react not that she''d get any actual answers out of you.¡± Judy guessed. ¡°She could have wanted her interrogation on record, have the guild to be seen doing their due diligence.¡± Sam said. ¡°I think Judy''s right.¡± Val said, ¡°if it was just the deputy director there I''d believe they were ass covering, but when Gavin realised there was a second person in the room that meant they wanted to judge our behaviour.¡± ¡°What I want to know is how you even spotted them?¡± Sam asked. ¡°The deputy director looked into the corner several times after asking Gavin a question¡± Judy said. ¡°Nah, he was using some sort of truth spell to see if I was lying. I kept getting pings from my magical secrets power, like, ¡®hey, someone is trying to cast a spell near you, you''re not high enough level to actually copy it, but you can try to, you''d fail, but you could try¡¯. Super fuckin annoying.¡± ¡°Sounds like torture¡± Sam said rolling her eyes. ¡°It was. being told by my own ability that I''m too weak to screw with someone is bullshit.¡± ¡°Well, get stronger then¡± Sam said, putting an end to Gavins bitching at least for the moment. ¡°We don''t have a lot of time to prepare, Val, come with me, we''ll go get provisions, Gavin, take Judy, pack up the fortress then you two can stock up on food.¡± ¡°Roger roger.¡± Gavin said, opening his portal back to the fortress. There wasn''t a lot to do really, mainly just collapsing the fortress and looting all of its contents into his inventory. He had Judy take his lump of etherium, still untouched, into her inventory, tapping out her capacity almost by itself. He worked to deconstruct the deck around their home while she waited. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Taking that etherium in and out of your inventory would be a good way to level your power up. ¡± Gavin suggested. ¡°My inventory power is ranking up at the same rate as my combat powers when I use it to shoot my arrows, it won''t help me actually level up faster.¡± ¡°But it will help you get additional utility faster. The sooner you rank it up the sooner you can start absorbing bits of extradimensional pockets. If I don¡¯t grind my crafting abilities when I level up you''ll be waiting half a year to get better gear, whereas if I knuckle down for a week I can start spitting out the good stuff straight away.¡± ¡°I get you. Fine¡± she said, taking the lump of metal from her inventory and putting it back in after it''d crashed to the hard packed ground, gouging up the earth ¡°Okay, done. Now, let''s go get some snacks for the road.¡± The team met up again an hour and a half later back at the guild. Sam and Val had acquired large packs full of anything they could think of, potions of disease resistance, poison resistance, elemental resistance, recovery, healing, mana. Additional glow globes, multiple lengths of rope of several thicknesses and durability, pots and pans, a ring of water breathing, fire starters and several other items Gavin would have never thought to buy They found a bench to sit at and idle away the time, Gavin grinding his bubble shield ability while Judy shot him. ¡°Look sharp¡± Sam announced, spotting an official looking delegation. The team stood as one and walked over to greet them. ¡°How''s it going mate.¡± Gavin addressed their leader, holding out his hand to shake. ¡°You''re Terry right? Name¡¯s Gavin.¡± ¡°You know me?¡± Said the short stocky man. ¡°Yeah mate, Lin told me about you.¡± ¡°Oh, right, the potato wizard.¡± Terry laughed. ¡°We are on a tight schedule Terrance.¡± A lanky elderly gentleman clipped. ¡°Oh, right. Here you go¡± Terry said, chastised as he opened a portal. Unlike Gavin, Terry''s portal power took the form of an ornate golden picture frame with an impressionist painting of the destination beyond, the scene moving and shifting as people moved through the well lit square. ¡°Huh. That''s neat.¡± Gavin said. ¡°It is yeah.¡± Terry replied, beaming. ¡°If you two are quite done, you are to follow me, I will take your team to the briefing.¡± ¡°Sweet as chief. Have a good one Terry, say hi to Lin for me, you should get her to suss you out with some sour cream and chives chips, they''re pretty close to right.¡± Gavin said as he stepped through his portal, feeling uncharacteristically queasy as he travelled nearly a thousand kilometres in an instant. ¡°This way.¡± The officious man in the grey robes announced, his offsider, a waif of a girl bustling along behind him. ¡®Rude prick didn''t even introduce himself¡¯ Gavin grumbled through the team''s telepathic link. ¡®Please don''t start something with him. ¡¯ Sam pleaded. ¡®You seemed happy enough to let me run my mouth at Natalia.¡¯ ¡®She deserved it.¡¯ Sam said. ¡®I bet this guy does too.¡¯ Gavin argued. ¡®He probably does, but he seems a lot more spiteful than the deputy director.¡¯ ¡®Okay, fine, I won''t say a word unless he really needs mouthing off to. ¡¯ ¡®I guess that''s all we can hope for¡¯ Sam sighed. They were shown into a hall with several long wooden tables running its length, a stage at one end. Three teams were already in there when they arrived, sitting as far from each other as possible. ¡°Wait here. Once all the teams have arrived the briefing will begin.¡± Rick the Prick, That was what Gavin decided to call him in his head in lieu of his real name, ordered. ¡°Jasmine, you wait here too. I won''t need you until afterwards.¡± Rick turned and left with a swish of grey robes. ¡°Jasmine was it? I''m Gavin, this is Samania Starbourne, Valerie Westhart and Judy Hawkthorne. You can hang with us if you want.¡± ¡°Hang?¡± The young woman blanched. ¡°Don''t mind him, he means join us.¡± ¡°Yeah, that thing what I said, anyway, those guys over there look like they''re not a bunch of cocks, let''s go say hi.¡± said Gavin, leading the way over to the table on the right of the stage. They approached the team of six wardens, they were a medley of faces, three of each men and women, with at least four distinct nationalities represented amongst them. ¡°What''s up guys, mind if we sit here?¡± Gavin said, taking a seat beside a dark skinned woman with a short shorn head ¡°We''re the knights of the round table, that''s Sam, Judy and Val, plus Jasmine, she''s not on the team, but her prick boss abandoned her with us, so she gets honorary knight status until this is all over.¡± ¡°Uhh.¡± a chiselled hero of a man stammered while he processed the newcomers, ¡°we''re the runic blades, I''m Kaelan, that''s Koyo you''re sitting next to, then Xavier, Isandro, Freya and Leilani.¡± ¡°Nice team name, you an enchanter mate?¡± ¡°No, Koyo is, we got our name back before she''d unlocked all her abilities and the best we had was basic gear she scribed runes on. We''ve come a long way since then.¡± ¡°Nice, I''m our team''s bodger too.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Koyo grunted. ¡°I cobble together bits and pieces to help us kill stuff good. Well, Sam and Judy and me anyway, Val¡¯s too cool to use anything I make.¡± he said, looking at Val who rolled her eyes. ¡°Can I see?¡± Koyo asked, her voice thick and melodious. ¡°Sure. Made this one like a month after I got into this world¡± he said, summoning his spear and handing it to her. ¡°After getting into this world?¡± she said, turning the weapon over in her hands. ¡°I''m an outworlder, I''ve been here like half a year.¡± Gavin said with false modesty. ¡°Well, this is impressive for a level one weapon, you''ve got some inefficiencies with your enchantment architecture and flaws in the crystal lattice of the mithril edge, your knowledge comes from skill books?¡± ¡°Yeah¡± Gavin admitted. ¡°Nothing to be ashamed of, I wasn''t making epic tier items at level one. You don''t have a power to inspect item makeup right?¡± ¡°I do sort of, forgemaster¡¯s eye lets me see what stuff does, only just got it though.¡± ¡°Then you''ve operating from a handicap, do you have anything more recent?¡± ¡°Yeah, here¡± Gavin said, handing over his soulbound dice. ¡°Ooh, nasty¡± she cooed ¡°I can see some definite improvement there, but you¡¯ve got some flaws in the lattice see here it''s not even.¡± ¡°Yeah, I haven¡¯t really had time to knuckle down and perfect anything yet, between adventuring and getting occasionally kidnapped I''ve only managed to make us the bare basics. ¡± ¡°Well, you probably won''t have a lot of free time going forward either.¡± Koyo said. ¡°Did you just say you got kidnapped?¡± Xavier asked. ¡°Yeah, we accidentally annoyed some level three pricks so they kidnapped us and tried to kill us.¡± ¡°How did that end up?¡± ¡°We¡¯re here and they¡¯re not.¡± Gavin shrugged. ¡°Good. You have a power that lets you deal with high level threats?¡± Xavier asked, interest flushing his expression. ¡°I made a big bomb¡± Gavin laughed, making an exploding gesture with his hands. ¡°That also works, Xavier has a spell that can one shot monsters of a higher level than him, but it wipes him out for a week.¡± ¡°Neat, can you show me? I have a power that let''s me copy a spell.¡± ¡°What spell is that¡± Xavier asked, scepticism thick in his voice. ¡°Ahh, magical secrets.¡± Gavin said hesitating, unsure if he should be divulging that specific information. ¡°That''s not what that power does¡± he accused. ¡°It does when Soliece gives you a divine affinity crystal for it.¡± ¡°Bullshit¡± Keylan laughed ¡°How did you con Soliece giving you a Divine affinity crystal?¡± ¡°Ahh, what was that one for again guys?¡± Gavin asked, turning to his team. ¡°When you made that giant statue of-¡± Val began. ¡°The thing we shouldn''t talk about¡± Sam finished. ¡°Oh, right, yeah, not really in the spirit of the gift, sorry mate¡± Gavin finished by looking at the ceiling. ¡°I believe it. I can see why she would like him.¡± Freya said. ¡°So anyway, about that spell? ahh shit, looks like everyone''s here¡± he grumbled noticing the delegation of teams filing into the room. Leading them was a woman that looked every bit the warden Sam aspired to become. Tall, powerful, commanding. Her hawk-like eyes sweeping over the crowd, capturing everyone''s attention in an instant. She was armoured up to the teeth in resplendent plate, the ashen steel twinkling with thousands of silver runes that glittered as she strode through the room. Slung across her back was a comically large double edged sword, its blade two concave faces that ended in an arrowhead shape at the tip. ¡°Commander Kalista.¡± Sam whispered. ¡°Oh shit.¡± Val muttered. ¡°Who?¡± Gavin whispered. ¡°She''s the leader of the wardens guild. Level twenty, she''s one of the greatest heroes of the age.¡± Sam said. ¡°No shit.¡± Gavin said, eyebrows raising ¡°level twenties have like, super human perception right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Sam confirmed through gritted teeth, ¡°so be civil.¡± ¡°No worries, I only piss people off I know I can beat in a fight.¡± ¡°Gavin. I have literally seen you mouth off to three different gods.¡± ¡°Really? There was Soliece and Paragon, who was the third?¡± ¡°You called Florin a prick when you were talking to Soliece and then again to Paragon.¡± ¡°Yeah, I apologised for that though.¡± ¡°No, you didn''t¡± Sam corrected. ¡°Didn''t I? Ahh well, sorry Florin, you''re all good, well, mostly all good, still a little annoyed about that one thing, but on the whole you get a pass.¡± ¡°Your outworlder friend is quite odd.¡± Xavier said, leaning over to whisper to Val, ¡°is he always like this?¡± ¡°Mostly, yeah.¡± Val confessed. ¡°Hey, sometimes I''m not.¡± Gavin said defensively. ¡°Yeah, Sometimes he locks himself in a room for a week while he ranks up his crafting abilities. You''re about due for that again right?¡± ¡°Yeah, actually. It''s going to be a bit awkward with the whole diplomatic mission thing. Wonder if they''ll be okay with me going on the trip and just doing nothing for a bit?¡± ¡°I''m sure no one will mind so long as you stay in the fortress and don''t bother anyone until you can make me some new swords.¡± Val said. ¡°You''re going to need longer than a week to get fully rank up your crafting powers to two.¡± Koyo said with a consoling smile. ¡°Want a bet? I''m due to level up like, tomorrow, I bet I can get all of my crafting abilities to max out in a week, seven day week that is¡± ¡°Seven day week?¡± ¡°My world has seven day weeks.¡± ¡°That just sounds ridiculous.¡± ¡°Wait till I tell you they''re named after fake gods and not numbered.¡± ¡°Fake gods?¡± Xavier asked, confusion on his brow. ¡°Don''t ask.¡± Val cut in, ¡°Just. Dont.¡± ¡°I''ll take that bet then¡± Koyo said, ¡°what do I get if I win?¡± ¡°One ingot of level three etherium.¡± Gavin said ¡°but if I win I want some training.¡± ¡°An ingot of Etherium? How did you get a whole ingot?¡± ¡°They don''t invite scrubs onto adventures like this mate. Do we have a deal?¡± Gavin said holding a hand out awkwardly to shake. ¡°Yes we have a deal. Easiest fortune I ever made.¡± she said looking at her team with an expression that said ¡®it''s okay that I''m scamming this guy, right?¡¯ Commander Kalista had made her way up onto the stage with her entourage of pencil pushers and hangers-on. Standing boldly before the assembled teams she needed only a glance to silence the crowd. ¡°Listen up.¡± she growled, gravelly voice dripping irritation. ¡°The guild is expanding its influence into the unclaimed lands. We have a deal to provide assistance to the natives, in exchange for letting us open bases of operations in their lands. You will be the vanguard who sets the example for everything the guild can offer. This will be an expansive project, setting up satellite guild halls in several villages as a trial before we expand operations over the whole area. I will say this once and once only. You will hold yourselves to the absolute highest standard. I want zero. Zero, issues with discipline. Failure to comply is not something you want to think about trying. With that out of the way, I''ll hand you over to Director Richard Butts.¡± She concluded, gazing over the assembled crowd. Her eyes lingered on Gavin for a moment eying him as he turned beet red, eyes watering as he bit his lip. Rick ¡®the prick¡¯ Butts took Commander Kalistas place front and centre stage. ¡°As you leave this hall you will be given a map of the unclaimed lands and your first assignments. Teams have been assigned to either; setting up the early detection network with a member of the guild of magic users, or contract clearing. If you are contract clearing there is no room for failure, they will be completed within twenty four hours. During this first phase of the operation all contact with the natives will go only through those of you who have attained the fourth guild rank, we cannot afford to upset all of this work by poorly considered words from those of you who prefer fighting to thinking. We will assemble in the courtyard outside at sun down and portal to our final destination.¡± ¡°Does anyone else feel a little singled out by that speech?¡± Gavin asked. ¡°Well, maybe if you didn¡¯t behave like a child then people would stop treating you like one.¡± Sam said as she lashed into him. ¡°What was up with you when Commander Kalista introduced Director Butts?¡± ¡°You know how Sam is short for Samania, Val is short for Valerie? ¡°Yeah, so?¡± ¡°Well on my world Dick is the short name for Richard. The blokes name is literally Dick Butt.¡± Gavin said, failing to keep a straight face as Jasmine hid behind her hands. ¡°You are so gods damned immature sometimes Gavin.¡± Sam said pinching her nose. ¡°Come on, lets go, crowd¡¯s dying down now.¡± He said, pushing himself up from his seat ¡°Catcha later Jazz.¡± The team filed out, collecting an envelope at the door from a straight cut man who looked like he took his job way too seriously. The knights found a quiet bench out in the guild compound to inspect their assignment. Tearing open the letter he handed the map to Judy for the team to inspect while he read their orders ¡°We¡¯re being assigned to a village called Ny¨¹mbakka, which is definitely not going to sound really insulting when we try to pronounce it.¡± Gavin said. ¡°There it is.¡± Judy said, pointing to a spot in the middle of nowhere. ¡°Cool, well, we¡¯re on contract clearing duty.¡± Gavin said. ¡°Does it say how we get to Nyumb- Ny¨¹mbakka?¡± Judy asked. ¡°No.¡± Gavin said, turning the page over. ¡°I''m sure it''ll all work out. Anyway, here''s a list of stuff we need, looks like you bought most of it already, oh, did you get insect repellant?¡± ¡°No¡± Sam said. ¡°We should go find some.¡± ¡°Should be an apothecary around here somewhere.¡± Their shopping trip was short, Gavin took the time afterwards to peruse the guild merchant''s, looking over Westbrook''s stock of magic items, picking out a couple of level two items he wanted to replicate. He stopped dead when he glanced at the level three items. ¡°Huh. Oh shit.¡± He muttered ¡®Guys, I''m going to spend all our money again.¡¯ FIVE. Level Two. The team made the final jump through to the unclaimed lands, arriving in the town of Na?tak. Gavin felt like he was stepping back in time, the locals wore clothing of woven natural fibres, dyed with vibrant natural inks. Most had facial tattoos that accentuated at least one feature, usually highlighting the eyes or mouth with bold designs that reminded Gavin of the t¨¡ moko his ancestors back home ritually carved into themselves. Gavin spotted tribesmen that were heavily tattooed over their entire bodies, openly carrying weapons. Spears seemed to be the most popular weapon, but bows, slings, mattocks and axes made with obsidian shards lashed to a wooden handle were also common. They eyed the outsiders with suspicion or hostility, which Gavin felt was fair, he was getting definite colonial settler vibes from their group. The knights met up with their counterparts who were on beacon duty, the Stormforge Wardens, a group of five heavily armed and armoured warriors that all had a heavy synergy with either lightning, water, or wind powers. They were to act as guards while they hiked the two day journey through the wilderness, accompanied by a small group of guild officials, researchers, and magic specialists, led by a local guide. They joined teams Phoenix and Twilight Seekers, their village was along the same road half a day out of Na?tak. They would all stay in Dam¨¡k overnight then carry on the following morning. The team made the journey before nightfall where they were shown to an empty plot of land outside the village. Gavin set his fortress up in a spot out of the way while the rest of the gathering set up tents or other conjured dwellings. ¡°So, why did you have to spend all our money Gavin?¡± Sam asked when they were safely inside the fortress. ¡°Check this out.¡± He said, taking an item from his inventory and handing it to her. [Item: Reservoir of the artificer] [Type: Tool] [Rarity: Level three, very rare] [Description: His master needed more than he could give, this was the solution] [Effect: Mana torae. Activate to transfer mana to the user or object. Mana replenishes slowly over time] ¡°What''s so good about this? Our armour does this but better.¡± Sam asked, tossing the object to Judy to inspect. ¡°No Sam, this changes everything.¡± Gavin grinned. ¡°How?¡± ¡°When I hit level two I''ll be able to get my crafting abilities to rank three in like a week.¡± ¡°Yeah, we heard your bet with that woman.¡± Judy said. ¡°My crafting abilities are all level two, you guys haven''t ever asked why I don''t make level two gear for you all?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Sam said, brow furrowing, ¡°why not?¡± I can fabricate and deconstruct level two materials, make level two items, even create level two enchantment architecture. What I can''t do is produce level two mana to finish the enchanting process.¡± ¡°What do you mean level two mana?¡± Judy asked. ¡°When you level up the way your soul channels energy from the ether into your body changes, the mana your body can use is fundamentally different at each level. Think of it like a fine seive, it can let water through but not much else, as you level up the holes get bigger, now water and sand can get through, then the holes get bigger and you can fit gravel through there too. When you hit level twenty your body is strong enough to withstand channelling raw ether.¡± ¡°So you can use this to make level three items by using its charge to do the last bit for you?¡± ¡°That''s exactly what I¡¯m saying. We can jump level two gear entirely and go straight to level three. It will mean the enchantments will have to be passive effects because we won''t have level three mana to activate them, and anything I make that''s soulbound will be a lot trickier, I don''t know how reforging an already soulbound item will work, but it''ll mean our gear is twice as good as it should be. We¡¯all be able to take on level three or even four monsters if they fit our composition well enough.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Val said, handing his new tool back to him. ¡°So, Judy, wanna finish grinding out my bubble shield ability tonight and you get the first level three item?¡± ¡°Deal.¡± she said, flicking a stone from her inventory at his face. The pair spent the evening and small hours of the morning training. Judy shooting him with arrows from across the room into repeatedly conjured bubble shields while Gavin used his forgemasters eye ability to refine his crafted items further. Finally Gavin called it quits as soon as his last two abilities progressed over the line. With a rush of adrenaline he felt his base stats jump, it wasn''t a quantitative leap that expanded his powers by leaps and bounds, More a qualitative advancement that made his already gained powers feel more refined and smooth to use. *** ¡°Man, this feels good.¡± Gavin said, levitating himself above the ground in a sitting position with his force of will power as the group left early the next morning. ¡°Hopefully we get into a fight today, if I get a good radiance of the dawn off I''ll get to level two as well.¡± Sam said wistfully. ¡°Yeah, you''ve been really screwed over the past couple days.¡± Gavin said. ¡°It''s not a race Gavin, we''ll get there when we get there.¡± Sam said half heartedly, they were all hankering to get to the next stage of their advancement even though Sam was making an effort to put on a brave face. The party of officials and adventurers made good time as they walked between villages, they were all at least of the first rank and had a much deeper stamina pool to draw from than an average citizen. The groups mainly kept to themselves, the officials talked with each other about logistical problems Gavin had zero interest in understanding. The Storm wardens had taken the lead while Gavins team filtered out in a loose formation. They didn''t need to be close to one another to talk freely. ¡°Monster, up there.¡± Judy said pointing In a direction slightly off the road, ¡°just spotted eyes in the trees.¡± ¡°We''re up.¡± Sam ordered the team, her sword appearing in her hands as she cracked her neck. Gavin shouldered his rifle, aiming it down in the direction of Judy¡¯s pointed finger, his team formed up around him. The Stormforge Wardens took up a position in front of the Knights. A heavy electric tingle permeated the air as the Wardens slowly advanced up the road, Sam had her team take up a defensive posture around the various guild officials they were guarding. ¡°There, up in the trees, level two I think.¡± Judy said, pointing off to the other side of the road, this time they all could see the set of yellow glowing eyes in the darkness. ¡°We all ready?¡± Simon, leader of the Storm Wardens asked. ¡°Ready¡± Sam confirmed. The wardens began their charge, lightning crackled and a storm wind crashed into the trees. Gavins shot hit the ground right behind where the eyes had been, but it was gone. ¡°Things fast.¡± Gavin grunted, loading another round as the first reformed inside the rifle with a slight drain on his prodigious mana pool. ¡°It has a teleport power.¡± Judy said. ¡°Jump panther.¡± Val guessed, ¡°they''re fast and strong, but don''t have a lot of durability. ¡± ¡°You lot are on guard duty, we''ll hunt it down.¡± Simon called, his team rampaging off into the forest. The small storm gathered and grew, wind and hail howling suddenly as the team combined their powers. Leaves and earth tore free of the forest, whipping up and around as trees groaned against the sudden tempest. Lightning cracked and ice shards hammered the area as they moved off and away from the main party. ¡°You any good in a fight Haylee?¡± Gavin asked. ¡°Not really, my skills are all utility powers.¡± Their third rank guild liaison admitted. ¡°You still have rank three strength and speed, thats more than any of us, here, take this.¡± He said, handing her his spear, ¡°It''s real easy, just stick it with the pointy end if it gets clo-oh shit.¡± The monster appeared in a puff of smoke in their midst, raking claws along Sam''s wooden back and clawing splinters off in chunks with a paw and popping Gavin''s hastily conjured bubble shield with the other. Before any of them could react, it was gone, leaving several administrators shrieking in fear at their brief encounter. ¡°It''s okay guys, we''ve got this, Haylee, if it jumps in again I want you to stab it as quickly as you can, there''s nothing it can do that will hurt you permanently.¡± Gavin said, levitating his two D12''s sending them howling around their group. ¡°Okay.¡± Haylee said, her voice quivering, her white knuckled grip holding Gavins spear rigidly at the ready. More peals of thunder and lightning rang out from the trees, explosions of light and sound blanketing the area, spreading out around the group like a stormwall around the centre of a cyclone. Whole trees and debris swarmed around them as the animating energy rose to a crescendo. The second time the beast appeared within their circle they were ready. Val and Gavins enhanced senses triggered Sam to use her radiance of the dawn almost simultaneously, she bathed them all in scouring light that washed over the road like cleansing fire. For the party of adventurers it was nothing more than a blinding tingle, for the monster it was agony. Divine energy nipped at its shadowy skin scrubbing away its fur and leaving red welts where the light touched. The split second Sam''s attack brought was enough for Haylee to react, she drove Gavin''s spear through its spine, pinning it to the ground. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Gavin whipped around, blasting two shots into the back of its head, while three of Vals swords hacked bloody chunks from its flank before it jumped away. ¡°It''s bleeding now.¡± Val confirmed. ¡°I got a good couple of Haemorrhage conditions on it.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Sam said ¡°Gavin, reset my powers?¡¯ ¡°I can''t, we¡¯re out of money¡± ¡°With your mana you moron.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah, forgot it also worked like that.¡± ¡°Judy, next time you see it, light it up.¡± Sam ordered ¡°don''t even bother trying to shoot it, it''s too fast.¡± ¡°Got it.There.¡± She called pointing at a luminous red sphere burst from the undergrowth. Gavin popped off three shots before the panicked panther jumped again. The storm wardens crashed back onto the road, frustration and anger on their faces, covered in dirt and dried blood they ran to rejoin the huddled group in the middle of the road. ¡°It''s injured.¡± Sam said, ¡°easy to spot, we''ve got an illusion power lighting it up.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Simon said, ¡°our powers aren''t suited for dealing with monsters like that, unless we''re demolishing the whole forest to root it out.¡± The monster appeared behind the wardens, bearing one to the ground, it''s jaw worrying at the back of his neck. Gavin, barely needing to react, pulled in on his whirling hexahedrons, their speed rocketing as he smashed the two spiked balls into the creature. He took the moment it was there to place his own illusion over the panther, a thin column of red light that extended a dozen metres into the air. The panther vanished, its marker appearing far up in the trees. ¡°Can you get it from here?¡± Sam asked. ¡°Yes, Jory, Ben, you''re up.¡± Simon said as he surged more mana into the storm he''d conjured and sent it off in the direction of the panther. The two Wardens stepped up, Readying their attacks, twin bolts of lightning shot out, thundering into the base of the beacon. The red line vanished, appearing at a different location, only to be blasted again and again. Soon the line stopped moving, the monster succumbing to its wounds. Gavin jumped up to its location and looted its corpse. ¡°You want to handle loot distribution?¡± He asked Haylee when he returned to the party, ¡°make sure to give yourself a share too.¡± ¡°I, I can, yes.¡± She said, regaining her composure. ¡°You did well Haylee.¡± Val said. ¡°You should be proud of yourself.¡± Sam agreed, returning to her normal form ¡°I didn''t really do anything.¡± She said, blushing ¡°I''m the highest level here and I couldn''t do anything.¡± ¡°You didn''t panic and you acted.¡± Sam said, putting an armoured hand on her shoulder. ¡°It''s what we do. You might not have the training of a warden, but you have the heart.¡± ¡°Shall we stop for a rest then?¡± Haylee said, looking uncomfortable with the praise. ¡°Out here on the road?¡± Simon asked, ¡°not a good idea.¡± ¡°No worries mate, we can go into the fortress.¡± ¡°What fortress?¡± ¡°That one¡± Gavin said pointing off to the side of the road, his fortress forming at the tip of his finger. ¡°That was your team that summoned this last night?¡± ¡°Yeah, come on in, I''ve made enough room for us all.¡± ¡°What is this power?¡± Haylee asked. ¡°Divine instant fortress.¡± Gavin said offhandedly as he beckoned them inside. ¡°Divine?¡± ¡°Yeah, Paragon sussed me out with it, pretty neat right?¡± ¡°As in Paragon Paragon?¡± ¡°Yeah, he''s a pretty cool bloke, thinks he''s funnier than he is though.¡± ¡°Gavin.¡± Sam said pointedly. ¡°Oh, yeah, right, don''t blaspheme the gods or whatever, anyway, who wants a pie? Still haven''t got V sorted out yet, but one of these days I''ll get it.¡± ¡°V?¡± Simon asked taking a pie in a brown paper bag. ¡°Don''t ask¡± Judy said ¡°if he starts rambling like that it''s not worth it.¡± ¡°I can see that.¡± He said, taking a bite out of his pie, ¡°I think he''s missed his calling as a cook though, who would have thought to put meat in a pie?¡± ¡°Apparently is the custom where he''s from.¡± ¡°Where''s that? Certainly not in the eastern kingdom.¡± ¡°Nah mate, little country called New Zealand. She''s a bit of a hike from here.¡± ¡°Everywheres a bit of a hike from here.¡± ¡°Ha, that''s true, anyone seen Sam?¡± ¡°I think she went to her room.¡± Val said through a mouthful of steak and cheese. ¡°Ahh yeah, bet that fight pushed her over into level two, speaking of, you''re next Judy, we¡¯ll get you caught up in no time.¡± Gavin found a quiet corner to start up his crafting grind again, started on a set of level two gauntlets, then another, working his way up towards something that would tap out his spirit, intellect and willpower attributes to the top of their safe level. The mana flowing through him felt like a fire hydrant, he was right on the brink of doing himself harm, though his endurance and body of iron ability were just barely enough to mitigate the damage to a level he could passively heal. Now he could begin on the real road to power. Making four daggers at a time with four different enchantments he rotated through his pool of known effects. He worked quickly and efficiently, producing dozens of weapons while they rested. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Ben, one of the Storm Wardens sitting down on the couch near him ¡°I''ve been watching you make items all day.¡± ¡°Hit level- two this morning, trying to get my crafting abilities ranked up to- three by next week.¡± ¡°Ha, no way you''ll do that, it took me two months to get any of my skills to level three.¡± ¡°I''ve already bet Koyo, the Runic Blades team smith I could do it. You want to make a bet too?¡± ¡°Actually, I don''t think I will. I don''t bet on things I can''t control.¡± He said, laughing. ¡°That''s a good policy.¡± Sam walked back into the room, catching Gavin''s eye with a smile. She radiated fresh level two mana that the team was instantly able to pick up on. ¡°Nice one Sam.¡± Val said, ¡°want to go have a fight?¡± ¡°Perhaps after we get to Nyumbakka¡± Haylee said ¡°I have the loot tallied, once it''s divvied out we should get going.¡± She went about handing out either receipts for guild credit or the coins, Gavin¡¯s team all took the coins, having more use for those than anything they could get at the local guild branch. The group arrived at Ny¨±mbakka In the early afternoon and set up camp in the guild grounds. They were all given time off to do whatever they wanted, so long as they stayed within the guild compound. Gavin offered his services setting up the base defences, taking the menial task of fabricating and enchanting flagstones around the site with one other enchanter. Brian, a hired level two contractor. He was happy for the assistance, though he''d been apprehensive at first given his experience following Gavin for the past few days. Once he''d seen he was able to skillfully follow their plans, taking great care to craft each stone with his best possible effort he''d warmed to his new coworker. Brian worked to flatten and harden the earth then lay down a bed of sand and lime, while Gavin followed along behind, enchanting and placing the torso sized hexagonal chunks of granite with care and precision. They were enchanted in a similar way to Gavin''s armour, or, more specifically, his armour was enchanted similarly to the tiles. He''d copied the enchantments for his team''s armour from the Edomont guild defences, each tile performing a very slightly different function to best absorb, channel, and use the stored mana to different degrees depending on its location in the pattern. The practice was good for him, maintaining his concentration as he hyper fixated on his task. He was soon straining himself to the edge of his ability, having to periodically take recovery potions to maintain his pace. ¡°This is excellent work, how are you producing epic quality work on your second day of rank two?¡± ¡°Enchanting power, scales off my spirit attribute not my level.¡± Gavin grunted, levitating the rock carefully into place ¡°here.¡± He said, tossing him one of his gauntlets. ¡°Gods Gavin¡± he said handing the gauntlet back ¡°that''s not good for you, you''re going to wreck your body if you keep pushing like that, that gauntlet is ready to explode with how much mana you''ve forced into it.¡± ¡°That''s why it stays in my inventory when I''m not in a safe area, and besides, I have the body of iron ability, doing it this way helps strengthen my body to resist the damage I''m doing to it. It''s good training.¡± ¡°You should really be taking it a lot easier, take a break, let yourself recover.¡± ¡°Mate, my job is to keep my team alive. I need to push myself so I can give them the best gear they can have as quickly as I can give it to them. Having good gear in six months won''t matter if they need it tomorrow. We''re out there every day doing way more dangerous stuff than enchanting rocks, I''ve been mauled, stabbed, shot through the heart, punched, blasted with lightning, died two ish times, had my hand blown off, my neck broken, you name it, I''ve had it done to me. Getting a bit tired is the absolute least of my worries.¡± ¡°Wardens, you''re all insane.¡± Ben said, shaking his head. ¡°A little bit. But if my time here has taught me anything it''s that things will go wrong at the worst possible moment, so it''s best to be prepared.¡± ¡°That is a very cynical take.¡± ¡°You develop a certain outlook on life when you die a couple times.¡± ¡°I bet. Well. I suppose you should carry on then.¡± ¡°You got it boss.¡± Gavin said, holding out a manhole cover sized slab as he laced in its enchantment.. Behind the two enchanters another team was assembling the hall, administration building and a barracks for the wardens to stay in while stationed at the village. When dinner time rolled around they had all but finished their work. The guild put on a feast for the assembled teams, Gavin managed to drag himself away from his work long enough to eat a quick meal, summon his fortress, and get back to it. He crafted slabs of stone late into the night, dragging himself to bed before midnight. The next morning they assembled after breakfast to get their orders for the day. The storm wardens would go out into the forest to place beacons the guild used to track ambient magic levels in the area. They were less complex than the infrastructure the guild had built up over the thousands of years back in their realm of influence, and would provide only an approximate area to look in and a decently reliable gauge on the level of the mana surge. The main issue would be there was a large gap between the level of the encounters and the difficulty. On his first day in this world Gavin had fought two level one monsters, one was an eel, that he was able to kill with a rock while injured and unprepared, the other had killed almost all of a team of wardens outright before a well timed spear had skewered it through the brain. It probably wouldn''t matter for level one and two encounters, the team could deal with any number of monsters at that level, but a level three infestation could be disastrous if they weren''t cautious. The team didn''t have a lot to do until more of the network had been set up, leaving Gavin a lot of free time to work on his enchanting skills. Sam, Val and Judy spent their time training or exploring the wilderness nearby, having a good idea of their surroundings would give Judy at least the ability to teleport them to places she''d been if they needed to get somewhere in a hurry. Gavin worked in the lounge, and popped briefly through Judy''s portals to fill in teleportation spots in his map. After dinner in the guild hall that night he stood to make an announcement. ¡°Hey, ahh, back on my world we have these things called movies that are basically recordings of actors acting out a story, and since I''ve hit rank two, I think my memory is good enough to make a decent effort at showing you all one with an illusion power, if you guys want to watch.¡± ¡°I''d like to see a bit of your world, you are an ourtworlder right?¡± Haylee said. There were general murmurs of agreement among the gathered crowd. ¡°Okay, cool, well, if y''all wanna come into the fortress we can set up a decent theatre to watch it in.¡± Gavin took down his fortress, resummoning it to make the dining hall larger, taking the space from his workshop and training hall. He fabricated large leather beanbags made from scavenged materials in his inventory for everyone to sit on. At last they sat back to watch the movie. ¡°The world is changed, I feel it in the water.¡± a soft whisper echoed around them in the pitch black room. He sat back in his seat, his smile widening as golden letters faded into view across the back wall of the theatre. SIX. Whats a m??se? The next days followed the same pattern, Gavin working on his enchanting skills while his team tried to make themselves useful where they could. It was on day four they were called to action, a level one anomaly had been detected as the magic surged and coalesced in an area the Storm Wardens had passed through on the second day. The team responded, taking the contract and map of the area and hiking out into the wilderness. Gavin portalled the team in short jumps, using lurching hops between areas of visibility through the dense jungle. They found the dimensional pocket easy enough, it was colossal, but had the unmistakable signature of a level one space. Whatever was inside would be more intense than anything they''d seen before. Readying themselves they stepped through, finding themselves at the top of a mountain. ¡°So uhh, that''s a new one¡± Gavin said as they overlooked the task before them. ¡°Judy, what do your elf eyes see?¡± They were atop a high ridge overlooking a valley at the base of one of the sheer mountains. Built into the side of the cliff face below was a colossal ramshackle fortress, spewing smoke and ash. Thousands of goblins worked to tear down the forest as their camp sprawled out into the jungle. ¡°I''m not an elf. Though it does look like a knock off Isengard down there.¡± Judy frowned. ¡°Fuck yeah it does.¡± Gavin said. ¡°I think we''ll find even level one encounters have level two or three difficulty out here.¡± Sam said ignoring him. ¡°Yeah, no kidding.¡± Val confirmed. ¡°Guys, can I do the heavy lifting on this one?¡± Judy asked. ¡°If you want,¡± Sam shrugged, ¡°do you want us to run interference for you?¡± ¡°I was thinking you stay up here and jump in if I need help.¡± ¡°Sounds good to me.¡± Gavin said, taking out a folding chair to resume his crafting training. ¡°Not like we¡¯ve got anything better to do today.¡± Val said. ¡°Do it.¡± Sam said. ¡°Just keep in contact with us.¡± ¡°With Sam and Val.¡± Gavin corrected ¡°I''d rather not have the distraction.¡± Judy opened a portal down into the camp, a wicked smile on her face. It was her turn to push herself. With her new bow, her enchanted rings and gloves and her armour she was almost unable to run out of stamina and mana. She could win this fight, though it would strain her abilities to their limits. Judy''s abilities were a struggle to level up. Not only were most of them purely combat abilities, but several of them required her to be taking damage. She had become increasingly adept at avoiding hits which slowed down her progress to a crawl on the remaining powers, not to mention Gavins armour and shield power as well as Sam and Val working to distract anything that came close. Her goal for this battle was to put herself in harm''s way, trusting to her skills and Gavin''s smithing ability to help her ride the line where she was taking damage at a rate she could deal with, but also working to actually kill everything in sight. She drew an arrow, eager to get started, and loosed twin streaks of light from her perch on the wooden tower out into the horde below. A rallying cry went up, dozens of crude horns blaring out their discordant warning. Judy jumped, relocating to a new position, staying just long enough to let a volley of arrows pelt the walls around her. Then the fight was on in earnest, she flitted between enemies, killing a handful each time before moving on letting a half dozen copies of herself dash around walls and debris to confuse the followup attackers. Eruptions of light and sound littered the battlefield as the goblin throng tried to understand what was happening and organise themselves while the more reckless members of their horde threw themselves in with wild abandon. She sprinted along the walkway of a makeshift palisade, shooting at everything ahead of her as she ran. She dismissed her armour, letting arrows and stones pelt her, her lucky dodge ability mitigated shots periodically and her Grit ability healed her with her mana and stamina for the ones that got through. The goblins were at a loss, unable to surround her and unable to form defensive positions they opted for the hard path, hiding. They scattered, forcing themselves into nooks and crevices, scrambling through their camp and out into the forest. Judy would have to dig them out herself. She drew her twin daggers, two curved blades that she now understood were replicas of legolas''s weapons, and went hunting. Her archery skills were all level two, it was her defensive powers that were all needing to be trained, so she didn''t mind getting stuck into the thick of the fighting. Bursting through into a hovel she engaged with a dozen of the small creatures, trading blows with their spears and knives, leaving them all bloody. *** ¡°How''s she going down there?¡± Gavin asked, his brow furrowed in concentration. ¡°She''s taken her armour off to let them hit her more.¡± Sam said from her perch. ¡°When she levels up she''s going to be an unstoppable skirmisher.¡± Val said, taking a seat on the edge of the cliff next to Sam. ¡°We should think about going to the capital one year to join in the tournament of champions.¡± ¡°Ohh yeah, what''s that?¡± Gavin asked, wiping sweat from his brow. ¡°It''s the nation''s largest tournament, people compete as teams, pairs or solo against each other. There''s some serious prizes if you do well.¡± ¡°Ehh, we don''t really need prizes.¡± ¡°What about the prestige of winning?¡± ¡°Not as important as getting to hang out with you guys, the respect of my friends is all I need.¡± Gavin said, flashing a strained smile. ¡°Gavin, you use every available opportunity to remind everyone of your every achievement.¡± ¡°Yeah, I''m just pulling your leg, of course we''re going to go take down this tournament¡± Gavin laughed, fabricating a ¡®we''re number 1¡¯ trophy to enchant, harmless fire erupted from the top to cascade over them all before he disenchanted it a moment later. ¡°We have to complete this assignment first.¡± Sam reminded them, her eyes on the battle below. ¡°We also have to be at least level five.¡± Val said, ¡°They don''t let lowbies fight.¡± ¡°Punters want to see people that know what they''re doing?¡± ¡°Yes, but also fights tend to go on a bit longer at higher ranks, it''s not just who gets the first hit wins.¡± ¡°Guys, Judy might need our hel- never mind, that was a good trick.¡± Sam said, tensing for a moment before she settled back down. *** ¡°That was close.¡± Judy muttered, stumbling out of the warren brushing sticky webs off herself. She was covered in rapidly healing bites and stings, sickly black veins transitioning to purple, red then pink as the effects of her antivenom potion took hold. She surveyed the camp, goblins still infested the place, she could spot them easily peeking from their hiding places. The main doors to the ramshackle tower flung open, a pair of exceptionally large goblins flanked some sort of shaman. Upon its arrival the horde of hiding goblins had their courage reinvigorated. Cries of bloodlust went up, the creatures eager to bring death to their new quarry. The shaman raised a hand, streamers of purple lightning arced From its fingers, striking Judy, wracking her body in spasms of pain. She jumped away a second after a handful of arrows punched into her. That lightning was the first thing that really hurt her, and she wasn''t sure it was a good idea to let it happen again. Taking aim with her bow she loosed two shots in quick succession, four arrows flew to impact the shamans hands that were in the process of conjuring another spell, the explosion destroy everything below the shamans elbow and threw shrapnel in all directions that caused minor damage to everything nearby. Swapping her bow for her two daggers she danced through her attackers, finding gaps in their defences with ease, slipping her blades into necks, eyes, and armpits to put as many down as quickly as possible. She took her fair share of attacks, but with her near unlimited mana and stamina she was able to heal herself as quickly as she took the damage. *** ¡°You guys hungry?¡± Gavin asked ¡°must be getting on lunch time by now.¡± ¡°I could eat.¡± Val said looking over her shoulder at him ¡°Judy''s going to be a while yet, she''s only killed two hundred so far.¡± *** She had fallen into a killing trance. There was so much death in one place her mind had switched off. Shoot. Stab. Heal. Dodge. Teleport. Rinse and repeat. The horde wasn''t thinning, just an endless tide of bodies to put down. The ground was awash with blood, the scent thick in her nose, and still they came on. A bone deep wariness had set in, her stamina was full, but she''d pushed herself to a state of mental exhaustion she''d never experienced. Looking up at the tower, she jumped herself up, then again, then back to the top of the ridge, appearing in amongst the team. ¡°Need your radiance ability Sam¡± she said flatly, ¡°they''re not dying fast enough.¡± ¡°Jesus, you ok Jude?¡± Gavin asked, baulking at his gore covered friend. ¡°I''m fine.¡± She said as she turned to dive off the cliff. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. She felt the wind whip her hair and howl in her ears as she plummeted back into the camp below. When she was in range she shadowstepped down to the ground, bursting out of through the cover of a building into the open. She let her enemy draw in close, only making short jumps through the crowd, letting them bunch right up into a scrabbling mob. She ignored the prickling wounds from their arrows and thrown stones, feeling her wounds scab over and reopen as she became inundated with attacks. Picking her moment she activated Sam''s radiance of the dawn power, her level two divine imitation ability letting her use the ranked up version. [Radiance of the Dawn] (Level 1): User emits bright radiant light for a short duration. Enemies within range take radiant damage proportional to their proximity to the source and the user''s [intellect] attribute. (Level 2): Each enemy killed with this ability reduces the cooldown by one second per level of enemy killed. Divine white light spilled out from her, scrubbing the land clean of the vermin infesting it. Goblins burned and died where they stood, crude buildings washed away like sandcastles in the tide of radiant light. Wails of pain were silenced in an instant, snuffed out as the aura expanded to encompass the camp. She felt the power reset as hundreds and hundreds of goblins fell around her, leaving only ruin. The tower came crashing down behind her, collapsing in on itself as the loose string holding it all together frayed to the point of failure. The crashing debris erupted into a cloud of dust that glowed in the fading light as Judy let the power peter out. The palisade crumbled, tipping over from the central point, rolling like a wave as it broke along its length. Soon she was standing in a pyre of kindling, all life scattered to the winds. She stood there impassive for a stunned moment, the numbness buzzing in the back of her mind. Her hands balled into fists as she felt a wave of anguish wash over her. So much pain, so much death. She''d killed so much. Thousands of corpses lay around her, all of them dead at her hand. She knew in her head they were little more than magical constructs, but that didn''t make her actions insignificant. ¡°Its okay, you can rest now.¡± Gavin said, stepping through a portal. He stepped up beside her, draping an arm around her shoulders, uncaring that he''d smeared gore across his pristine armour. They stayed like that for a long moment while Judy processed what she''d done. ¡°Here, take this¡± he said, producing a portable ritual circle of his own making. They each stood within the circle, activating it with a pulse of mana, feeling the tingling power scrub every inch of them clean as the clinging fluid flowed over their clothes and skin, dirt, blood and embedded detritus sloughing away in sheets. ¡°Thanks.¡± Judy said, smiling wanly. ¡°No worries mate. That was a bit of an ordeal. Why don''t you go up and chill with Sam and Val for a minute while I sort this out. There''s plenty of snacks up there¡± ¡°I''m not hungry¡± she said in a monotone as she stumbled through Gavin''s portal. Sighing, Gavin looked around, standing in the middle of a vast field of ruin he used his force of will to sift through the wreckage, finding a mental touch was enough to trigger his looting power, apparently it had become substantial enough to act as an extension of his own body for certain spells. Even so it was a chore, there were mountains of corpses buried under rubble, torn, scrubbed back to nothing but paste on the ground, body parts mingling in gruesome pick''n''mix bins in underground cracks and warrens. He deconstructed as much wood as he could carry, having to jettison some periodically to add more treasure. His inventory power had grown to a colossal chasm as more tabs opened up for more specialised categories, leaving him able to suck up a near limitless supply of the mundane resources. There was a limit though, and that was several hundred cubic metres of logs, twine, rope, and iron. Finally, the land reduced to a flat patch of wasteland, he stepped back through his portal. Judy, Val and Sam sat on Gavins picnic blanket, devouring the last of the food. Evidently Judy had found her appetite as she nibbled at a cold dire chicken leg, smeared with jasberry relish. ¡°You guys all good to go home? I''ve got a special treat for us to watch tonight, just us, I won''t invite the whole delegation¡± ¡°That sounds good Gav.¡± Judy smiled, a bit more brightly than before. They returned to base, Gavin left the group to go turn in the quest. He stepped into the administration building, finding a bench to complete the paperwork describing the team''s performance. ¡°That took a while, you''ve been gone nearly all day, don''t you have a portal power?¡± ¡°Yeah, they were only level one, so Judy asked to do the whole thing¡± Gavin said, not looking up as he filled that information in on the contract with an ink pen, ¡°there were a few of them.¡± ¡°A few?¡± ¡°Something like one thousand seven hundred eighty four goblin demons in a dimensional pocket.¡± ¡°Specifically? You counted them?¡± ¡°Looting power, tells me how many I looted, can''t be sure I got them all, but that should be almost all of them.¡± ¡°You got a lot of loot out of them then?¡± ¡°Lets just say I don''t have a money problem any longer.¡± Gavin smiled ¡°I was gonna ask, I got like, a whole stack of junk from looting the camp, the goblins were absolutely full of little precious stones and crappy level one trinkets, stuff like a necklace that lets you change your eye colour for a few minutes a day. I don''t actually want most of it. I''ve got a pile of mundane wood bigger than my fortress in my inventory just taking up space¡± ¡°The guild will take the magical items in exchange for credit, I can offer the rest to the local chief on your behalf if you like.¡± ¡°Sounds good, cheers. Anyway, I¡¯m gonna go back to training, got a bet to win.¡± Gavin returned to the fortress, finding Sam and Val preparing to take Judy''s turn cooking that evening. They were preparing a seafood dish that Judy loved making at least once a week and were arguing over the exact recipe. ¡°How''s Judy doing?¡± Gavin asked, leaning on the kitchen door frame ¡°she looked a little wary when I went down to get her.¡± ¡°She''s meditating.¡± Sam said, looking up from the chopping board, wiping a platinum blonde hair from her eyes. ¡°She''s pretty worn out, she''ll be fine though¡± Val said with a schooled expression, ¡°you should go check on her.¡± ¡°I agree. You''re the best of us at boosting morale.¡± Sam confirmed, going back to removing the heads from a bowl of freshwater crustaceans. ¡°Well, only because you two suck marhound balls- oi¡± Gavin shrieked as a kitchen knife bounced off the wall next to him ¡°Fine, going.¡± Gavin made his way down to Judy''s bedroom, stopping outside the heavy wooden door. He rapped on it with his knuckles and waited for an answer, none came. Knocking again he pushed it open, calling through the crack. ¡°Judy, it''s me, you in there?¡± ¡°Huh, oh yeah, come in.¡± He pushed his way inside, then closed the door behind him. Judy''s bedroom was both identical and completely different to his own. It was the same size with the same window looking out over the guild compound, enchanted to appear opaque, letting diffuse light filter through but no clear images. It had the same walk-in wardrobe, ensuite with enchanted bath that filtered filth and dirt out through its copper skin as hard cubes of minerals. She had the same bedframe and desk, but the embellishments and accents she''d given it changed the perspective. Her bed was in the far corner of the room instead of underneath the window, furnished with a light pastel blue blanket, and covered in soft pillows. A mannequin held her mother''s old armour and bow standing proudly in the adjacent corner beside the perfectly neat desk. A plush rug covered the stone floors showing myriad footprints in its thick piles where feet had walked across it. On the wall between the ensuite and wardrobe was a large painting showing the knights of the round table, posing together, arms wrapped over each other''s shoulders. The artist had done a fantastic job at capturing their smiling faces, each showing their characters perfectly. Sam''s content smirk, lips turned up at the corners, clear blue eyes wrinkling just slightly. Judy''s half moon eyes, upturned like upside down smiles, dimpled cheeks glowing with joy, Gavins toothy laugh, showing him full of energy and life. Lastly Valerie''s wolfish grin, as if smiling at her own clever joke which was probably at their expense. ¡°Judy?¡± Gavin called, not seeing her in the main room ¡°Yeah, I''m here¡± she said, walking through the door from the bathroom. She was wrapped in a thick soft robe, hair still damp from a fresh rinse. ¡°This is new?¡± Gavin said, though it might not have been, he hadn''t been in here for some weeks. ¡°Yes, I''ve been practising.¡± ¡°You did this?¡± Gavin said, stepping closer to inspect the brushwork. ¡°Yeah, it''s been helping me better craft illusions, I started taking painting lessons before we left.¡± ¡°No kidding? I didn''t know, you''re pretty fuckin good Jude.¡± ¡°Thanks¡± she said, blushing. ¡°Can you do me one of us all fighting that dragon?¡± he said. ¡°If you want¡± she said, blushing even harder. ¡°I do, it was a good day.¡± ¡°For you. Not so good for me¡± she said, her smile fading. ¡°You didn''t let the team down that day.¡± ¡°You didnt spend half the fight in your own head, that thing barely phased you.¡± ¡°Val, Sam and I have had an unfair advantage over you from the start. I''ve said it before and I¡¯ll say it again, you work harder than all of us and perform just as well despite everything. Sam''s been trained from birth with the best teachers and equipment money can buy, Val has been a higher level than us all for most of the time we''ve known her with years more experience, and I''ve got super human levels of awesomeness that just can''t be beat.¡± Judy laughed at that, hiding her face in her hands ¡°gods you''re the most arrogant man on the planet.¡± ¡°Yeah well. What can you do?¡± he shrugged ¡°you were a fuckin legend today. I know it took a lot out of you, I''m not super clued up on how this all works, but I do know emotional trauma has a physical effect on your soul. That much killing and death knocked you around, and the only way to heal it is time and support from your friends.¡± ¡°I''ve been meditating since we got back, there is a little soul damage there, but a lot of progress with my abilities too.¡± ¡°Even so I don''t think the cost was worth it.¡± ¡°You push yourself harder than I did today.¡± ¡°I don''t push myself to the point of soul damage. You''ve found where the line is, please don''t cross it, we don''t like to see you put yourself through that. You did a good job today, riding the line between taking and avoiding damage, you''ve found the line, now you know where it is I''m going to ask you not to cross it..¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Alright, I''m gonna go get some enchanting done, see ya at dinner Jude.¡± ¡°Thanks, oh uhh-¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± Gavin said, one hand on her door frame. ¡°It''s nothing, just, thanks.¡± She said, slumping down onto her bed as he shrugged and closed the door. *** Gavin bathed before dinner, he''d worked himself up into a lather, furiously enchanting in the time before the evening meal. Despite his assertion he never crossed the line with his crafting, he had spent a long time right on the edge, feeling the pricks at the edge of his consciousness. He might be better able to withstand the effects, but he was using that extra buffer to push himself beyond where he should. He had a pathological need to get as strong as possible as quickly as possible, at least with his crafting abilities. He was generally okay to train at the same rate as his team, but that wasn''t the same to him. They had been close to the edge of disaster several times, and it was his job to make sure they were prepared for the next time. He took the early evening to relax, having dinner and joking with his friends. Afterwards, as promised, he delivered his special treat. The team relaxed back into their beanbags, now filled with tiny wooden beads as the intro played to the movie. ¡°Gavin, what is going on? What''s a teleph?ne system?¡± Sam asked, confused as the opening credits flashed on the black screen. ¡°It''s a thing like our telepathy power but you use a device to talk with each other, and anyone in the world can talk with anyone else if they know your number.¡± ¡°What''s a m??se? Gavin, what is this you''re getting us to watch?¡± Val asked. ¡°Shh, just watch the movie, it''s rude to interrupt.¡± He whispered irritation bubbling up as he concentrated on remembering his beloved childhood movie. ¡°Fine.¡± she grumbled, sitting back and crunching down on a handful of chips. The team sat back in silence until Sam spoke up ¡°Gavin. Is that Arthur the same Arthur that founded the knights of the round table?¡± ¡°Ahh¡­ no ¡± he lied, ¡°just watch the movie.¡± ¡°Did you seriously name our team after this movie?¡± She said pinching The bridge of her nose. ¡°I''m starting to understand you a lot better now.¡± Val laughed. SEVEN. Youre the only one here that showboats. Day four was largely uneventful, on the fifth day Gavins presence was officially requested, the message was irritably relayed through Sam because the guild liaison sent to contact him couldn''t get through the front door of the fortress. He made himself presentable, then stumbled out into the sunlight. ¡°How''s it mate¡± he grumbled half heartedly. ¡°Fine, Ms Evertree requests you attend her.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°Haylee Evertree.¡± ¡°Oh, right, well, come on, the sooner I can get this over with the sooner I can get back to my work.¡± The messenger led Gavin through to the guild compound to the administration building, there he found Haylee buried under a stack of paperwork. ¡°Hey Haylee.¡± Gavin said, taking a seat on the other side of her desk, ¡°how have you got paperwork? We¡¯ve only turned in one contract.¡± ¡°Funnily enough I have a lot of work to do implementing the procedures the guild negotiated with the locals.¡± ¡°Oh? Is it more complicated than just we kill monsters in the areas around the villages?¡± ¡°A lot more complicated.¡± ¡°Back on my world a group of people set up a colony in my country, it was populated with a people like the locals here, they didn''t have a concept of sovereignty, so in the treaty they translated it something closer to governorship, not realising they were essentially turning over their country to the settlers.¡± ¡°Oh? I¡¯d be interested to hear that story some time¡± Haylee said, genuinely curious. ¡°Yeah, no worries, I¡¯m not an expert on my country''s history, but I do know quite a bit. Anyway, what did you call me here for.¡± ¡°I delivered the goods you looted Chief Kala, he wished to express his gratitude to you personally. I explained to him that would put us in a difficult position, your team is only of the second rank within the guild, and I absolutely do not want to go against Commander Kalista¡¯s orders regarding lower ranked members interacting with the local populace.¡± ¡°Reasonable.¡± Gavin agreed. ¡°I am tempted to recommend you and your team for level four guild status on account of a chief asking for you by name, but I am aware it could backfire on me if you mouth off to the wrong person, your team has earned a certain reputation.¡± ¡°Then don''t, let someone else take the hit for you. If i were you I wouldn''t go sticking my neck out, kick it up the chain and let someone else find out what happens if you give us political leverage. I don''t intend to change my behaviour for some nebulous rank, so if the guild feels they''re okay with my personal brand of politics then that''s for them to reward or not. I trust my friends to tell me to knock it off when I''m being too obtuse, but they generally give me a long leash, I think they like it when I piss off people in power.¡± ¡°I can respect that.¡± Haylee laughed. ¡°In the meantime while you decide on what you want to do, can you relay my regards to the chief, and that we would be happy to pass along other resources if they want, so long as we are stationed here of course¡± ¡°I will do. One last thing, the debrief you wrote for your last contract was good. Keep it up.¡± ¡°I used to have to write a report after every task in my old job so the office lady could invoice the customer. I''ve had a lot of practice, and feedback on how to make their lives easier. I understand it¡¯s why my team was recommended for level two. We made the clerk''s job easy and they put our name in front of an administrator.¡± ¡°Good, keeping the admin team happy will take you far in the guild.¡± ¡°Well, I''m gonna go get my nose back to the grindstone. I''ll put on another movie night on Firstday, if you want to invite everyone along again.¡± ¡°I will.¡± Gavin returned to the fortress, not coming out for dinner that night or the following morning. Sam pushed into his room late into the morning on sixthday, finding him dead asleep across his bed, still clothed in the previous days attire, snoring. She kicked him awake, swearing and grumbling. ¡°What?¡± he moaned, rolling over to reveal bloodshot eyes. ¡°Contract. There''s a level two encounter just popped up. Get out of bed, we will need you¡± ¡°Yeah, okay, give me a minute. I''m shattered.¡± he said, groaning as he pulled himself out of bed. ¡°How much sleep did you get last night?¡± ¡°What time is it now?¡± ¡°Two hours before mid day¡± ¡°Ahh, maybe like three hours then.¡± ¡°You are not enchanting anymore today then. That is enough.¡± She scolded him. ¡°I''m so close though.¡± ¡°Well, I don''t much care about your bet, and it''s not like you even care about an ingot of etherium. You will rest today, and you won''t push yourself to this level tomorrow either. You''re putting us at risk for the sake of a day or two.¡± ¡°Yeah, fine, sorry.¡± he grumbled, ¡°have a smoko then head out? Your aura is making me feel a lot better.¡± ¡°My health, mana, and stamina recovery aura? You''ve been asleep for hours, you should have healed up to full by now easily.¡± ¡°It doesn''t just heal physical wounds, you probably haven''t picked up on it, but it helps heal the bond between soul and ability, it''s probably a side effect of being able to reduce cooldowns, I''m pretty sure that''s why cooldowns exist in the first place.¡± ¡°Are you saying you''ve been giving yourself soul damage?¡± ¡°No, I''ve been getting close to it. It''s part of why I''m levelling up so fast, I''ve learned where the line is, I''m just incrementally creeping up to it when my body of iron gets more powerful. It''s no more or less dangerous than, say, going to fight an unknown level two encounter.¡± ¡°Fine. But you''re done pushing yourself like that. I want you in top form at any moment, if a contract comes in you need to be ready to go in an instant, not waffle about dragging yourself out of bed like a kicked goat.¡± ¡°Understood. ¡± he groaned, ¡°Come on. I''ll be okay in a minute.¡± Gavin willed himself into the dining hall, dragging himself along like an unseen giant was dragging him by the back of his shirt, his toes scraping the floor. He plonked himself down in a chair, summoning a sandwich and a juice from the kitchen. Wordlessly he ate, feeling a lot better as he consumed his meal. The team stood assembled watching colour slowly return to his ashen face. ¡°Okay you lot, that''s enough fucking about, let''s go, daylights wasting, so, where are we going?¡± Gavin said, pulling himself to his feet. ¡°Seventeen miles west.¡± Sam said stiffly. ¡°Okay, I''ll put us out on top of that mountain across the way.¡± Summoning his portal, Sam and Val filed through, though Judy blocked the way, hands on hips. ¡°You too? Sam already gave me a kicking.¡± ¡°Everything you told me the other day goes for you too Gav.¡± ¡°Yeah, sorry, Sam''s making me take it easy from now on.¡± ¡°You shouldn''t need to rely on Sam to tell you that.¡± ¡°I mean, it is kinda her job.¡± Gavin said. ¡°Come on, let''s go punch some goodies out of some monsters.¡± The extradimensional pocket was easy to spot. The pearlescent cube loomed above the treetops creating an odd Refraction of the skyline. ¡°So uhh, this is quite big¡± Gavin said ¡°We sure it''s level two?¡± ¡°We''re sure.¡± Sam replied. ¡°It is likely to be very dangerous though, so be on your guard.¡± Sam stepped through first, followed closely by the other three. Gavin took in his new surroundings, the scene before him bent his mind in a way he wasn''t prepared for, it took him a moment to orient himself. They were on a bridge that led into something that was reminiscent of an M.C. Escher drawing. A maze of interlocking polished stone slabs wound in all directions forming a rough cube. The outer edges of the cube seemed to bend and warp at the corners of his vision, bleeding off into the spiral galaxy and midnight sky behind the gigantic edifice. Statues of people, their features washed away by time wandered the maze, eternally locked in their stone prisons. Giant fingers protruded through the gaps, pushing walkways out of the way as they grasped the cube in their twisted grip. Behind the tangle, a gigantic devils head laughed, its mouth opened wide revealing pitch black doom inside its gullet. Twin horns spiralled down from the devils head to pierce the cube, winding paths wrapping around them at discordant angles. Gavin felt like the platform they were standing on was vertical, as if he was standing on a wall though his vision was oriented correctly, the sensation was like lying down while drunk and watching the ceiling spin until he could focus on one point to keep it stationary. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. The room was uncomfortably cold, icy fingers caressed his neck. A bone deep chill gripped him even through his layers of robes and armour. He had gained additional control over his body processes as he levelled up and could manually increase his core temperature. He did so now, feeling himself burn into his reserve of energy. ¡°I feel like this is a poor idea¡± Gavin said apprehensively. ¡°I never thought I''d see the day when you''d back down from a challenge.¡± Val scoffed. ¡°I never said I was backing down, just that it a poor idea.¡± Gavin said defensively. ¡°Oh, well, that''s fine then, following through on poor ideas are right in your wheelhouse.¡± Val laughed. ¡°Judy? Thoughts?¡± ¡°We can always portal back here if anything goes wrong and try again.¡± ¡°Ahh, I''m getting the feeling that we might not be able to. Can you feel your teleport power is all- gooey?¡± ¡°Actually yes.¡± Judy said, shuddering. ¡°My portal power feels like that but worse, like using it here wouldn''t be a fun time.¡± ¡°So we go on foot. look at you two, as soon as your fancy powers go a bit funny you get all squeamish.¡± Val said, her tone hardening. ¡°Yeah yeah.¡± Gavin said, ¡°come on, you reckon we have to get to that devil''s head?¡± ¡°You mean the god of entropy over there?¡± Val asked. ¡°Wait, that''s Entropy? Now I think this is an extremely poor idea.¡± Gavin said ¡°Sam, what do you think?¡± ¡°We have to close this space. There''s nothing to do but move forward.¡± ¡°There''s not even monsters here. The challenge is probably just the maze with an item at the end.¡± Val said, clearly bored with the dithering. ¡°I think you''re right¡± Judy agreed ¡°this place is having an effect on us, I can feel it trying to make me feel unsure of myself.¡± ¡°Okay, fine. There probably is something here that''s making us paranoid.¡± Gavin said steeling his thoughts. ¡°Odd that a pocket dimension themed around Entropy would make you feel paranoid.¡± Val said rolling her eyes, ¡°This sort of thing isn''t unheard of, I once cleared a pocket that was themed after chaos, it was just random stuff happening and nothing made sense, didn''t you and Sam clear one of these things out and it was themed around nature?¡± ¡°Yeah, and it nearly killed me.¡± Gavin said, remembering his close brush with death. ¡°Whatever, come on, let''s get going.¡± Val said, stepping awkwardly into the maze, trying to get her balance. Judy followed her, staggering like she was on her way home from town around four in the morning. Usually sure footed and agile, she seemed the worst affected by the strange realm. Gavin followed haltingly, sliding his boots along the smooth stone, the sensation making his feet itch. Sam took up the rear, focused on her team, she put one foot in front of the other, finding the experience less disorienting than her companions. As they entered the maze Gavin got the idea to mark the way, fabricating a stick with a rod of charcoal at the end, he drew a line on the smooth stone though his makeshift pencil scraped across the polished surface, leaving no trace. Crushing the charcoal into the floor, the powder blew away on some ethereal wind that none of them could feel. Gavins spear and gun left no marks, nor did any of Vals enchanted weapons. Finally, placing a bar of iron on the floor Gavin watched it slip away into the void as if gravity operated on a different axis for it. ¡°Guess we aren''t marking our way then¡± Gavin said ¡°I could probably make something that wraps around the walkway but I don''t have the resources to do that for the whole maze.¡± ¡°Come on Gav, stop trying to think your way through this, the whole point of this place is to frustrate you for trying to outsmart it.¡± Val said throwing her hands wide. ¡°I think someone should stay here, I should be able to open a portal if I can use our soul link like a compass.¡± ¡°What''s a compass?¡± Judy asked. ¡°It''s a device we use back on my world to tell what way is north, well, very slightly to the side of north.¡± ¡°I''ll stay here.¡± Sam said ¡°I seem to be handling this a lot better than the rest of you, and two chances to open a portal is better than one, Val, you have more experience with this sort of thing, so you''re going.¡± ¡°Good call.¡± Gavin nodded, ¡°alright, enough faffing about, let''s go smash this out.¡± Val led the way in, muttering to herself about something Gavin didn''t care to listen to. As they followed the path they passed a statue fused to the stone, it looked like it would have been a fine work of art, once, but had melted and distorted slightly. Detailed features were a little droopy and asymmetrical, a look of unfeeling horror etched on its face. Gavins feeling of unease heightened as they delved deeper into the maze. Noticing Judy becoming a ball of stress, he reached for her hand, finding it cold and clammy. He squeezed it reassuringly, hearing her deliberately trying to calm her breathing. Val, for all her boasting was uncomfortable too, not to the same degree as her companions, but definitely feeling like she was walking into the lair of a dangerous monster. She could feel Sam''s location which helped her navigate their path. Judy seemed to be struggling with her multiple vision powers and Gavin was overthinking things as usual, both not helping their situation. Val, being further into level two than Gavin and having an elevated spiritual and intellectual fortitude was able to mitigate a lot of the disquieting effect this realm had. Paths spiralled in all directions, branching left and right, but also becoming the walls and ceiling. Gavin could feel more than see the shadows moving in the corners of his vision, the dead silence felt like the echo of a tortured scream in his ears. He was glad Val was leading the way forward, he felt he could get back to Sam who remained a lighthouse in the back of his mind, but the way forward was incomprehensible. He couldn''t trust his own senses, holding on to Judy and following in Vals footsteps was taking all of his mental bandwidth. Time seemed to stretch out, their footsteps thumped like drum beats, he could count the seconds between each step, losing himself in the slow rhythm until Judy tugged on his hand, pulling him back into his regular thought pattern. He''d slowed to a stop, gazing out into the void of space that surrounded them and was at the same time obscured by the labyrinth. Climbing a wall Val led them around a twisting path taking a left fork then an upwards fork, emerging on the top of the cube. To either side a twisting horn pierced the walkway, serpentine avenues spiralled off into the sky, wrapping around on themselves to meet at the looming face of Entropy. From here its visage had shifted from a wicked cackle to malice and hate. Gavin felt like the effigy would like nothing more than to devour them all. They took the left path, walking a straight line as the universe rotated around them, twisting and writhing without reason. A set of stairs brought them down past the inky void of the gods eye, the total darkness seemed to watch them, a predator in the night. Judy had her gaze firmly set on the stairs in front of her, her lifeline to Gavin had become slick with sweat. Stairs turned into a swirling path as they walked down the cheek towards the open mouth. The glossy stone road doubled back and overlapped itself, though never seemed to cross its own way. Gavin contemplated taking a shortcut, stepping across to a point further along but the thought left him paralyzed with fear, to do that, he felt would be exceedingly dangerous. The god''s lolling tongue beckoned them in. Statues of mangled corpses begging for salvation lay crumpled amongst twisted teeth. In the darkness at the back of the gods throat a metal spike impaled its oesophagus, a fractal pattern of red veins pulsed out into the stone. Val marched up to the spike and hauled on the shaft. Stone parted like flesh as the halberd pulled itself free, instantly the world shifted, a sensation like missing a step rocked the team. Stumbling, Gavin used his force of will to keep himself oriented the right way up while judy pulled him off centre as he surged to grab Val. He snatched at a loose fold of clothing and pulled her back with a tug, saving her from tumbling down into the cavernous throat. She clasped a hand around his wrist and let him pull them all out of the now undulated and gnashing mouth. Val took the lead again, this time running for safety, though she came to a halt outside as the cube shifted, unravelling into a mass of broken strands that bled into the stars around them. ¡°Can you portal us back Gav.¡± Val asked, a note of panic creeping into her voice. ¡°Hold on, ahh, my connection to Sam is a bit iffy.¡± ¡°Shit, We''re going to have to get back through that before the pocket collapses.¡± Val said, noting the edges of the gods head already crumbling to ash. ¡°Hold on, let me try something.¡± Gavin said, kneeling to meditate. He focused on his connection to Sam, it felt like a radio station slightly out of tune, picking up other frequencies and bombarded with static. Willing his mind to stillness he planted himself like an anchor, hauling on the thread that connected them. She was his first friend in this world, from the first day he''d been nearly inseparable. Their friendship had evolved and changed over time but that knowledge of steadfast trust was a bond that would hold them together over any distance. Then she was there in his minds eye, a moment of clarity as the warping maze parted to reveal her, a golden shaft of light in a murky ocean current. ¡°Got it.¡± he yelled, eyes flaring as he summoned a portal, ¡°get in, now, go go go!¡± He threw himself at the void filled arch as the world heaved underneath him. Val and Judy followed, leaping clear of the twisting path to sprawl out on the walkway from nowhere. Gavin pulled himself to his feet, helping his two companions up. ¡°Okay Judy, do your thing.¡± Gavin said watching as she began to focus on absorbing the latent dimensional forces into her inventory power. ¡°Lets go.¡± She said when she''d had her fill. The team jogged the short distance out of the space, not stopping to look behind them as the last of the maze broke down. ¡°That was certainly an experience¡± Val said sitting down on the bare rock just outside where the dimensional space ended. ¡°It definitely was.¡± Gavin said, planting himself down beside her. ¡°Pie?¡± He offered out the hot pastries for the team, taking a mutton pie for himself. He relished the gamey flavour and chunks of tender meat and vegetables. ¡°I didn''t get a good look at that halberd, chuck us a turn?¡± he said holding his hand out. ¡°It''s not my style, you can break it down for parts if you want right?¡± She said, handing him the shaft. [Item: Halberd of dissonance] [Type: Weapon, halberd] [Rarity: Level 2, very rare] [Description: a weapon designed to disrupt and ruin its victims] [Effect: Deals entropic damage] [Effect: Enemies struck by this weapon have any active cooldowns extended. If no abilities are on cooldown, one ability chosen at random is put on cooldown for a random duration] ¡°Oh shit.¡± Gavin whistled ¡°bro, this is quite the effect, here, take a look Judy.¡± he said handing the weapon over to her. ¡°Entropic damage? Never heard of it¡± Judy said. ¡°It''s a very very rare damage type, good at dismantling magical shields¡± Val said, finishing her pie. ¡°Wow.¡± Judy said, passing the weapon back to Gavin, ¡°Thanks Val, you were awesome in there¡± ¡°Yeah, no problem, it was easier for me, the effect was less extreme on my senses. Good thinking on leaving Sam back at the entrance.¡± Val said. ¡°Yeah, really saved the day Sam, it''s nice having one member of the team that doesn''t go showboating.¡± He laughed. ¡°Excuse me? You''re the only one here that showboats.¡± Val argued. ¡°You are excused.¡± he rebutted, Playing a video of Sam and Val riding the dragon hacking at it with their swords ¡°Guess the only one who doesn''t showboat is Judy then.¡± ¡°She killed two thousand goblins by herself just a few days ago.¡± Val pointed out. ¡°Yeah, that''s true actually, the main reason I asked her to be on the team was how cool she looked standing on the top of that hill while she shot those sand crawlers.¡± ¡°She did a good job with that yeah.¡± Val agreed, ¡°old whatshisface was doing his best possible job to block her shots, but she didn''t even hesitate, getting arrows around him and on target like it was easy.¡± ¡°Plus, if I''d hit him it wouldn''t have mattered too much.¡± Judy said. ¡°I probably would have passed you even if you''d put one in his neck.¡± Val shrugged. EIGHT. Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth. True to his word he didn''t do any enchanting training for the rest of the day, aside from breaking down the looted halberd to get access to the enchantment design and materials which barely counted. That night he ran the group through the next part of the dungeons and dragons adventure. Gavin laughed uproariously when Val asked a banshee if she could ask it a question. ¡°Yes¡± he whispered as the translucent figure faded into nothing. ¡°Gods damn it.¡± Sam muttered. ¡°What did I do?¡± Val asked, confused. ¡°You could only ask it one question.¡± Judy laughed ¡°asking it if you can ask a question is asking it a question.¡± ¡°For fucks sakes. You did this on purpose.¡± Val said, fuming. ¡°It''s actually in the real adventure¡± Gavin laughed, wiping tears from his eyes as Val stared daggers at him. ¡°Then whoever wrote it is just as much of a dick as you.¡± ¡°Careful, or I''ll run you through the tomb of horrors next.¡± Gavins wheezing laugh turning into a cackle, ¡°Or we can go to Borovia.¡± *** Firstday rolled around, marking the last day of Gavins bet. He was confident he could win, though Sam had been firm on needing to maintain a state of alertness, so he resigned himself to handing over an ingot of the precious metal. He could make an unlimited amount of it for himself now he had it, but it was the principle of the thing. He was looking forward to getting some one on one training instead of figuring things out for himself while using skill book knowledge as a base. A contract came in after breakfast, level two encounter far out into the bush. The team ventured out into the woods, talking and joking. Gavin worked on his crafting skills while they jogged between portal cooldowns, using his force of will to float himself above the ground slightly while taking care to keep the strain on himself to a minimum. He focused on a large complex project, constructing a chain shirt with interlocking links that provided effects that bolstered their neighbour''s. It wouldn''t be one of the items he made for actual use, but the practice working with interconnected enchantments was valuable. They found the monster easily. The giant stood far above the canopy, picking out a meandering trail of destruction, tearing trees out from the roots and hurling them out of its way as it wandered aimlessly. It carried no weapon and wore no armour, but still giants were fast and ruthless, and this one looked as though it was approaching the peak of level two in terms of power. ¡°We need a plan of attack.¡± Sam said as they knelt on a ridge overlooking the valley. ¡°Just hitting it a bunch wont work?¡± Gavin asked. ¡°Not even close, giants have damage reduction and high endurance, it won''t even feel most of our attacks and it¡¯ll clear our bleeding effects as quickly as we can stack them onto it¡± ¡°Ideas then?¡± ¡°My escalating enhancement and Val¡¯s devastating attacks abilities are our best bet, we need to find a way to let us keep hitting it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s going to be a hard ask.¡± Val said ¡°it¡¯s not just going to stay still for us.¡± ¡°Judy, copy Vals soporific enhancement ability, Gavin, copy judy¡¯s divine imitation then use that to copy it too, we¡¯ll slow this thing right down so Val and I can kill it¡± ¡°So¡­ we¡¯re just hitting it a bunch then?¡± Gavin asked as Sam sighed warily. ¡°Yes, We¡¯re hitting it a bunch, but we¡¯re being smart about it.¡± ¡°A famous philosopher in my world has a saying; everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.¡± Gavin said sagely. ¡°Well, that sounds like a very good reason not to get punched in the mouth. Everyone clear on what to do?¡± ¡°Yeah, lets go.¡± Gavin said, opening a portal. The giant noticed them the moment they appeared behind it. It whipped around, trailing an entire tree with it, launching the eight yard long log at the team. Sam and Val ducked out of the way while Judy and Gavin teleported past it. Vals animated swords flashed to life, skittering off the giant''s thick hide. She mirrored Sam, flanking the monster through the trees to keep out of its way while it began its bellowing rampage. Gavin launched his enchanted spear at the giant like a javelin, he watched as the weapon shot free of his hand. His mana was heavily drained from copying Judy''s ability before the battle had even begun so he only pushed on it with a moderate level of will. The tip slammed into the giant, catching it between its ribs, the sharp mithril tip punching into flesh. Judy''s arrows pierced the thick skin in its more vulnerable areas, though vulnerable was a relative term, even at its thinnest points the giant''s skin was inches thick and hard as toughened leather. Her level one skills were not nearly enough to damage the giant, but damage wasn''t her purpose. She sculpted her illusory strobe effect over the giant''s eyes, disorienting it, then she resumed her onslaught. If nothing else, using it to train her skills on would be useful. The giant thrashed around. It could feel the general direction the attacks were coming from and so it laid about, throwing trees and boulders towards the gnats sticking it with their tiny weapons. ¡°This is gonna take for fuckin ever.¡± Gavin groaned, ¡°it''s healing and shedding the slow debuff nearly as fast as we can put them on. At this rate it''ll just run us out of mana before it goes down.¡± ¡°Then come up with a better plan¡± Sam yelled across the battlefield. ¡°Drain it of mana?¡± Judy suggested. ¡°Ugh, lame.¡± Gavin said, donning his tiara he began the mana drain process, feeling his reserves begin to replenish. He stopped to maintain eye contact with the giant, putting extra effort into pushing on his spear in exactly the same way as he''d done against the aberration back In Edomont. This time was different though, the giant much more intelligent and the terrain was denser than the last time. With a mighty wail the giant launched a handful of logs like matchsticks his way. He teleported at the last second to avoid the wall of shrapnel, breaking the spell. ¡°Fucks sakes.¡± Gavin grumbled throwing his spear again to stick into the giant, only to be brushed away, not even trailing a trickle of blood. ¡°Need a better plan.¡± The team carried on harassing the giant before it became fed up with the frustration, choosing instead to flee. Picking a direction it began barreling away from the team, pushing ancient pines aside like reeds. Judy jumped after it to maintain her illusion, though Sam called her back. ¡°Well, that didn''t go super well.¡± Gavin said when they all reassembled, the giant crashing through the trees in the distance. ¡°It did not.¡± Sam said, ¡°its endurance is through the roof. We need to think of a way to damage it through its resistances.¡± ¡°Give me a moment¡± Gavin said, ¡°I might be able to make something.¡± ¡°Something like what?¡± ¡°I''m thinking a bullet that has an enchantment to absorb mana and turn it into damage, a poison effect would work, I don''t know a slow effect.¡± ¡°How long will that take?¡± ¡°I can probably make them almost as fast as I can shoot them, but I''ll need a quiet spot to do it, it''ll be a lot harder in combat, and we''ll need a lot of them.¡± ¡°Give Judy the gun, she can shoot while you make bullets here, Val and I will relay them to her.¡± ¡°Okay, Let''s do it¡± Gavin said, opening another portal through to the far end of the giants trail. Judy went through a copied portal, with Gavin''s gun and the first batch of enchanted bullets. She teleported to the side the instant she was through, wrapping a sensory overload bubble around the giant''s face. She shouldered the rifle, feeling it kick as she fired the first bullet. Gavin still hadn''t reforged his weapons for level two, so the weapon was nowhere near as powerful as it should have been, she just hoped it would be enough. The rifle was enchanted to enhance the user''s perception, combined with her dexterity and vision powers she was pinpoint accurate with the weapon, more accurate than she was with her bow and didn''t allow her enemy the few moments more to react to her shots. She aimed for its eyes, adjusting her illusion to solidly block the pupils off with small red targets. She hit it five times in quick succession before it covered its face and began fleeing again. She followed it in short jumps, shooting it in its back until she ran out of ammunition. She retreated back to the portal as Sam came through, a fresh stack of bullets in a tray for her. ¡°Try to herd it back this way or we''ll spend more time getting to it than killing it.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Judy said, taking her new ammunition and jumping away. Her deft hands ability allowed her to load fifteen rounds into the tube magazine in seconds. She appeared on the far side of the giant, pelting it with bullets. Her illusion had dropped, and she didn''t renew it, wanting it to see her and chase her down. The giant''s bloodshot eyes locked onto her, with a menacing growl it lashed out, throwing handfuls of detritus her way. Jumping away she unleashed more shots at it before jumping again to get out of its threat range. Sensing it would get no rest the giant changed tactics, sprinting after her with abandon. Clamping it''s hands down on nothing as she teleported back out of its range. Val appeared through the portal with more bullets, picking her way through the trail of destruction to deliver her package. The giant soon started showing signs of wear and tear, purple webs branched out from pinprick wounds as the tiny chunks of metal embedded in its skin seeped their poison into the monster. It''s eyes had turned black and were leaking sticky green fluid. ¡°I think it''s ready for us to fight properly now.¡± Judy said as the giant lumbered past, swinging its arms wildly, ¡°it''s not even reacting to me anymore.¡± Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I''ll get the others¡± Sam said, handing over another package to her. Gavin came back through the portal, sheened in sweat. Took one look at the giant and winced. The monster was suffering a death of a thousand cuts. He''d made hundreds of level two bullets over the past few minutes, all of them were sitting within its skin. They weren''t dealing massive damage to organs or blasting apart arteries, but quietly filling it with toxic magic. It''d die from here if they left it alone, it would be a hard, brutal way to go. ¡°Let''s put it down.¡± Gavin said grimly, taking his rifle back from Judy. Floating up on his force of will he levelled himself with its gormless head. Steeling himself he lanced his spear into its eye, radiant light crackling and boiling as it sank into the rubbery organ. The giant barely reacted, swiping a hand across its face as it stumbled through the forest. Gavin loaded his rifle with his soulbound ammunition, leaving his spear inside the monster to slowly burn its head out from the inside. He cycled his gun, putting the spent bullets back into the magazine the second he''d shot them. Sam and Val hacked at its legs, carving chunks out of it like lumberjacks with their swords. Thick blood oozed from its wounds, purple and foul. Judy took her bow from her inventory, layering her special attacks to deal as much damage as possible. The giant died with a wail and a whimper, collapsing to the ground, gasping for breath as the knights slowly hacked it to pieces long before Sam destroyed it with her execute power. Gavin strode up to the corpse, anguish on his face. He placed a hand to its burning hot forehead, marked with pustules and acrid veins. ¡°Sorry mate.¡± he said, returning it to the ether as he converted its latent energy into resources. [You have looted level two greater hill giant] You have looted: 10 level 2 Platinum coins 20 level 2 Gold coins 40 level 2 Silver coins 80 level 2 Iron coins 160 level 2 Bronze coins 320 level 2 Copper coins Elixir of giants strength ¡°Well that''s a little underwhelming, what''s an elixir?¡± [Item: elixir of giants strength] Type: potion, elixir Rarity: level 2, Legendary Description: The power of a giant in a bottle Effect: consume the elixir to increase your [strength] attribute indefinitely. consuming an elixir negates the effects of any other elixir ¡°Actually, I take that back, this is actually pretty good.¡± He said, taking the extra large potion bottle from his inventory to inspect the translucent red liquid. ¡°Anyone know how much it increases your strength by?¡± Val asked, taking the potion from Gavin to look at. ¡°My guess would be a lot if it¡¯s legendary.¡± Sam said smiling. ¡°So, which one of you lot want it?¡± Gavin asked ¡°if I got any stronger I think it''d break reality.¡± ¡°Come off it.¡± Val laughed ¡°You''re the third strongest in the group, and that''s only because Judy isn''t level two yet.¡± ¡°Wow, rude.¡± ¡°We can draw lots¡± Judy suggested. ¡°We? You want it too Judy?¡± Val asked. ¡°More strength, more power I can use to shoot.¡± ¡°That''s actually a good point¡± Gavin mused, ¡°A limiting factor for making Judy a level three bow will be her ability to draw it, it''d have to practically use up all its enchanting equity to pull itself.¡± ¡°Well, in that case I think she should get it.¡± Sam said, putting an end to the matter. ¡°Yeah, fine.¡± Val said. ¡°Don''t worry Val, after I make Judy a bow I''m pretty keen to make a couple swords, I miss making them.¡± ¡°Well, that''s settled then.¡± Val said, tossing the potion to Judy, her demeanour brightening noticeably. ¡°Can I even drink this?¡± She asked, ¡°will it damage my soul or something?¡± ¡°Another good point.¡± Gavin said, considering the matter with his rudimentary magical knowledge,¡°we''d have to ask someone, unless Soliece wants to stop by and give us a heads up?¡± ¡°Doubtful. She might like you, but gods don''t just pop by for a visit.¡± ¡°Don''t they? Huh, strange, because I''ve definitely had more than one just stop for a chat.¡± ¡°Only when it''s in their interests.¡± ¡°I''m pretty sure potentially causing soul damage to a person who has a bit of a god inside them would be in their interest. Soliece made an investment in Judy, I don''t think she¡¯d go and let her permanently injure herself.¡± ¡°What if it permanently injures her, just not quite as much as the extra strength she gets, or it only ruins her strength attribute, her divine power could be completely unaffected.¡± ¡°I could just wait until I get to level two¡± Judy interrupted ¡°I''m not that far off, especially since I''ve been training without armour.¡± ¡°Oh really?¡± ¡°Yes, while you''ve been lazing about tinkering with your toys Val and Sam have been training me up.¡± ¡°She''s actually getting good at close range combat, if she had any melee special attacks she''d be deadly.¡± ¡°Powers can be accounted for with good gear. Anyway, let''s get back to camp, we can chinwag in the comfort of the spa instead of in the middle of nowhere.¡± The team portalled back to camp, Gavin and Judy left to complete the guild paperwork and turn in their contract. Walking into the admin building they found Haylee making headway with the stacks of papers around her desk. ¡°Afternoon.¡± Gavin said, sitting down at the nearby bench to write the report. ¡°It is, yes, good spotting.¡± Haylee said, smirking at her own joke, ¡°these contracts are definitely taking longer than they should, you''re not struggling are you?¡± ¡°Nah, well, not for long anyway, we''re still using level one gear until I get my enchanting powers up to level three in a day or two, didn''t want to make us a whole new set of gear for the team then the next week have to do it again, y''know?¡± he said handing over the contract for her to read. ¡°Made specialist ammunition for your weapon in the field while Judy shot it?¡± ¡°Yeah, took fuckin ages to put it down. the thing was all but immune to all of our attacks, it had well more than a hundred of these in it before it was weak enough for us to hurt.¡± he said, tossing a bullet to her. ¡°You made more than one hundred of these while fighting a giant?¡± ¡°Yeah nah, I was on the other side of a portal making them while Sam and Val ran them to Judy.¡± ¡°Well, it was well done coming up with a workable solution when your first plan failed. I trust you will have your gear situation handled in short order? When we get more of the network up and running we will find there''s probably quite a few contracts to be cleared from existing monster spawns we haven''t detected yet.¡± ¡°Yeah, no worries. While we''re here, do you know anything about elixirs?¡± ¡°Not especially, why?¡± ¡°Well, we got one, it''s level two, I was wondering if it''s okay for a level one person to consume.¡± ¡°Oh, is that all? Hold on.¡± She said, rifling through a drawer to find a black obsidian tablet that looked startling like an all black iPad. She placed her hand on the surface, the edges around her fingers glowing blue. ¡°What''s that?¡± Gavin asked. ¡°Linked communicator. It works a lot like your forged in battle trait, except it links the other communicators in the set instead of to people. This one links to the other guild officials out here in the unclaimed lands, Jonathan Penchent is back in Na?tak he''s an apothecary, I''d guess if anyone out here knows, he will.¡± ¡°Good to know.¡± The tablet glowed blue again, and Haylee placed her hand on it to get the message. ¡°Yes, it''s fine. It will work slowly over time to bring the attribute up to a new baseline, just make sure to monitor yourself for overexertion while you get used to it.¡± ¡°Thanks Hayles.¡± Gavin said, knocking on her desk with his knuckles. ¡°Well, anyway, catcha later.¡± *** They sat down to Sams prepared dinner later that evening, which typically meant a buffet style meal, though this time it was a garden salad with strips of cooked meat lavishly mixed through. Judy had taken her potion before dinner and was periodically wincing as it altered her body. She wasn''t becoming she-hulk, but her muscles were becoming more receptive to mana, like a magical cyborg. ¡°You''re awfully quiet tonight Gavin.¡± Val said, pointing a fork full of vegetables at him. ¡°Yeah, just been thinking about today.¡± ¡°What about it?¡± ¡°How much of a clusterfuck it was.¡± ¡°We killed it in the end, and we were never in any danger.¡± ¡°Not that. I''m just not super keen on how much we had to make it suffer to put it down.¡± ¡°You''re not going soft on us now.¡± Val scoffed. ¡°You know monsters aren''t like real creatures? Their souls have been corrupted by magic, they''re not much more than animated husks.¡± ¡°I know, but the pain they feel is real, the fear is real. I know they have to be put them down, but we shouldn''t torture them to death like that. We need to kill them quickly and cleanly.¡± ¡°I hate to tell you this Gav, but it''s only going to get worse from here¡± Sam said, fixing her steely eyes on him, ¡°monsters get exponentially more health, later levels you''ll be beating on enemies for hours until they die, you''re going to need to find a way to deal with this squeamishness.¡± ¡°I know. I just can''t shake the feeling there''s got to be a better way.¡± ¡°There is. Get stronger.¡± Val said ¡°make weapons more powerful than we should have. You still have level one gear, the fight today would have been over in a heartbeat if you''d spent the last week making level two gear instead of waiting till you could make level three stuff.¡± ¡°Yeah, I know. I know it''s a solvable problem, it doesn''t change the fact that I feel bad about what we had to put that giant through.¡± ¡°Put it through? It''s just a thing, like this fork, or a piece of fruit.¡± Sam said pointing her food laden fork at him before taking a bite. ¡°I''m going to show you all a movie tonight. New Zealand''s favourite romantic comedy.¡± ¡°You''d better show us this movie then.¡± Val yawned. Gavin settled down in his beanbag at the far end of the dining hall amongst his friends. A haunting song filled their ears as he created an illusion of a mountain on the wall, panning back to reveal a shot of the Auckland motorway, cars speeding past a woman pushing a shopping cart. ¡°This is really your world?¡± Sam asked ¡°it looks strange, how are those carriages moving so fast without magic?¡± ¡°They burn a fuel to push themselves forward, I might be able to show you how it works, assuming Soliece lets me.¡± Gavin explained. ¡°That music is a lot stranger than other music you''ve shown us, what instrument is that?¡± ¡°Electric guitar. I''ll play some more music later if you want, you guys should really watch the movie though¡± he said. *** ¡°Gods Gavin¡± Sam whispered palming a tear from her eyes as the closing credits rolled. ¡°That''s what your world is like?¡± Val said, her face drawn. ¡°My family was a little less punchy and a little more yelly, but yeah, life''s like that for a lot of people. Some have it pretty good, some, not so much.¡± ¡°How do you have any happiness inside you?¡± ¡°I got out, never looked back.¡± Gavin said solemnly. ¡°I was like Boogie, got a chance at a better life, and took it.¡± ¡°It''s why you don''t talk about your family?¡± Sam asked. ¡°Family is what you make it. You guys are my family, I miss my mum, but she made my life hard too in her own way.¡± ¡°Too right we are.¡± Val said, punching his shoulder. ¡°But that brings me back to my point. That movie is a hard watch, I can feel your souls aching, but it''s not real, it''s just actors pretending. The monsters we kill are no more real than that movie, but their pain affects us. By the time we''re done we all will have killed millions of monsters, I just don''t want to turn into some soulless automaton to get there.¡± ¡°I see your point.¡± Sam said ¡°a lot of high level adventurers are hard and uncaring.¡± ¡°Good. Well. I''m gonna go to bed. I''m pretty shattered. Got a big day tomorrow.¡± Gavin said slapping his knees as he stood to go to his room. ¡°What are you doing tomorrow?¡± ¡°Eating some humble pie.¡± NINE. Dire Chicken. The runic blades were stationed in the village of Mino, in the opposite direction to Ny¨¹mbakka from the main town of Na?tak. He approached Haylee to tell her his intentions for the day and got approval to travel, as well as a package to deliver to the Na?tak Guild hall on her behalf. He made the journey over the course of the morning, portalling to hilltops in a zigzag pattern to get line of sight to his next destinations. Finally, spotting the village in the distance he stepped through into the guild compound. ¡°Hey, I''m looking for Koyo of the Runic Blades?¡± Gavin asked the administrator in the main compound. He was a burly man in his forties, shaved head and bushy moustache. He looked to Gavin like the sort of man that would drink lion red from the jug. His beady eyes narrowed as he looked Gavin up and down, apparently satisfied nothing nefarious was going on, or that he just didn''t care he looked back down at his scattered paperwork. ¡°She and her team are out installing the communication nodes, they aren''t due back for days¡± He said dismissively. ¡°Do they not have a portal user?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Ahh lame. Where can I find them? Is there a map of their route?¡± ¡°There is, though I suggest you return on fifthday if you need to see them.¡± ¡°I''ll be fine, the matter is sort of time sensitive.¡± ¡°Sort of?¡± ¡°I owe Koyo a debt I''d like to pay today, she would definitely want it done as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Very well, here.¡± He said, slapping a sheet of paper down on the desk, lines expanded out from his hand, forming a topographic map with several red and blue dots scattered around and a line connecting several of them together, ¡°they started here yesterday and have connected these ones here. The red dots are previously connected nodes and the blue ones are ones that have yet to be connected. I''m not sure where they will go from their last one, but it will likely be in one of these three locations¡± Gavin added pins to the map in his user interface to denote their location, having to guestimate their location since that area of his map was still greyed out. ¡°Cheers mate¡± Gavin said, nodding to the man as he left the building. He jumped away the second his portal came off cooldown, portalling up to the top of a nearby mountain, then another. He located the site of their last node on the map, a cylinder of metal like a bollard in the middle of the forest, it radiated energy he could feel in his bones and was almost imperceptibly sinking into the earth. He followed their trail for half an hour until he was sure he knew their next destination, two jumps later and he was there. It was well after lunch time by then and his stomach was rumbling. Carefully, he set out a thick blanket on the ground and laid out a picnic for himself, complete with fresh juice, BLT sandwich in a homemade loaf of bread he''d sliced lengthways filled with various local ingredients as substitutes to approximate the real thing. He was taking his second bite when he heard footsteps and voices through the woods. His ears pricked up for a second before he relaxed, confident he wasn''t in danger. ¡°I''m telling you, there''s something waiting for us up there, you can''t feel it buzzing with magic?¡± came a familiar voice. ¡°Is it a monster?¡± ¡°I don''t know, just a high concentration of mana.¡± ¡°Yo, guys, I''m over this way¡± Gavin called, feeling the air chill as the party of adventurers froze. He carried on eating his sandwich while he waited, licking the trail of juice that had trickled down his wrist as the Runic blades pushed their way into his little clearing. ¡°You know, you lot make a lot of noise¡± Gavin said, popping the last of his sandwich into his mouth. ¡°We aren''t trying to hide¡± Xavier shot back. ¡°You here to pay up?¡± Koyo demanded. ¡°Yeah, actually,¡± Gavin said, producing an ingot of etherium from his inventory. ¡°You actually have it?¡± ¡°Sure do, you lot gonna stop for lunch?¡± He asked, taking a cream doughnut from his inventory, taking a bite and groaning as he smeared jam over the tip of his nose. ¡°We have rations we can eat while we work.¡± ¡°Well, suit yourself¡± he said, tossing the ingot to Koyo. ¡°You fabricated this? I recognise your work.¡± ¡°Yeah, I found a chunk of it back in Edomont, it''s been sitting in my inventory for ages until I got my deconstruct ability to to level three.¡± ¡°So you nearly did get there?¡± ¡°Yeah, not that it matters now, but I got my expert smith, fabricate and deconstruct abilities there, enchanting is like a day away, I could have won our bet, but Sam gave me a kicking when I was too worn out to fight from enchanting through the night. Pushed myself hard enough my body of iron ability is about two thirds the way to level three as well.¡± ¡°You''re serious? You are crazy.¡± Koyo laughed. ¡°Maybe a little. Well, now that''s done, I should head back to my team, unless you feel like giving me a crash course in fixing my crafting skills real quick Koyo?¡± ¡°I may need that information to bargain with you later.¡± ¡°What about I put on a nice lunch, for you all, and you give me some pointers.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Come on Koyo, you saw what he was eating, having something other than field rations would do us good.¡± Freya argued. ¡°Fine, but it better be a gods damned feast.¡± Koyo said. ¡°Excellent¡± Gavin said waving a hand over his blanket ¡°sit and enjoy.¡± Pies, sandwiches, chips, and sweet baked treats tumbled from his fingers onto waiting trays and baskets. He set two pitchers of juice out to enjoy and a half dozen glasses. Xavier took a pie, inspecting It ¡°What''s this?¡± ¡°Pie mate, from my home world, get it in ya, it''s good for you.¡± He took a tentative bite, savouring the meaty flavours ¡°I think I can say that this is definitely not good for you¡± he said, taking a second larger bite. ¡°It''s good for the soul.¡± ¡°It definitely is, we''ve been eating dried meat and dehydrated vegetables every day out here, this is fantastic¡± Freya said biting down on a jazzberry lamington. ¡°So good. What is this?¡± ¡°Lamington, most of this food is stuff from my homeworld. Haven''t got the drinks right yet though, I''m dying for a coke or a- hey, did you guys hear that?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Xavier said standing up, a long sword and shield appeared in his hands. The Blades formed up in a defensive position, Gavin sighing as he floated up above them, his D12''s orbiting him slowly. A screech like a dying child made the hairs of Gavins neck stand on end. Fumbling his rifle from his inventory he took aim through the trees. They could all hear the crinkling leaves, rustling in short bursts and stops, though they couldn''t see anything. ¡°Shit, level three.¡± Kaelan, the group leader said ¡°just one, this will be hard.¡± ¡°Want me to go for help? How are your team at fighting above your level?¡± ¡°We''ll manage. You?¡± ¡°I can hold my own, I''m probably going to be most useful resetting cooldowns, I can do that until I run out of mana then I can convert stored items and coins to keep doing it.¡± ¡°Handy. In that case keep Isandro up.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± With a flurry of feathers Leilani toppled, blood spurting from her neck. Gavin barely had time to react, dumping health into his new ally. ¡°What the shit was that?¡± Gavin yelled as Leilani unstoppered a healing potion from a bandolier. ¡°Dire Chicken.¡± Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°What? Man it can do a lot of damage.¡± Gavin said, wincing as the ruined flesh beneath Leilani¡¯s ragged armour knitted over. ¡°Yes, Easy to kill but hard to catch.¡± ¡°Yeah no shit.¡± Gavin said, floating down as he whipped his D12s into faster and faster orbits around the party. A shield flashed around Kaelan, this time the party were ready for it, Isandro immolated the area in a ball of fire. It tingled harmlessly against Gavins skin, even as he dumped mana into him to reset the cooldown. Gavin pulled on his orbiting stones, tightening their radius from him, they were howling now as their spiked facets bludgeoned their way through the air. Spotting the chicken he shot his two stones off, followed closely by a poisoned bullet still unspent from the last batch hed made in his fight with the giant. He scored two hits, eliciting a squawk and a bloody rent through his armour that exploded outwards in a burst of light. Isandro bathed them all in fire again, the smell of singed feathers thick in their nostrils. Gavin pumped more mana into him to reset the cooldown, slugging back a recovery potion as his health and mana dipped low. The chicken made another attack, pouncing on Isandro from behind, punching its beak into his spine and raking claws across his side. Freya put two thrown handaxes into it, exploding against the creature with a burst of smouldering feathers. Leilani shot a bolt of healing light at her downed companion, topping herself up with the same ability. Freya was the chicken''s next victim, going for her throat, tearing a bloody chunk followed by a spray of blood. It stayed long enough to ruin her armour with its razor claws. Xavier and Kaelan hacked into it with vicious strikes, carving two shallow lines into its flesh as it battered the air, disappearing into the underbrush. ¡°It''s going for the last one to attack it¡± Gavin said the instant it made a flyby attack at its last two assailants, charging one and gorring the hand of the other with its claws. Gavin was ready the next time it made an appearance, he shot it twice and hit it twice more with his flying stones, using his force of will to drill them deep into its flesh. ¡°Now it''s coming for you.¡± Xavier said his tone suggesting that he thought Gavin was an idiot. ¡°Good news is I can sense where it is, wait, no, it''s just pecked them out of its body.¡± Gavin said as his two soulbound dice plopped to the ground. Gavin timed his bubble shield, conjuring it around himself as the chicken tackled him from behind. The beast was furious, popping the shield in the blink of an eye, grinding through his enchanted armour, and scooping clawfuls of flesh from his back as though it was no better protection than tinfoil. The blades lit into it, pummeling it with attacks and blasts of magic, the chicken uncaring of the damage now, only that it took Gavin down with it. Leilani juiced him with all the healing magic she could manage but she was no match for the sheer damage the chicken was inflicting on him. He teleported out and away from the fight, but the chicken came with him, latched onto him on two exposed rib bones. In a moment of panic he summoned his fortress atop them both, crushing them into the dirt. He felt the last of his life force die inside him, then flare again as his defender of the weak trait bring him back up to full health. He felt the immense weight on him, dismissing his fortress before it could crush him to death a second time. The chicken had detached itself, stunned momentarily. Gavin teleported away, feeling healing energy flood back into him. His mana began rocketing up too, and he pushed it back into his armour, restoring the shield Returning to the fight he found the blades wailing on the chicken, hacking it to pieces. Gavin joined them, stabbing it through the face with his spear, pinning it to the ground while the others dismembered it. Finally, he felt its life force ebb to nothing. He dismissed his spear, then sat back against a tree, exhausted. ¡°I think I have a new least favourite monster ¡± He wheezed3, ¡°a dire chicken? How am I going to tell my team I got killed by a chicken?¡± ¡°Dire chickens are no joke.¡± Kaelan said, ¡°there''s no shame in being outmatched, especially when you were unprepared and under geared.¡± ¡°On my world we have billions of chickens, we farm them in tiny little cages that aren''t much bigger than they are. I''m thinking they deserve it now, Jesus christ that hurt.¡± ¡°How many defensive powers do you have?¡± Leilani asked ¡°that was a lot of damage you just took.¡± ¡°Two, just one that increases my resistances a bit and the bubble shield. I''ve got a defender of the weak title, it increases my constitution and brings me back up to full health if I nearly die.¡± ¡°That''s a neat trick, how''d you get that?¡± Freya asked. ¡°Died trying to save a guy.¡± ¡°You died?¡± ¡°Couple of times, yeah, more importantly, lunch is ruined.¡± Gavin said surveying the battlefield, torn apart and cratered. ¡°Never mind that, what was that weapon you were using?¡± Koyo asked. ¡°Oh, this?¡± He said tossing her his rifle ¡°It''s what we use back on my world to kill each other instead of using magic.¡± Koyo turned the weapon over in her hands, inspecting it. ¡°I could use one of these, mind if I make a copy?¡± ¡°Uhh, I guess not.¡± Gavin shrugged ¡°you are going to give me some crafting training though right?¡± ¡°I''ll give you the good stuff for letting me copy this design.¡± Koyo laughed, her eyes flashing blue, ¡°you said you can copy spells? Copy my inspection power, it¡¯s a ritual, it''ll help when you combine it with your vision power.¡± ¡°Sweet as¡± Gavin said, his eyes turning the same hue. ¡°Here, take a look¡± she said, handing the weapon back. Gavin took his gun, looking at it through a new light. He couldn''t so much see the grain of the metal so much as feel it, like running fingers through grass. It was rough, a chaotic lump of metal brute forced into shape. ¡°Its pretty shit, yeah.¡± he said inspecting the weapon, ¡°shooting those level two bullets has damaged it a bit too.¡± ¡°Practice making the grain pattern more uniform, come find us sixth day when we''re back at the village, I''ll give you a day of training.¡± ¡°Awesome. Well, anyway, I think I should loot this chicken and get back to camp anyway, you guys have fun with the whole sleeping outside thing.¡± Gavin said packing up his ruined picnic. *** ¡°What took you so long? And why did you dismiss the fortress?¡± Sam asked furiously when he returned to Ny¨¹mbakka. ¡°Have you been fighting?¡± ¡°Yeah, little bit, helped the runic blades kill a dire chicken, dropped the fortress on it.¡± ¡°That was good thinking, those things can be lethal, is everyone okay?¡± Sam asked. ¡°Yeah, everyone''s fine, gonna need Judy to make a new fortress, I won''t be able to summon mine until midnight.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± Judy said, striding over wearing a copy of Sam''s tree form, my copy power will be on cooldown till nearly midnight too.¡± ¡°Well shit, good thing I have a bunch of mana to reset the cooldown then right? Also, looted a shit load of money off that chicken, and some actual chicken, man have I got a treat for you lot tonight¡± Gavin said, rubbing his hands together. He spent the afternoon tinkering with his new copied ability while in the kitchen experimenting. He fabricated a cube of iron, feeling its grain structure, the iron molecules arranging themselves in a crystal lattice as he worked. He worked to get the structure perfectly uniform, completely random, different patterns and spacing. With a variety of combinations he experimented with making weapons, then enchanting them to get a feel for the effect. With even minimal effort he was seeing immediate improvements in the strength of his weapons, as well as adjusting the physical qualities of the weapons themselves. Between bouts of crafting he experimented with several recipes for dinner, settling on one he was happy with. The best part about cooking in this world was the ability to store food in his inventory, preserving it exactly as it went in. Over the next few hours he had a massive quantity of food cooked and stored, ready to eat. ¡°Alright guys, come and get it¡± Gavin called, setting the table, a grin on his face. The team filed in, noses perking up at the unfamiliar smell. They all took their seats around the round table, a pile of food in the centre. ¡°What''s this?¡± Val said, sliding into her chair. ¡°Kentucky fried chicken, mashed potato and gravy, bread rolls and coleslaw. It''s a delicacy from my world.¡± ¡°Why is it in buckets?¡± Sam asked. ¡°Because that''s how it comes.¡± Gavin shrugged, taking a piece of fried goodness and crunching down on the crispy shell ¡°ohh. Sooo good.¡± ¡°This is actually really good¡± Judy said taking a chunk out of a leg. ¡°Wait till you try out the potato and gravy, it tastes like happiness.¡± Gavin said, scooping a spoonful from its thin wooden punnet. ¡°This salad isn''t bad¡± Sam said taking a small bite. ¡°That was the hardest to get right, you don''t have mustard here, so it''s a little off. It tastes okay, just not exactly what I was going for.¡± ¡°Your world must be a dangerous place to eat, your food is always really tasty.¡± Judy said. ¡°And full of fat¡± Sam sighed, biting into a piece of chicken. ¡°Yeah, like a third of the population are obese.¡± Gavin said offhandedly through a mouthful of food. ¡°I did think you used to be a little heavy.¡± Sam said waving a half eaten drumstick at him. ¡°That''s just a couple years of healthy eating piled onto sixteen years of poverty, if I''d got here a few years later all those pies would have caught up with me.¡± ¡°You still eat a lot of pies now though.¡± ¡°Yeah, but back then I wasn''t going on a five kilometre run every morning and training half the day like some lunatic MMA fighter.¡± ¡°That''s fair.¡± Sam shrugged. ¡°Well, hate to love and leave you, but I''ve got work to do tonight, I''m thinking I''m gonna get my gun up to level two, I won''t be prioritising my own gear again until you all get something good.¡± Gavin said ¡°so think about what you want most and I''ll find a way to make it work, Judy, I''ll need some input from you on your bow, I''ll trial a few designs over the next couple days to see what you like.¡± Gavin retired to his workshop to begin the reforging process. He used the existing weapon as a template, replacing each component with an identical level two equivalent, taking extra care to fabricate everything as good as he could get it with his newfound insight into the material he was creating. He replicated the same enchantment, though heavily reinforced and empowered. The end result was a weapon designed to kill, and keep killing. He lined up his fifteen soulbound rounds, reforging each of them in turn. He had a significant stash of level two adamantium, and he used that now for the bullet and the solid casing, with an explosive enchantment ready to blow as soon as the compressive force of the firing pin struck it. He fabricated the bullets with intentional flaws along shear lines, they''d break apart on contact, hopefully to detonate a cone of shrapnel into the target. It was midnight by the time he pulled himself into bed, completely drained from hours of crafting. [Item: O''l reliable] [Type: Weapon, rifle] [Rarity: Level 2, Legendary] [Description: Aim only at things you want very dead] [Effect: Fires a loaded projectile at the target dealing additional force damage.] [Effect: Increases users [Agility] attribute while aiming] [Effect: Item durability substantially increased] [Effect: Soulbound] [Item: Devastation round] [Type: Ammunition] [Rarity: Level 2: Legendary] [Description: warning, will cause injury and death, you probably won''t even feel it] [Effect: Activate to trigger enchantment. Uses stored mana to propel ammunition with additional force energy] [Effect: detonates on contact with an enemy dealing [radiant] and [force] damage.] [Effect: soulbound] TEN. Contracts. ¡°We have contracts.¡± Sam said, slapping a sheaf of papers down on the breakfast table. ¡°What''s this, four of them?¡± Gavin asked, flicking through the contracts. ¡°Two level one and two level two''s? Guess there''s going to be more now the detection network is getting more established.¡± ¡°We''ll likely have a big wave of them to fight over the next few days, the areas the Storm Wardens haven''t been through yet will still be getting monsters spawning even though we''re not detecting them.¡± ¡°Yeah, I reckon we can probably split these up, if I take Sam, and Val takes Judy we should be able to take a level one and level two contract each, portal out to that funny mountain with the rock, then Judy opens a portal out north east and I go south east, meet back up at the mountain?¡± ¡°I agree¡± Sam said ¡°there''s no reason for us all to go together, we need to be training as well as clearing contracts or we''ll stagnate.¡± ¡°I''ll knock together a few basic level two arrows for you before we get stuck in Judy¡± Gavin said, producing a bundle of them from his inventory, enchanting a handful at a time while he ate his eggs on toast. ¡°Thanks, the ones I''ve got aren''t great at killing level two monsters.¡± They set off as soon as they''d eaten, portalling out east, landing on a crescent shaped mountain that appeared as though a god had smooshed a thumb into the countryside, pressing up a high ridge of rock that overhung the depression below. The wind was crisp up here, whipping up the rock face in periodic bursts. Gavin handed over his stack of arrows, Similarly enchanted to his bullets to explode on contact with an enemy, then watched as Judy and Val disappeared through a copied portal. He and Sam waited for his power to come off cooldown before opening up his own, transporting them twenty five kilometres south east to a point he could spot at the far edge of his portal range. ¡°Just like old times. Us two wandering through the bush to go kill a bunch of monsters.¡± Gavin said with a cheery smile. ¡°It''s been a while.¡± Sam said, ¡°try not to get yourself killed again today.¡± ¡°That''s a lot harder to do now.¡± ¡°You did nearly get killed by a chicken.¡± ¡°It was higher level than me.¡± Gavin argued ¡°anyway, we''d better keep a look out for this encounter.¡± ¡°Like that extradimensional pocket over there?¡± ¡°Ahh, yeah, like that one.¡± The space was undulating erratically, almost ready to collapse. Spikes of mirrored light pulsed in waves across its surface. ¡°Let''s do this.¡± Gavin said, cracking his knuckles, picking up his pace as the two adventurers sprinted headlong through the scrubland into the bubble. Through the other side was a lavish garden. Perfectly tended beds of flowers sprawled out in spiralling patterns, like a natural mandala they had appeared in the middle of. ¡°So uhh, no monster?¡± Gavin asked, looking around ¡°doesn''t look like a puzzle, wonder if there''s a magical orchid or something in here we need to find?¡± ¡°If there''s another dryad in here-¡± Sam began, placing an armoured boot into the centre of a red patch of flowers. The ground opened up under her as a gaping maw engulfed her foot. Stumbling back she wrenched a pig sized molerat from the earth, its lamprey teeth gnawing at the metal of her boot. She trailed arcing flashes of blue as she stomped it into the ground even as its jaws gnawed at her foot. Gavin obliterated the monster with a shot from his new gun, the bullet punching a bucket sized hole through its body. He touched the creature with a boot, dissolving It into ash before Sam could shake it free. ¡°So, monsters then ¡± he said dryly as the earth began to boil around them. He floated himself into the air as Sam transformed into her awakened tree form, Her sword slashing great arcs around her, scything into the dozens of creatures trying to inundate her. Gavins rifle cycled continuously, blasting monsters off of his friend as he conjured shields around her the instant they came off cooldown. He threw his two D12''s out, sending them racing in a tight arc outside of Sam''s threat range, the two stones boring bloody holes through dozens of the monsters. Even so, they came from below, digging the earth out from under Sam as she dodged and hacked her way to fresh ground, blurring to pull herself free of the swarming wall of flesh. Her sword glowed with divine light, barely noticing the resistance as it swung in circles obliterating molerats in droves. Gavin barely had to aim as he pumped shot after shot into the mass of bodies trailing after Sam, killing one with every pull on the trigger. ¡®Now¡¯ Sam called through their telepathic link, activating her radiance of the dawn ability. Brilliant white light scoured the ruined garden, burning everything it touched save for her allies. Shrieks of pain cut short as everything within a dozen metres died within her cleansing aura. There were still more, boring their way through the earth to push up all around the patch of wasteland. Gavin fuelled Sam with his own power, topping off her mana and cooldowns. She scrubbed them clear of the garden with another wave of light, then another. Gavins jaw set in grim determination, sighting enemy after enemy, watching it disintegrate in front of him. They were gradually thinning, Sam doing the lion''s share of the killing. As the horde grew more sporadic and the ground harder to traverse Gavin came into his own, his enchanted chunks of metal gathering more and more speed as he forced more will into them, blending anything that drew near while he picked off stragglers. Before the work was complete, he broke off his shooting to start looting. When the last monster was killed they wouldn''t have long until the pocket reality collapsed around them. He was close to done when he felt the space destabilise, he looked over to Sam wrenching her sword from the last corpse. Nodding to her they began walking for the barrier. They portalled over to their next location, just six kilometres south. Traipsing through the bush they heard the unmistakable sounds of battle. Without pausing to consider their actions, they rushed through the trees, crashing headlong towards the clamour. Eight dire wolves, as tall as person at the shoulder, stalked a small group of young men, teeth bared and bloody. The five men formed into a defensive circle, spears pointed outwards, jabbing threateningly at their enemy. Four men lay dead, ragged wounds and severed limbs laying in pools of blood that splattered across the loamy earth. Five more wolves lay scattered among them, some burned and blackened, others with wounds that could not have come from the simple weapons the men carried. Sam transformed into her awakened form, ethereal wings sprouted from her back as she plunged into battle, her sword bit deeply into the back of the closest wolf. She blurred into motion, pivoting to attack a second as Gavin unloaded four shots in quick succession, turning the wolf''s torso to pulp. The wolves reacted as one, manoeuvring to attack Sam, the first biting down on a bubble shield that burst in its mouth, the second finding Sam''s shining sword punching straight down its gullet. Blinding white light bathed the rest in radiant light. The warriors leapt into action, fanning out to lay into one of the wolves. Gavin felt a surge of power radiating from the group, he watched as their tattoos glowed with ethereal light. A wave of energy washed down the heavily tattooed arms of a man, red light erupting from the tip of his spear the instant it made contact with a wolf. Gavin cycled through his soulbound ammunition, following Sam as she moved between the wolves with grace, using his gun to finish off nearly dead enemies, or distract any that made a lunge she wasn''t prepared to defend. Any wolves that came his way he avoided, teleporting to safe spaces in the battlefield to continue his assault. A third and a fourth wolf Fell to the knights while the warriors killed a second. The remaining two scattered, seeing their pack mates fall so quickly as the tide of battle changed. Gavin teleported after one, Sam leaping after the other. They harried their prey, crippling and cutting them down as they chased them through the forest. Gavin returned to the grizzly scene a minute later finding Sam dragging a corpse by its hind leg, drooling blood back through the trees, she tossed it down on the ground like a sack of grain. ¡°You guys alright?¡± Gavin asked as the group of men watched silently with suspicion and fear etched on their faces. Scanning about the battlefield, he noticed one of the fallen men wheezing, his arm gored stump, trickling blood. He fell to the man''s side, pressing his own health into the man as Sam did the same. Shouts from behind gave Gavin pause as their patient''s wound closed. ¡°What''s wrong?¡± Gavin said, as a man approached, weapon in hand. The man extended the butt of his spear, nudging Gavin aside and pushing Sam back from their fallen companion gently but firmly. ¡°What''s this about mate?¡± Gavin asked, confused and angry ¡°he''s going to be okay, look.¡± The man uttered a few harsh words Gavin couldn''t understand, gesturing to the downed man with his spear. They watched as the intricate swirling tattoos around the man''s chest and neck faded from the point of his ruined arm. ¡°What''s that? How are they fading?¡± Gavin wondered, ¡°is our healing doing that?¡± ¡°I think it must be, tattoos don''t usually stick to people with soul powers unless they''re especially meaningful, though these should be extremely meaningful to the Nalan people.¡± ¡°Maybe it''s- wait, your aura Sam, shut it off.¡± ¡°Oh, shit¡± Sam said, mentally designating the warriors as neutral and not allies. ¡°Sorry,¡± Gavin said, palms up. ¡°At least he''ll live now.¡± The men said something in their native language, bending down to pick their companion up, pity on their faces. Gavin moved through the battlefield, looting the corpses to the shock and amazement to the Nalan warriors. He looted his and Sam''s kills first, followed by the ones killed by the others, placing the pile of fur, solars, teeth and affinity crystal of the hunt he''d picked off their corpses down on the ground for them. ¡°This is yours¡± he said, gesturing to the looted materials then to the men. The warriors picked over the gear, shouting excitedly as they discovered the affinity crystal. They grinned wildly as they clapped Gavin on the shoulder and pulling him into an embrace. They picked the furs, and pressed the coins into Gavins hands. ¡°Nah mate, these are yours.¡± he said ¡°you earned them.¡± Thinking for a moment he gestured for a man to take a coin. Producing a fur from his inventory he took the coin and offered the fur to the man. Understanding washed over his face, as Gavin produced several more furs and traded them for a handful of coins, leaving a substantial pile behind. Next he proffered the crystal the team had looted from the obsidian dragon, taking the remaining coins in exchange. The men stared in wonder at the shard of dark crystal, swirling with fiery light inside. One of them placed a hand on Gavin''s head, muttering something that felt a lot like a religious sacrament, he moved to touch Gavin¡¯s hand, taking it in his calloused grip and holding it to his own forehead as he continued the prayer. ¡°I think they like soul crystals.¡± Sam shrugged. ¡°Seems like it.¡± Gavin said awkwardly as he pulled away from the group, ¡°looked to me like their tattoos are giving them power.¡± ¡°That''s what I was thinking.¡± Sam said. ¡°You reckon they use the crystals to make the tattoos somehow?¡± ¡°looks that way to me.¡± She guessed. ¡°Are you guys okay to get back to Ny¨¹mbakka?¡± Gavin asked, pointing at the men then back in the direction of the town. ¡°Ny¨¹mbakka! Ny¨¹mbakka eru.¡± One man said. He opened his portal back to the meeting spot then said ¡°Ny¨¹mbakka through there.¡± He fabricated two wooden replicas of his portal and a model of himself, passing it through the first portal he deconstructed the model, fabricating another stepping out of the second portal. ¡°Nakt, a ini eru.¡± the man said, gesturing walking with his fingers. ¡°Come on, let''s get going Sam, catch you guys later¡± he said, shrugging then waving to the group of warriors. ¡°That was odd, I wonder how much trouble we¡¯ll be in with the guild?¡± Sam asked as they stepped back through the portal. ¡°Trouble with the guild?¡± Val asked, concern in her voice ¡°what''d you guys do? Fail the contract.¡± ¡°Gavin made friends with the locals.¡± ¡°Did he? They talked with him and didn''t hate him afterwards?¡± ¡°Hey, plenty of people like me.¡± Gavin complained. ¡°Name five people that aren''t us that like you.¡± Val, ashed, folding her arms across her chest as she smirked at him. ¡°Look, let''s not get into this, it''s smoko time and I''m hungry.¡± ¡°Don''t be so mean Val, you know he struggles to count to big numbers like five.¡± Judy said. ¡°Oh fuck you Judy¡± Gavin laughed uproriously ¡°I''ll have you know I can count to at least twenty.¡± ¡°Is that using all your fingers and toes?¡± Sam piled on. ¡°You guys suck.¡± Gavin said, offering out a tray of pies. Ten minutes later they portalled back to town, taking Val to complete the paperwork. They strode into the guild administration building, taking a seat at the bench to write. ¡°So uhh, Haylee.¡± Gavin said, placing the forms down on her desk. ¡°Why do you sound guilty?¡± ¡°It''s in the report, but long story short we ran into some of the locals out there.¡± ¡°You what?¡± Haylee said, groaning. ¡°They were about to be attacked by some dire wolves, Sam and I stepped in to help them, we healed one of them-¡± ¡°You didn''t? This is not good.¡± ¡°It''s okay, I think, I gave them a couple of soul crystals and they seemed pretty happy.¡± ¡°More than one?¡± ¡°Yeah, I looted one off the wolves they''d killed before we got there, and traded them a second for the coins.¡± ¡°Hunt and dragon?¡± She said, reading Gavin¡¯s short essay at a glance ¡°how did you get a crystal of the dragon?¡± ¡°Killed a dragon in an extradimensional pocket, some bloke failed the quest back in Edomont so we took it on.¡± ¡°Back when you were level one?¡± ¡°Val was level two.¡± Gavin shrugged. ¡°I guess sensible wardens don''t put their hands up for assignments like this¡± Haylee sighed. ¡°I guess not.¡± Gavin agreed, ¡°anyway, let us know how much of a diplomatic incident today will be.¡± ¡°You- hold on¡± Haylee said, frowning ¡°new contract just came through, level three.¡± ¡°Well shit¡± Gavin groaned, ¡°we have twenty four hours to complete it?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Cool, give it here, I guess I''m gonna be a busy boy today.¡± Taking the contact he and Val returned to the fortress. He called a meeting to let the team know about the contract. ¡°Okay team. I''m going to get my enchanting ability to level three today, we can''t go into an unknown threat with level one gear, I''ll do my best to knock up a set of level three gear for Judy and basic weapons for us all. It won''t be fancy, but they''ll keep us alive.¡± ¡°You three can go. I can sit it out.¡± Judy said soberly. ¡°No.¡± Sam said definitively, ¡°we will need you. We already have a small team, dropping you because you''re under levelled won''t help us.¡± ¡°You''ll be okay Jude, I''ll get you kitted out¡± Gvin said, patting her shoulder. ¡°Alright guys, I''m going to the workshop, I may be some time.¡± He threw himself into his work, knowing this time his efforts could mean the difference between life and death for his friends. He was only a day or so away at his relaxed pace, so it took only hours for him to break through the level three barrier. [Expert Smith] (Level 1): Expend additional mana during the crafting process to enhance the resulting item proportional to your rank in this ability up to a limit determined by the material of the item. (Level 2): Crafting items requires fewer resources. Crafting multiple duplicate items simultaneously has a reduced mana cost proportional to your rank in this ability for each additional item. (Level 3): Mana and stamina costs are reduced. Fabricated items can be imbued with additional mana when using this ability to enhance the maximum mana capacity of the item. [Fabricate] (Level 1): Construct items of up to your level in this ability from raw resources in your possession. Mana cost varies depending on item complexity and your [intelligence] attribute (Level 2): Mana and stamina costs to use this ability are reduced. (Level 3): Fabricated items can be imbued with additional mana when using this ability to enhance the maximum mana capacity of the item. [Otherworldly Enchanter] (Level 1):Enchant an item using a known enchanting template for a variable mana cost determined by the complexity and strength of the enchantment. Enchanted items have a greater effect proportional to your [Spirit] attribute (Level 2): User may create soulbound items for an additional mana cost during the creation process. (Level 3): User can create set items, set items gain greater synergy when worn or carried, maximum number of set items determined by your level in this ability. Copy enchantment architecture between items for a variable mana cost proportional to item complexity and users level in this ability. Then he set about crafting gear for the team. First and easiest was a set of four soulbound arrows that used a similar enchantment to his bullets for Judy. Next a level three bow, cruder and more powerful than her existing one, not taking the time or effort to make it able to soulbind it was just for raw damage. He fabricated a sword for Sam and two for Val in a similar way, designed to deal damage and enhance speed and strength. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Lastly was their armour, crafting four identical sets for them all to wear. They were all of similar design with the notable difference being the colour of the cloth tying them all together; a deep sunset orange for Sam, copper-green for Val, fiery red for Judy, and violet for himself. He collapsed into bed well after midnight, absolutely drained having pushed himself right to the limit for half the day and night. Sam woke him the next morning, frowning at his still exhausted state. ¡°You going to be okay?¡± Sam said. ¡°Yeah, give me an hour and I''ll be fine.¡± he said groggily. ¡°Come on, Santa''s bought us all presents.¡± Gavin stumbled into the dining room where a plate of food had been laid out for him. He devoured it greedily, having pushed through dinner the previous night without stopping. ¡°So everyone has new gear, it''s mostly pretty rough, but I do have some arrows that are actually good.¡± Gavin said, floating a bundle of arrows over to Judy. ¡°These are fantastic.¡± She beamed. [Item: Demon Slayer] Type: Ammunition, Arrow Description: Will one hit kill anyone in the Salty Spitoon. Effect: Detonates on contact with an enemy dealing [radiant] and [force] damage. Effect: Soulbound Gavin handed out the rest of their gear. He knew it wasn''t close to his best work but it was better than what they all had, even Vals old armour and weapons were less durable and dealt less damage than the simple items he played out before them. The team were grateful regardless, amazed at the speed he''d churned out their new armour and weapons. ¡°So, are we ready to get going?¡± Sam asked. ¡°Not yet, I''m going to reforge my bullets up to level three, it won''t take long, and it''ll give me time to recover, Sam, you mind sticking around so I can leech off your aura?¡± ¡°Sure, but we don''t have a lot of time.¡± ¡°I''d rather be pressed for time than ineffective in combat.¡± ¡°Fine, I agree.¡± Sam conceded. An hour later Gavin was ready. The team suited up into their new armour, Gavin and Judy having a much easier time of it with their inventory powers than the other two who had to put it on the conventional way. They opened a portal out into the jungle, then another, and another. ¡°I think I spot it.¡± Judy said, pointing out into the nook between two ridges on the side of a mountain. ¡°It''s pretty big.¡± Gavin confirmed, looking at the colossal glowing bubble nestled in the trees. ¡°We need to be quick about taking down whatever''s inside without becoming reckless.¡± Sam said. ¡°It could just be a big puzzle.¡± Judy Suggested ¡°We''ve had a couple of those before. ¡°We''ve also had a shrine to a hostile god try to eat us.¡± Val reminded her. ¡°Well, while we wait for my portal to come off cooldown, I''m gonna reforge my D12''s¡± Gavin said, sitting down on a dead log. *** Ten minutes later the team portalled through to the extradimensional space. Without pausing they stepped inside. A feeling of dread washed over them, it felt like the inevitability of death had noticed them. They were in a large stone chamber, unlit braziers lined the walls to either side while the ceiling disappeared into the impenetrable darkness. They moved forward, weapons drawn and ready. Gavin floated a string of glow globes out in front of them to illuminate the way. A bannister loomed up in front of them overlooking an empty void, a small platform extended out over the abyss, a waist high lever set into the floor. Steeling himself Gavin stepped out onto the platform. ¡°Let''s get this done.¡± Gavin sighed, resting his elbows out over the handrail ¡°fights in the dark always suck.¡± They filed on to the platform and he pulled the lever. It ground uncomfortably in its socket before clanking home. With a lurch the platform dropped, the sound of metal on metal screeching from whatever mechanism lowered them into the inky blackness. The platform groaned and complained the whole way down, shuddering rhythmically every few seconds. ¡°You reckon they''ve heard us?¡± Gavin yelled over the din. ¡°I think so yeah¡± Sam replied, her new sword lighting up with radiant energy. They came to a halting stop, crashing to the ground with a thunderous clang. Cold stale air washed over them, thick with decay. A trickle of water seeped over the platform, creeping murky tendrils along the grooves between planks. ¡°I think we should probably take some potions of disease resistance.¡± Gavin suggested, four vials appearing between each of his fingers. ¡°I don''t think whatever''s out there is going to be very hygienic.¡± ¡°Good call, there''s little black specks floating in the water.¡± Judy said, crouching to run a finger through the thin film covering the platform. Throwing back the sickly sweet shot of potion Gavin stepped off the platform into ankle deep water. He felt the brackish marsh flood through his boots, saturating his socks. ¡°First project when we get home is finding a waterproofing enchantment.¡± Gavin shuddered, ¡°wet socks are the actual worst.¡± ¡°I thought poo elementals were the actual worst?¡± Sam asked. ¡°They are, but wet socks are too.¡± He aimed his rifle around the cavern, seeing nothing in the dim light his glow globes gave off. Black water expanded out in all directions, to their back was the stone wall that led up to the way out. At the edges the wall became natural stone, cragged and rough edges were smoothed by layers of muck and slime that oozed down in glistening sheets. Along the wall, deep fissures cut into the rock, disappearing into black voids. ¡°Aaand there it is.¡± Gavin groaned as they moved out into the centre of the chamber. A bus sized slug, trailing a web of sticky mucus sloshed out of a hole in the back of the room, spraying foul ichor as it flopped down into the water. Four stalks protruded from its face, glowing red eyes fixated on the knights. A metre long vertical mouth, rowed with dagger-like teeth split its grey, featureless face. ¡°Watch out for tricks.¡± Sam said, her new sword raised in a high guard, bright light radiating off it in all directions. ¡°This thing looks too easy, it has to have something else going for it.¡± ¡°I guarantee it does.¡± Gavin said, an uneasy feeling spiking his gut. The slug undulated forward in a rush, using its inertia to slide itself across the slimy ground. Bullets and arrows pelted it''s leathery skin, exploding against it without penetrating as Gavin and Judy began the fight. Red welts formed where they hit it, bruising over as they watched. Viscous goo sloughed over the superficial wounds, healing them back to their former featureless grey just as fast as they could pile the damage on. ¡°Its impervious to your attacks.¡± Sam called. ¡°Go for the eyes.¡± Gavin yelled, pointing at its glowing, orb like protuberances. Val sent her two new animated swords up to slash at them while Gavin¡¯s freshly reforged spiked adamantium balls slammed into them followed quickly by a hail of fire from his rifle and Judy''s bow. Sam strode forward, growing in size as her body became subsumed in her tree form. Giant, ghostlike wings erupted from her back as she flew in one great leap five metres into the air, her greatsword hacking straight into an open eye. Gavin wrapped Sam in a bubble shield the instant she sliced the eye in half, the glistening organ exploded in a shower of thick green goo. It splattered and hissed against the blue field of energy, quickly eating through it and shattering it into shards. She landed heavily, dodging to the side as the slug rolled over, threatening to crush her beneath its bulk. Two more eyes erupted in a shower of pus, then the third as Vals animated swords sawed through, drawing against each other in opposite directions like shears. With a roar the slug bellowed spittle from its jagged maw, growing in volume until the knights had to cover their ears against the deafening wail. Then, the slug unzipped itself, its mouth tearing open at the seam, opening a ragged maw down the length of its body revealing more and more teeth, layered in rows like some eldritch horror. The creature was just one gigantic mouth, writhing in the muck. The wailing ceased as it twisted to stand on its teeth, like a twenty metre long centipede. The monster reared up, saliva drooling from its gob as its teeth chattered independently, waggling like tendrils. ¡°Ho-ly shit.¡± Gavin muttered, shooting his rifle in quick succession, his bullets exploded to minimal effect within the open mouth. The monster rushed forward, leaping at Gavin, a wall of teeth ready to devour him. He jumped away, throwing his new and improved dice at it. [Item: Haemorrhage hexahedron] Type: Weapon, thrown Rarity: Level three, legendary Effect: Deals additional piercing damage Effect: Damage inflicted causes the bleeding condition Effect: Has a small chance to apply the haemorrhaging condition Effect: Soulbound] His hexahedrons, two twelve sided viciously spiked dice, flew out to impact The monster. Gavin forced his will into them, smashing them into its fleshy gums, he pushed on them with all the strength he could muster, drilling down with a spray of blood and gore. The monster twisted, somersaulting backwards, to reverse its direction, bounding after Judy. Like Gavin, she teleported away, shooting arrows continuously from the opposite side of the cavern. Bellowing in frustration it went after Val, teeth churning the stone floor as it skittered its razor sharp teeth for traction. Val prepared for its attack, her two animated swords trailing it, slashing into its back in the same spot, slowly wearing through its skin. She''d enhanced both of them with her soporific ability that was supposed to slow enemies down when they were damaged, but the monster was continuously resisting the effect. As the beast fell on her, she dodged to the left, becoming momentarily invisible, letting an illusory double of herself dodge to the right. Her two held swords slashed at the gums of the monster as it twisted to devour her double. Thin lines of blood flowed from its wounds as she loaded it up with bleeding conditions. She felt Gavin refresh her illusory attack ability as the monster whipped around, ready to eat her whole. She leapt forwards under its teeth as her double leapt backwards, waiting until the monster adjusted its course to hack at it while she slid through the other side. Evidently annoyed that its first three victims had continuously evaded it, the monster turned on the fourth and largest target; Sam. Its ribbon-like body wrapped itself up into a wheel, teeth side outwards. Slowly at first it rolled after her, picking up speed as it moved. Sam blurred to the side, bracing herself as she put all her considerable strength into a powerful strike as it rolled past. Her gigantic sword bit deeply into a gum, severing a single tooth before it caught and was wrenched from her hands. ¡°Just do that another three thousand times Sam.¡± Gavin called, tugging on the tooth with a tendril of force and adding it to his inventory. ¡°I''ll need my sword for that.¡± she called, pulling her level one sword from her inventory, watching the monster turn around, her previous one jutting from it like a glowing toothpick. ¡°Working on it.¡± Gavin called, hauling on his hexahedrons, boring through its gums with all his strength, using them to dig the flesh out from around the sword. Another tooth fell free along with a pile of soggy flesh. Blood poured from its wounds, flowing ever more freely as the multiple bleeding conditions stacked up. Val had joined Sam, using her lightning fast charge to make an attack, her two swords hacking off one of its hind teeth. Her two animated swords pressed their edges along its rotating body, letting its own momentum slice itself on their edges. Judy, left alone, was able to dump her mana into her attacks. Her bow would ordinarily be much to heavy for her to use, but her newly enhanced strength let her draw back the string without issue. The force it shot her arrows would be enough to disintegrate her stockpile of level one arrows, forcing her to use her new soulbound ones. Each arrow split into three, her newly levelled ability not only giving her an additional shot, but duplicating any effects on them instead of splitting the effect between them. She teleported close to the monster as it rolled past the other two women, then activated her haste ability. Arms moving in a blur, she shot an arrow, her hand followed the string as it slammed forward shooting her first arrow, plucking the string back the instant it broke contact with the shaft. The effect was a string of blurred light as each arrow exploded against the monster, then reappeared back in her hand to be shot again. She couldn''t keep it up for long, her ability was only active for a few seconds, but the compounding effect of her abilities easily more than doubled her output. Chunks of flesh disappeared under her onslaught. Sam''s sword flew free as the flesh around it disintegrated. Cracking like a whip the monster unravelled itself, slashing its entire body at Judy, who dodged around the attack, teeth barely scratching her new armour as her lucky dodge ability negated the effects. Thrashing, the monster writhed unpredictably, its back end slashing rows of jagged teeth at her again, missing entirely as she teleported free. With a roar it leapt after her again, missing as Gavin refreshed her teleport ability, letting her jump again immediately. Howling with rage the monster twisted itself into an ever shrinking leathery ball as it pulsed with dread light. Two detonations rang out from inside the monster as it crunched down on Gavin¡¯s hexahedrons. ¡°This is it guys. Get ready.¡± Gavin called, drinking a recovery potion, the rest of the team following suit. ¡°Anyone else hear that?¡± Judy puffed. ¡°Ooooh yes.¡± Gavin groaned as a thousand screeches echoed through the cavern. ¡°Sounds like a nazg?l¡± Judy said, looking around for the source. ¡°Sounds like a lot of them.¡± Sam said. ¡°Hope not.¡± Gavin grunted, sending his glow globes out to illuminate the far corners of the area. From out of the many cracks and crevices poured hundreds of animated corpses, animal intelligence behind their feral eyes. They came on in a sprinting rush, tendrils of death pouring in to attack their grouped enemies ¡°Gavin, plug those holes, Judy, get in the air, Val and I will fight down here¡± Sam ordered. ¡°On it.¡± Gavin said, teleporting through to the nearest wall, fabricating a thick plug of rock and stone to fill the crevice. Jumping around the room he repeated the process, filling each jagged rent in the stone with a metre thick wall. He returned to the group to help finish off the last of the ghouls, moving between them to loot the corpses to clear the battlefield. ¡°So, wonder when that thing¡¯s gonna hatch?¡± Gavin said, shooting the leathery ball, watching as the explosions had zero effect. ¡°Hatch?¡± Val asked, giving up as well, having no effect either. ¡°Its an egg, it''s gonna hatch into something, see.¡± Gavin said as the SUV sized egg cracked. ¡°Be ready.¡± Sam ordered, her fingers flexing on her readied sword. The egg split apart at the seams, falling to the ground in a pile of sticky fragments, a pool of bloody mucus flowed free, revealing a creature from Geiger''s nightmares. It looked like a hairless leathery werewolf, the size of Sam in her awakened form, instead of a hound like face it was a vertical mouth That opened down to its navel. The same toothy maw of articulating dagger like teeth its centipede form had sported were back, this time with a forked tongue lolling from where its belly button should be complete with a spike at each tip. Four long arms unfolded from its sides, its claws sporting three glittering talons. ¡°So uhh, that doesn''t look friendly.¡± Gavin suggested helpfully. ¡°No, it doesn''t, are we sure that''s a tongue?¡± Val asked, feeling queasy. ¡°Don''t even go there¡± Sam warned ¡°let''s just kill this thing.¡± She swung her radiant sword around her wrist, trailing white light in the gloom. Stalking forward she took three running steps, ethereal wings carrying her forward to slash at the monster. With blinding speed it avoided her attack, raking two talons across her armour. Sparks erupted as they tore into the steel, peeling it open in two thin lines. Sam reacted, her sword redirecting to slash at the monster''s back, drawing her own wound. Judy rose high into the air, barely able to follow its movement. She wanted no part of its attacks, instead raining arrows down from above. She was glad of her ability to curve arrows, she''d be utterly useless without it, the demon moved too quickly for her to predict where it would be when the arrows hit. Gavin similarly rose into the air, shooting it with his rifle and hexahedrons, aiming for its open mouth. He bored his spiked dice into it, trying to gore it the same as he''d done to its centipede form but it swallowed them, detonating them inside itself instead of taking the constant damage. Gavin didn''t mind, damage was damage, his role here was to look out for his companions and keep their cooldowns refreshed while putting as many holes in it as possible. The monster attacked Val with a series of blinding attacks, trying to grapple her into its open maw. She dodged and ducked, using her ability to create an illusory double to step around it as she attacked the beast, even so she was taking attacks. Its claws carving splinters of metal from her heavy armour wherever they landed. In a stand up fight like this Sam and Val were both able to layer up their escalating damage in exchange for taking more attacks than they were strictly comfortable with. Soon they were well up into the level three range of power, though they still had one major weakness, none of them could think or react as fast as the monster. It had been focusing on Val and had developed an understanding of her fighting style. Picking its moment it waited until Val dodged aside, attacking the opposite way, two arms latching on to her gauntlet. With a wail of triumph it hauled her towards its mouth. Gavin watched the monster grasp his team mate, rushing forward he teleported to intercept its bite attack, he lashed out with a double kick. He collided with Val, tearing bloody strips out of her arm as he tore her free of its grip. The demon bit down on where its prey had been, pleasantly surprised to find a new victim in its jaws. It sank its teeth in deep, grinding flesh and bone to pulp in an instant. Then its victim was gone, teleported out of its reach. It felt several magic items detonate inside its gut, as it swallowed what remained of the severed limb. Gavin yowled with the pain wracking his body. His arm had torn off at the shoulder, his armour rent apart, revealing a row of exposed ribs down his side. He felt Sam press her healing magic into him to seal the wound as well as Vals divine aura flooding him with healing magic. He was left with an ugly scabby mess across half of his body. He fought to maintain consciousness as he crashed into the murky water, the wound erupting in a fresh wave of nausea. With an effort he struggled back into the air as the monster bounded on all six limbs towards him. He threw himself violently out of its reach, gasping as his wound reopened with the force of his movement. Tumbling to a halt the monster refocused on Val, bounding towards her in a leap that cleared the distance in a single powerful stride. Val dodged and hacked at the beast, Sam following it up with a flurry of her own attacks. They found their swords barely able to graze it, it seemed to have become almost impervious to attacks once again. Gavin regained control of his flight, his body of iron steeling him against the worst of the pain. He focused on his hexahedrons, pulling them into tight orbits around himself, slingshotting them out to smash into the monster. He resummoned his rifle in his left hand and attempted to rack a new bullet, spinning the gun around one hand like he was Arnie. He failed, dropping the rifle. Swearing, he resummoned it and tried again. There came a deep groaning from all around the cavern. The walls vibrated and gave way. Great chunks of stone shattered into shrapnel as a tsunami of undead poured from every direction. They flowed as a single mass clawing over each other to get to their prey. ¡®Time for the Tzaar Bomba.¡¯ Gavin said through chat. ¡®Right.¡¯ Sam agreed, ¡®NOW!¡¯ Sam unleashed her radiance of the dawn power as well as her full suite of attacks, triggering her execute power in combination with the stack of enhanced strength she''d accumulated. She felt Gavin flood her with mana, and health, restoring her cooldowns and resources. Radiance of the dawn triggered then had a short duration before the effect ended. Refreshing the cooldown allowed her to use it multiple times in short succession, amplifying the effect and increasing the subsequent cooldown. She was able to operate comfortably within her radiant light, while her enemies were blinded, allowing her to repeatedly hammer the monster with her execute power, feeling it refresh again and again as Gavin converted the teams accumulated wealth and his stored resource stockpile into her attacks. She felt herself fraying at the edges, the sheer amount of raw energy coursing through her so quickly was not what her body was designed to cope with. She was quickly beginning to feel how Gavin looked after his nascent crafting sessions. Her arms ached as she pummelled the monster, feeding everything she had into it. Her escalating enhancement ability had magnified her damage up to dangerous levels. She felt her power from pain ability activate, her attributes increasing because of the damage she was dealing to herself as she stretched her body beyond her limits, this only increased the rate of damage. Something had to give. Sam set herself a mental threshold for the damage she was willing to do to herself, then pushed beyond it as the demon weathered the assault. It stumbled and flailed ineffectually, unable to sense anything other than pain tearing at it from all directions. ¡®Enough Sam.¡¯ Gavin called through chat as he eased off the transfer of resources through to his companion. Sam made one last attack, screaming in fury as she slammed her sword down with all her strength, feeling the blade snap in two as it connected with the monster. A concussive wave blasted everyone clear of the fight, Sam tumbled backwards, crumpling against the wall beside the elevator. Gavin and Judy flew up at an angle, able to arrest their movement with their force of will power. Val, who''d been unaffected by the blinding light and similarly unleashing her power into the monster, tumbled head over heels into the pile of shredded corpses against the far wall. Judy was first to come to shake off the effects of Sam''s onslaught, spotting the dazed monster, charred and bleeding in the pile of corpses twenty yards away from Val. She lit it up, her prestidigitation ability bathing it in glowing white light for all to see, then continued her deadly onslaught. The thing was heavily wounded but not out of the fight, she suspected all she was offsetting it''s natural healing ability. Gavin flew down to the monster. He''d resummoned his armour and was clumsily using his force of will ability to animate the empty arm, slowly loading his rifle and shooting point blank at it. With an effort, he fabricated a tomb for the monster, an etherium iron maiden slammed shut around it. Gavin knelt to begin the enchanting process as Val stumbled into the fight, skewering the beast with her four swords into four perfectly sized slots in the contraption. The enchantment took hold, draining mana from the monster, converting and feeding it back as entropic damage. The monster screamed within its prison, muffled with the layer of thick metal surrounding it. Gavin encased the whole thing in another layer of adamantium, then another of rock, not wanting to risk another situation like the ghoul eruption earlier. Falling back, exhausted, he sent a message to Sam ¡®you okay?¡¯ ¡®I''ll live.¡¯ she grunted, still slumped up against the wall, ¡®just leave me here for a bit to recover.¡¯ Judy began the looting process, moving between the mountain of ghoul corpses, touching each in turn with a foot. She was soon joined by Gavin who made his way around the opposite side, slowly carving a hole in the number of bodies. When they were nearly done they felt the pocket dimension crack. The boss monster was dead and its lair was collapsing. Gavin deconstructed the tomb he''d made around it and looted its corpse. ¡°Everyone ready to go?¡± ¡°Yeah¡± Val said, lifting Sam up over a shoulder. They opened a portal back to the entrance and waited till the last moment, as Judy drew as much of the space into herself as she could manage, feeling the available space in her inventory swell by almost half. Half an hour later Gavin sauntered back into the guild hall in Ny¨¹mbakka, taking a seat with a sigh on the bench opposite Haylee¡¯s desk. ¡°You wouldn''t have a good healer on hand?¡± ¡°Gods, what happened to you?¡± She could see the ruined stump and exposed bone peaking through the side of his singlet ¡°Killed this abyssal demon thing, it was a bit bitier than I would''ve liked, it was pretty tough too.¡± Gavin shrugged with one shoulder. ¡°I can have a healer portalled out here the day after tomorrow to restore your arm.¡± ¡°All good mate, cheers. I was wondering if you wouldn''t mind having a debrief in person? Kinda lost my writing hand.¡± ¡°You''re rank two? Your dexterity and intellect should be high enough to write with your non dominant hand. It''s one of the perks of having greater control over your body.¡± ¡°No shit? Well, in that case, I''ll give it a go.¡± he stood to take a contract completion form and began filling it out. ¡°There is another matter I want to discuss while you''re here, we didn''t finish our talk last time regarding your intervention with the Nalan warriors.¡± ¡°Oh? The guild has decided what to do about that?¡± ¡°Yes. Word has come from above me the guild absolutely and categorically wants you and your team nowhere near anything political. There''s not a note in your files, prohibiting it, but promoting you above the second rank is not going to happen, especially while you''re out here.¡± ¡°Well, that hurts more than I thought it would.¡± Gavin said, smiling wryly as he scratched the edges of his injury. ¡°I can''t say I''m surprised, but I feel we do good work.¡± ¡°Off the record, there''s something going on within the guild. There¡¯s always infighting and political jostling, but it feels to me like your team is being used as some piece in a game. If you want a promotion within the guild you''ll likely need to move well away from here or ingratiate yourself with the management of a guild outpost. ¡°Ehh, it is what it is. I''m not going to play games, I''m here to do a job and get strong, I''m not super concerned with doing more than that.¡± Gavin said, knowing full well that was a half truth at best. ELEVEN. Not even close. ¡°So, what even are the benefits of being level three or four in the guild?¡± Gavin asked later that evening as the team sat down for dinner. ¡°It allows you to take up to level three and four contracts, and also lead expeditions¡± Val said ¡°Expeditions?¡± ¡°Sometimes there are contracts or quests that need multiple teams to complete. Usually out in the areas where higher level monsters spawn. You''ve seen that even level one encounters out here are much worse than around Wildenesse and Edomont, level one encounters out in the high level areas can be taken down by big teams of low level adventurers.¡± Val said. ¡°New adventurers in those areas still need to rank up too, though they tend to end up better at large battles instead of efficient strike teams like us.¡± Sam said. ¡°Ha, we''re efficient?¡± Gavin laughed. ¡°We are. We take on a dozen contracts a week and have a very high completion rate.¡± ¡°Very high? We haven¡¯t failed one yet.¡± Gavin said. ¡°We have.¡± Sam corrected. ¡°The extradimensional space blowing up before we got there doesn''t count. If we''d stopped for breakfast before you collected the contracts it would have blown up before we even got to the hall.¡± ¡°Guild doesn''t see it that way.¡± ¡°Whatever.¡± Gavin said grumpily, the stain on their record was there of no fault of their own in his mind. ¡°One other thing, you can also requisition items from other guild stores so long as it''s related to a contract. Level three contracts tend to have a lot of investigating while level four is a lot more leading.¡± Val said, pulling Gavin away from a tirade. ¡°If we ever make it to level five we start getting a say in guild politics.¡± Sam added. ¡°So, there''s basically no reason to rank up our guild level?¡± ¡°That will be decades away now though, probably never.¡± Sam said, her tone flat as she ignored his comment. ¡°That''s reasonable, I''m not super big on wanting to get into politics, I''d much rather just find jobs that need doing and do them.¡± ¡°I think if you were fifth rank you''d find a way to start a war.¡± Val joked. ¡°Probably, nearly started one at first rank though, so I don¡¯t think rank has much to do with it.¡± ¡°We should debrief over what happened today.¡± Sam said, leaning forward in her seat at the round table changing the subject abruptly. ¡°We should.¡± Val said, setting her beer down. ¡°Okay, what worked well today and what didn''t?¡± Sam said no one in particular. ¡°We didn''t die, but only just.¡± Gavin said flippantly, waggling his ruined stump for emphasis. ¡°We¡¯re developing a very frustrating fighting style.¡± Judy said, trying to head off any negativity with something productive to say, ¡°Gavin jumping into the demon''s mouth aside, we did a good job of controlling the fight.¡± ¡°Gavin¡¯s new weapons and armour made that fight possible.¡± Val said, nodding to him in acknowledgement, ¡°my level two swords weren''t even touching it, I''d hate to see what would have happened if we went in there with our old gear. ¡± ¡°Yes, that''s why I wanted to push myself so hard so fast. If I had another day or two the fight would have been easier, but what''s done is done.¡± Gavin said, looking pointedly at Sam. ¡°Judy, you did well, the three of us are much better equipped to deal with that sort of thing, but you pulled your weight.¡± ¡°I''m just glad the Tzar bomba strategy worked as well as we thought it would. It''s good to have that up our sleeve.¡± Sam said. ¡°Yes. I need to make something that can see through it though.¡± Gavin said running a hand through his hair, ¡°You and Val can see what you''re doing when it''s going off, but I''m blind. ¡°Speaking of you making items, when we first met you had several situationally useful wands, I think it''s a good idea that you revisit that idea. If we''d been able to make the monster weightless we would have had a much easier time.¡± Sam said. ¡°I agree. Once I have our basic gear done I''ll Start churning out whatever I can think of.¡± ¡°Can you make a couple things in between the big items? What we have should be adequate, for now.¡± ¡°Yeah sure, one thing I want to try to get is a short range teleport enchantment, I know they exist, as I see it our main weakness is a lack of mobility, Judy and I are pretty hard to pin down, but as soon as we have an enemy that can keep up with you or Val we have to start taking risks.¡± ¡°I do need to be up in combat though.¡± ¡°Yes, but you don''t need to sit there trading blows until one of you falls over. We can work smarter, take today, with more prep we could have just kited it around the arena.¡± ¡°Looks like you have a lot of work cut out for yourself then.¡± Sam said, putting a pin in the debrief, which was much less productive than normal. Her heart wasn''t in it to go through in-depth tactics after such a narrow win. ¡°Anything else?¡± She asked. ¡°I''m gonna start trying to find out more about this tower with the sword.¡± Gavin said sighing ¡°because I obviously don''t have enough projects at the moment.¡± ¡°How?¡± Val asked, ¡°just going to walk around the jungle looking for it?¡± ¡°Nah, I reckon either the guild knows about it or they don''t, if they don''t know, one of our teams will stumble on it sooner or later. We can probably tease rumours out of the other teams if we meet up with them.¡± ¡°And if they do know?¡± Sam asked, concern finding its way into her voice ¡°They might have a dead spot in the map where the beacons aren''t being placed.¡± ¡°How would you ever find out where that is?¡± Judy asked, her tone inquisitive as she started considering ideas, ¡°it''s not like we have a map of where they are. The Storm Wardens only have a map of their ones, so we can''t get the whole map off them.¡± ¡°I know where one of their beacons are and a bunch of the runic blades ones, they''re enchanted to talk to each other, I could pretty easily go out and find them, it''d just take a while to map them all out.¡± ¡°That''s a lot of effort to go on a maybe. What if you spend the next few months covertly mapping it out and it doesn''t matter?¡± Sam asked. ¡°The tower could be enchanted to be hidden, if no one¡¯s spotted it in however long, it might be that you could walk right past it and not notice it.¡± Judy said. ¡°Maybe. I think anything that powerful would show up on the sensors, it''d have to be really really complicated enchanting to remain hidden and not show up as an anomaly.¡± Gavin said. ¡°Is there any way to prove any of these ideas will work before we start? I don''t want you wasting time on a side project unless we¡¯re confident it might work.¡± Sam said, her tone letting him know in no uncertain terms that this was his quest to deal with. ¡°Probably. Let me think a minute.¡± Gavin said, leaning back in his chair using his force of will to keep it toppling over. ¡°You know, we could find out if the locals have any legends about a powerful wizard in a tower with a sword.¡± Judy said, throwing an idea out into the meeting. ¡°If it happened hundreds of years ago there might be stories about it passed down through the generations.¡± ¡°That''s a good idea.¡± Sam said. ¡°Except Haylee made it clear we aren''t allowed to interact with the locals. We don''t even speak their language.¡± Val said joining the conversation. ¡°She made it clear our team can''t talk with the locals. The Storm Wardens are guild rank four.¡± Judy corrected. ¡°You want to follow up that lead then?¡± Sam said, ¡°Gods know Gavin is as likely to bungle it as he is to get them to do what he wants.¡± The three looked over at Gavin who remained lost in thought. ¡°I could go see if I can get anything out of Haylee.¡± Val said. ¡°Be careful. Out of all of these ideas trying to pry information out of a guild representative is going to be the most likely to blow up in our faces.¡± Sam said seriously. ¡°Nope.¡± Gavin said, his chair clunking on the hard stone floor, ¡°not even close.¡± *** Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°I have to say Gavin,¡± Koyo said, loading her new rifle, ¡°I think I got the better side of our deal.¡± ¡°For now.¡± Gavin said, his toothy smile widening. ¡°Everything I know came from skill books and one magic theory book I found in a provincial city in the middle of nowhere, having someone explain why to do something is much better than reading how to do it, it''s gonna make my enchantments way more efficient.¡± ¡°Well, regardless you picked up on adjusting the metallic structure faster than anyone I''ve seen.¡± ¡°I had an unfair advantage, where I¡¯m from we know way way more about the mechanics of how that works than here, Soliece-¡± ¡°Bribed you not to talk about it, yeah, you mentioned.¡± ¡°To be fair, she knows everything I know about it, you could hit up a priest to see what she¡¯ll tell you about it.¡± ¡°I might just do that, just as soon as we''re done out here.¡± Koyo said gesturing all around her. ¡°Well, anyway, I''m gonna go get my arm back, this healer prick''s been taking his sweet time getting out to the village.¡± ¡°You need to level up, if I get my arm bitten off, a healing potion will fix it right up.¡± ¡°Working on it, I''ve gotta rank up by killing stuff, I can''t just grind out my crafting abilities at home to rank up like you.¡± ¡°Yeah, such a hardship getting to sleep in a proper bedroom instead of this.¡± Koyo said, glancing around at her spartan bedroom in the middle of the guild compound. ¡°Speaking of, we¡¯re having a movie night this coming fifth day, if your team can get its way to and from Ny¨¹mbakka you''re welcome to come along. Gavin stood, stretching after a long day''s work. He held out his good hand to shake, smiling warmly as koyo took it. Behind him his gothic portal arch rose from the floor. ¡°Cheers mate, catcha later.¡± he said, stepping back through to emerge outside of the guild hall back in his village. He found Val sitting on the corner of Haylees desk in the middle of retelling the fight with the demon that took gavins arm off. ¡°Go on, show her Gav¡± she said. ¡°Can''t sorry, I''ve copied one of Koyo¡¯s powers, won''t be able to do the illusion thing until I see Judy again. It''s probably a bit anticlimactic though, after I kicked you out of the way it''s just going to be bright light, then a dead monster. Judy would be able to show what happened better than me.¡± ¡°That''s a shame, it sounded exciting¡± Haylee said. ¡°It was a bit.¡± Gavin said scratching the back of his neck. ¡°You could come out with us sometime.¡± Val suggested. ¡°Ooh, yeah.¡± Gavin said, ¡°it''d have to be something close though, she can''t go through my portal at her rank.¡± ¡°I couldn''t.¡± Haylee said apprehensively. ¡°I can''t take time away from my work here.¡± Gavin shrugged half heartedly ¡°Sounds boring. Anyway, has that healer showed up yet?¡± ¡°She has, she''s out healing the sick in the village.¡± ¡°How does that work? Aren''t they pretty negative on the whole healing thing?¡± ¡°Yes and no, they seem to be fine with the guild healing them then providing soul crystals so they can reapply their tattoos.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± That''s some next level public health insurance.¡± ¡°We got the idea from you actually, the guild has been making no small amount of profit off this deal, they feel that giving back is in the best interests of everyone.¡± ¡°Huh, no shit¡± Gavin said, shocked. ¡°Where I''m from this sort of thing would absolutely never happen.¡± ¡°I''m a little surprised myself, it seems like the guild wants this expedition to be as smooth a transition as possible.¡± ¡°Well, if you need more donations for the cause I''m happy to pitch in. Since I got my deconstruct power to level three I can loot my enchanted items, I''ve been slowly stockpiling a bunch of low level potions and crafting mats every time I do any training. We don''t really have a good use for common healing potions anymore since three of us have wound up with healing powers.¡± ¡°I''ll take you up on that.¡± Haylee said, happy that the discussion was moving away from her being put in danger. ¡°I''m getting a little kick out of getting to report all the good things coming out of this village when they refuse to officially reward you for any of it.¡± ¡°Ha, we''ll make a warden out of you yet.¡± Val laughed. Gavin unloaded a good portion of his stockpiled goods out into the guild stores. He idly thought about what a difference this sort of power would make back on earth. He could make unlimited material resources, and as a byproduct could create health potions, food, random trinkets and other assorted items. He could set up shop somewhere and sustain a small village by himself without ever setting foot outside his house. Infectious diseases and minor ailments would be a thing of the past, once he got a bit stronger his enchantments might get powerful enough to break down for things like soul crystals or elixirs. He had once made a bet with Sam that he would break the system, and he felt he''d taken more than a few steps down that path already. He felt that with sufficient time that he would become unstoppable. If he ever got to the level of commander Kalista, he and his team would be a force to be reckoned with. ¡°You must be Gavin¡± said a wary voice behind him ¡°I''m Klara, healer for team Razorfish¡± ¡°Jesus.¡± He yelped, turning to talk to his Healer, her sudden appearance startling him. ¡°Was the arm that gave it away?¡± ¡°No, actually, I was told to look for someone that thought they were the gods gift to the world, then saw you over here with that smug grin on your face and figured it must be you.¡± ¡°Yeah, must have been the arm thing¡± Gavin said, ignoring her. ¡°Wait. Holy fuckin shit, are you an outworlder?¡± The woman was older than him by a good number of years, taller and more athletically built. Her skin was a mottled yellowish tan and her ears were ever so slightly sharper than normal. ¡°Yes, actually. That''s not the first thing most people jump to, have you met another one before?¡± ¡°Yeah bro, I am that other one. Where¡¯d you come from?¡± ¡°A planet called Salasthesia, and you?¡± ¡°Earth.¡± ¡°How original.¡± she said, mirth in her eyes. ¡°So anyway, I''m pretty keen to get my arm back, but after that you wanna come over and meet my team? Swap some stories?¡± ¡°I''m afraid I must return to my team shortly.¡± ¡°Ahh, that sucks. If you want I¡¯m putting on a movie night on fifthday just after dinner, bring your team, I¡¯ll chuck on a movie from my world.¡± ¡°Your world has movies? God''s I haven''t seen a movie in four years.¡± she said, sighing as her focus drifted away. ¡°Well, there''s gonna be one on in a couple days.¡± ¡°I''ll be there.¡± Klara said, her mood obviously brightening. ¡°Awesome. So. About this arm situation?¡± *** Over the next week, Gavin had continued work on his crafting skills, his level three enchanting skill allowed him to make set items. Set items were a game changer. The previous armour iterations he''d made for the team were essentially just a set of separate pieces that all did the same thing; they shared mana between themselves and provided a mana shield. Being able to make set items shared the enchantment between each equipped piece. He could make bracers that provided a mana shield and that mana shield would cover everything else in the set, freeing him up to make items with varying effects without having to compromise. The main drawback was the current limit on items that could be forged into a set. Wearing multiple sets would interfere with each other, or so Koyo told him repeatedly. He could combine up to three items per person, which was fine for a start, but it only served to energise him into ranking up his skills as quickly as possible. He''d hit the soft cap of his abilities, he could very slowly rank them up, but without access to level three mana there was only so much he could do. ¡°Okay team.¡± Gavin said on the afternoon of fifth day ¡°Before our guests arrive there''s a few things I think we should go over.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Val said. ¡°Yeah. With the storm wardens coming tonight it''s a good opportunity to try to get that map of their beacon locations, I''ll need that before I can start Project Gruber.¡± ¡°I can handle that.¡± Judy said, volunteering for that duty, ¡°if I get a look at it I can copy it for us to use later. This rank two intellect makes remembering that sort of thing much easier.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Gavin said ¡°have you had any luck on your front Val?¡± ¡°Actually no.¡± Val said, her tone serious, ¡°I think we should drop that line of inquiry. Haylee is good people, I don''t want to get her in trouble over anything we''ve done.¡± ¡°Okay, that''s fair. If you do happen to get anything off her, we can work to find that same information somewhere else before we act on it.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Val said, relaxing somewhat. ¡°Next thing. I have some presents. Turns out that making four sets of gear is really easy to do now.¡± Gavin retrieved the wealth of armour from his inventory, placing it on the table. Each member of the team had a breastplate, and helmet, Sam and Val had a set of gauntlets while Judy and Gavin had bracers. They were all of a similar style with fine designs that wouldn''t look out of place in Lothlorien. The metal glittered with rainbow light, revealing the etherium it was made from. Sam plucked her helmet off the table, inspecting it. It was an acorn shape providing more than adequate vision, in fact, to her eye too much of her face would be visible. ¡°Gavin. What is this?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°This looks like something from your movies, not something that''s actually practical. As soon as someone shoots an arrow at my face it''s going to kill me.¡± ¡°Oh, nah, check the breastplate.¡± Sam touched the breastplate and her eyes went wide. ¡°Oh, nevermind then¡± [Item: Sam''s Helm] Type: Armour, Helmet Rarity: Level 3, Epic Set: Samania¡¯s Regalia Description: The body cannot exist without the mind] Effect: Mana storage. Absorbs and stores Mana] Effect: Users [Intellect] attribute is increased Effect: Users resistances to hostile effects that alter their perception are increased [Can be soulbound] [Item: Sam''s Breastplate] Type: Armour, Chest Rarity: Level 3, Epic Set: Samania¡¯s Regalia Description: I am here, not because of the path that lies before me, but because of the path that lies behind me. Effect: Mana storage. Absorbs and stores Mana Effect: Users [Endurance] attribute is increased. Effect: Mana Shield. Incoming attacks around all set items are wholly negated until [Samania''s Regalia] mana storage is depleted. Mana cost directly proportional to incoming damage [Can be soulbound] [Item: Sam''s Gauntlets] Type: Armour, Gauntlets Rarity: Level 3, Epic Set: Samania¡¯s Regalia Description: dodge this. Effect: Mana storage. Absorbs and stores Mana Effect: Users [Agility] attribute is increased Effect: Reduces cooldowns of abilities proportional to [Samania''s Regalia] stored mana level [Can be soulbound] TWELVE. Sparring match. Judy wasn''t fully on board with this plan but it was for the good of the team, or so Gavin seemed to think. She didn''t understand why he''d pushed to find the sword or come out here, but she could see it was important to him. After dinner that night the various people her team leader had invited into their home arrived sporadically. Their team seemed to be the only one completely at ease at first, the others held an intense professionalism that Gavin was slowly chipping away at. She guessed that these people hadn¡¯t taken time to relax in weeks of constant work. Even if it wasn''t particularly arduous, it was slowly turning them into automatons. ¡°Your team must be worn down.¡± Judy said to Simon, the leader of the Storm Wardens. ¡°Spending four nights a week out in the jungle eating field rations can''t be good for the soul.¡± He looked at her with his hawkish gaze, deciding whether to be irritated by her comment or not, thin eyebrows narrowing. He was a short man, powerfully built beneath his drab clothes. ¡°It''s not so bad, relaxing even, what we''re missing is training. There''s not a lot of fighting to be done out there, I feel we''re being wasted while your team is getting the good jobs.¡± he said, crossing his arms over his chest. ¡°I''ve been wondering about that. They obviously want contracts completed quickly, I''m not sure why it needs to be within a day. Surely there''s a more efficient way to use us.¡± Judy said, falling into his cadence. ¡°The treaty the guild signed with the Nalan peoples says something about it, or at least the time frames the guild gives you is related to the treaty.¡± ¡°The guild doesn''t seem to be very big on telling us what''s going on, we don''t even know where your team is working so every time we get a contract we have to spend time hopping through the jungle using line of sight jumps instead of just going straight there. It hasn''t been an issue, but as you place more beacons we''re going to be more pressed to get to each new location.¡± ¡°Really? We have our next week''s plan here. Haylee gives us an updated route every week. Simon pulled a fresh parchment map from a storage pouch, smoothing it out on the table. It showed a map of the wider area with their route to date mapped across it with marked locations of each beacon and half a dozen more locations scattered throughout the area. They were in a roughly even grid pattern, with some being close together and others further apart like a poorly made spiders web laid out over the world. ¡°This is excellent.¡± Judy said, copying the new locations onto her map ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°Not a problem.¡± Simon said, maintaining a somewhat rigid tone, ¡°we could probably have a weekly meeting to discuss our plans with your team. I''ve found open communication is often the best policy.¡± ¡°Gavin says something similar, with a few more swear words sprinkled in though.¡± she smirked. ¡°He does seem like the type not to leave anything left unsaid.¡± Simon said, frowning. ¡°Very true.¡± Judy said, her smile widening as she glanced across the room at him animatedly chatting to a man from the other outworlders team. ¡°I''m curious.¡± Simon said, mulling a question over. ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°His skills don''t match up with his confidence, I''ve seen him fight, he''s nothing special.¡± ¡°You should ask him for a sparring match one of these days. I''d pay good money to see him wipe the floor with you.¡± Judy said, a hint of ice making its way through her friendly demeanour. ¡°Are you serious? He''s a whole level below me.¡± Simon said. ¡°Ask him after the movie, he''ll accept.¡± ¡°I think I will, if only to satiate my curiosity.¡± ¡°Shit.¡± Judy said, her head snapping around to a conversation happening on the other side of the dining hall. ¡°What?¡± Simon said, turning to follow her gaze. ¡°Gavin doing Gavin things.¡± ¡°I WILL NOT BE TALKED DOWN TO BY-¡± one of the wardens was saying, his tirade was being arrested by his team mate, the other outworlder Gavin had invited along. Gerome. His name was Gerome. ¡°Sorry, sounds like the team wants a show of force.¡± Judy said apologetically, shrugging her shoulders before leaving Simon to join her team. ¡°HE BLASPHEMED MY GOD! I DEMAND-¡± ¡°Mate, you''re embarrassing yourself.¡± She heard Gavin say, she knew that tone, it was his ¡®I''m going to pretend to be thoroughly unconcerned with whatever you''re doing to show how far beneath me you are¡¯ voice. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. He was completely at ease, reclining on his wooden chair like he liked to do, teetering on the edge of falling. ¡°You are the embarrassment.¡± Gerome said haughtily. ¡°If I wanted my own comeback I''d scrape it off your mums tee-¡± Gavin said, stopping himself ¡°Sorry, that was a bit far.¡± ¡°WHAT?¡± Gerome bellowed, a sword materialising in his hand. Haylee stepped between the two adventurers, followed by Val, Sam, and Klara. Judy quickly joined them, placing a reassuring hand on his forearm, though he seemed, as always, completely unphased at the commotion he''d undoubtedly caused. ¡°I demand he be disciplined formally¡± Gerome was saying through the crowd. ¡°That is not going to happen.¡± Haylee said ¡°Blasphemy isn''t a crime, nor is it something the guild is interested in policing, if anything it is your behaviour that is unbecoming of a warden, especially given the disparity between your ranks. You are expected to hold yourself to a higher standard than what you''ve demonstrated here.¡± Haylee spat the words, straightening up to her full height. She normally had the look of a harried middle manager just trying to do her job, but now she wielded her authority like an axe, her spine straight with the support of the power of the guild at her back. ¡°It''s okay.¡± Gavin said ¡°I think this is all a big misunderstanding, what I meant to say was that I wondered who would win in a fight between a priest of Paragon and a-¡± ¡°I did not misunderstand your words.¡± Gerome said ¡°you have insulted my faith.¡± ¡°You''re a priest of Paragon right, how about we settle this like children then go our separate ways.¡± Gavin said. ¡°Like children?¡± Gerome asked, his tone shifting to confusion. ¡°Yeah, meet after school behind the bike shed and kick each other around a bit.¡± Gavin said. ¡°I accept.¡± Gerome said. Gavin sighed, Judy could feel the disappointment radiating off him. She felt herself flush with irritation, this was supposed to be a relaxing night for them all, not some dick measuring contest. For his part, Gavin at least looked ashamed with himself, she could feel he truly didn''t want a fight but had backed himself into a corner. ¡°Rules of engagement?¡± Gavin asked. ¡°Full contact, no restrictions, we go until one of us is incapacitated¡± Gerome said quickly, cracking his knuckles. ¡°No surrender?¡± ¡°No¡± said Gerome, his smug freckled face splitting into an evil grin. ¡°Not gonna lie, leaving it up to you to decide when to stop yourself doesn''t sound like a great time.¡± Gavin said. ¡°I''m sure your team will step in before you die. ¡± ¡°I won''t allow this to happen.¡± Haylee said, asserting herself again ¡°there will be no fighting between teams. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Gerome and I are just after a friendly sparring match, it''s not really any different to how we train every day. Just the other day Sam broke three of my ribs and Val stabbed me in the kidney.¡± Gavin said dismissively, ¡°and besides, we''ve got healers on hand to make sure no one gets a sprained ankle or whatever.¡± ¡°Fine,¡± Haylee said, stalking off, muttering under her breath. ¡°Alright.¡± Gavin said, clapping his hands, ¡°shall we do this now then?¡± Judy disappeared the tables into her inventory as the crowd drew to the corners of the room, leaving Gavin standing in the middle of the floor facing off with his opponent. He was still wearing his odd outworlder clothes, making no effort to draw a weapon. Geromes armour formed around him, a sword and shield appearing in his hands. ¡°What is this?¡± Gerome said gesturing with his sword, ¡°where is your armour? Your weapon?¡± ¡°I once fist fought a gorillion during my guild test to prove a point. Thinking about doing the same here.¡± Val groaned beside her, having seen how that fight had gone. Gavin went through a simple martial arts kata, ending with him giving Gerome a ¡®come here'' gesture. Gerome obliged, activating a power not unlike Sam''s assault of the valkyrie ability, wings of fire plumed from his back, shooting him across the too small gap. Gavins portal rose between them, the arch intercepting Geromes path. His wings of fire battered the stone as he passed through, breaking them apart. The portal winked out, the pearlescent void vanishing while Gerome was half way through. His torso landed with a heavy thud on the other side of the room while his legs skidded a bloody trail across the floor to stop at Gavins feet. ¡°Huh, that didn''t work how I thought it would.¡± he said as Gerome shrieked in horror. Gavin bent to touch the limbs at his feet, turning them to ash. A look of shock, amazement, and revulsion crossed his face. Judy could feel the unease at what he''d done through their bond, like he''d accidentally crossed a line he hadn''t known was there. Klara healed her team mate, his legs regrowing in moments. Without a word he and his team filed out of the room. ¡°Well.¡± Gavin said ¡°I was going to show you Die Hard, but I''m not super in the mood for an action movie now. Give me a minute.¡± he said, taking a long couch out of his inventory and sitting on it. ¡°Well, maybe I don''t want to spar with him after all.¡± Simon laughed, breaking the silence, ¡°that was quite something. Offensive portal use? I haven''t heard of someone trying that.¡± ¡°How did Gerome go through though? He''s level three¡± Judy wondered aloud. ¡°And so is my portal ability as of last night. Come on, I''ve got the perfect movie.¡± Judy sat down next to him, feeling the tension beneath the surface threatening to bubble over. He used his feelings like pieces in a game of strategy, sprinkling them out when he felt it would be beneficial. Now was the time to salvage some joviality from the evening, apparently. The knights all knew dark emotions simmered beneath the surface, no one said anything, waiting for him to bring himself to talk about it in his own time. For now, he seemed content to use her illusion power to recreate a movie about talking lions. THIRTEEN. Duty calls. ¡°How did you get your portal power up to level three Gavin.¡± Sam demanded when everyone had left later that night. ¡°So uhh, it''s complicated.¡± he began lamely. ¡°How about you uncomplicate it.¡± Val said. ¡°Well, you know how when we train we work out the ability, and how you can instinctively feel how your power works by cycling mana through it?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Sam said hesitantly. ¡°Well, I have a couple abilities at level three, I could see how they changed when I levelled them up, see how the mana flows through them differently, so I started trying to force some level three mana through my portal power the same way and it shot right up. It was half the way there anyway, I was going to start on force of will next.¡± ¡°Gavin no.¡± Sam said her voice hard and flinty. ¡°Definitely do not do that¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Its really really bad for your soul. It might not show now, but if you do it repeatedly over several abilities you run the risk of permanent damage. I''m talking break the power permanently sort of damage.¡± ¡°What do you mean break.¡± Gavin said, worry creeping into his voice. ¡°I mean your power stops working, you get a big scar on your soul where it used to be, and it can''t be healed, ever.¡± ¡°Oh, ahh, okay, that''s fair.¡± ¡°Could you please not experiment on your soul Gavin.¡± Sam said, exasperated. ¡°Fine¡± he said ¡°No, not fine. We¡¯ve been doing this for thousands of years Gavin, you think no one ever thought to try that? You didn''t think maybe I should ask my team how this works before I go tinkering with my own soul?¡± ¡°It wasn''t some big plan or revelation, I just sorta did it.¡± ¡°Without thinking.¡± Sam said, pinching the bridge of her nose. ¡°That seems to be a theme with you recently.¡± ¡°Yeah, sorry.¡± Gavin said with genuine remorse. ¡°It''s not like we didn''t sign up for you doing this sort of thing.¡± Sam said, as if accepting part of the blame. ¡°So, how did everyone get on anyway?¡± Gavin asked, changing the subject. ¡°I got a map of the Wardens beacon locations, only the next week''s worth though.¡± ¡°That''s Fine, show us¡± Gavin said taking a seat at the dining table. Judy laid out her map, marking off the old beacon locations and the Wardens route from memory ¡°Excellent work. I can go get my part done in the morning, then we should get some useful data.¡± *** The knights completed several contracts over the following days, making short work of them all owing mainly to their new and improved gear. The team couldn''t help but butcher their way through everything they came across. Haylee was cold towards Gavin when he turned in the team''s reports. ¡°Hey, about the other night¡± Gavin said when he couldn''t take the stilted conversation any longer, ¡°I''m sorry for putting you in an awkward position¡± She sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose, putting down her fountain pen. ¡°It''s fine. I''m well used to how different teams interact with each other. I''m just glad everyone seems to want to forget it happened.¡± ¡°I don''t think Gerome will forget any time soon. I just hope he''s smarter than the last guy.¡± ¡°The one you killed?¡± ¡°Yeah, that one.¡± Gavin said, a dark cloud crossing his face. ¡°Well, if that''s all, I have work to do.¡± ¡°Yeah, alright mate. I shouldn''t have lost control like that, I''m sorry.¡± Gavin said dejectedly. ¡°You don''t need to apologise to me.¡± Haylee said, the edge of irritation creeping into her tone. ¡°I kinda do, you''re the only one I really feel I wronged. I didn''t respect your authority and let myself get carried away, just so you know, the team and I have had a chat and I''ll work on not antagonising the others quire so much.¡± ¡°You don''t feel bad about what you did to Gerome?¡± ¡°Back in Sam''s home town we trained under a priest of Paragon, she said we should train to fight people, not monsters. Monsters are easy, it''s people that will get you killed. Almost all of our training is against each other, so when he got all fighty I figured the best way to deal with it was to put him down hard and fast so he wouldn''t come back for more.¡± ¡°We''re here to fight monsters Gavin, not people.¡± ¡°Yeah, true, but I''ve had to fight for my life against much stronger people before, they put me into corner and I''ve spent a lot of time training to fight my way out of corners.¡± ¡°Benjamin Devore wasn''t stronger than you.¡± haylee said. ¡°Debatable. His team outnumbered ours and he got the drop on us, but I''m not talking about that. Our team was abducted by a group of level threes when we were first rank. Then the director of a local guild, who I won''t identify, tried to kill me and one of my friends. We barely escaped with our lives each time.¡± ¡°The director? This wouldn''t be-¡± ¡°Not going to accuse anyone of anything that would make all of our lives more complicated. You know our team has the forged in battle trait, we didn''t get that at level one from fighting monsters, it takes some pretty drastic life or death stuff to make your souls bond to each other for survival.¡± Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡°How- wait, is that a portal out there?¡± Haylee said, looking past Gavin. ¡°Ahh, yeah, looks like.¡± Gavin confirmed, watching a delegation file out of the portal, including Commander Kalista. ¡°The commander?¡± ¡°Oh damn, wonder what that''s about¡± he said, as a second portal opened up swallowing the party of guild officials. ¡°Something serious.¡± Haylee said. ¡°Well, I''m sure we''ll find out, or not.¡± Gavin said, shrugging, ¡°anyway, i should get going, catcha later Haylee, and sorry again for making your life harder.¡± Gavin was nearly back to his fortress before the commanders name boomed out from behind him. ¡°Gavin Pene.¡± she said, waves of psychic energy flowing over him locking him in place. ¡°Yo.¡± he said, barely keeping his fear in check. ¡°What is that contraption out in the wilderness?¡± ¡°Ahh, an experiment.¡± Gavin stammered. ¡°What, pray tell, are you experimenting with?¡± ¡°Well, ahh, it''s complicated.¡± ¡°Enlighten me.¡± ¡°Well, I ahh, I''ve been working on some new enchantments of my own design I''m not one hundred percent confident on, and I figured it was better to do it out in the middle of nowhere instead of like, in my house.¡± Gavin said, sweat forming on his brow ¡°You know, in case it went boom.¡± Commander Kalista huffed, turning to her offsider who dumped a pile of detritus on the flagstones. ¡°Don''t.¡± she said, barely paying him attention as she turned away from him. ¡°Understood, commander.¡± Gavin said, watching as the officials stepped back through their first portal. He collected his half ruined stuff, seeing the important items were still intact. He beat a hasty retreat back to the fortress. ¡°Guys. It worked.¡± he shouted as soon as he was inside He poured himself a juice and retrieved a pie from his inventory, sitting down for lunch at the table to calm his nerves. ¡°What happened?¡± Vam said, the first to enter. ¡°The Commander just showed up, tore apart my lab.¡± ¡°And this is a good thing?¡± ¡°Yeah, it means that the commander is out here to find that tower too, she doesn''t know where it is, and they''re using the beacons to find it. I set up a device that would fluctuate energy in a pattern right in the path of the wardens last beacon. I reckon they must have got it online this morning and Kalista came straight away to check it out.¡± ¡°How does this help us now?¡± Sam said ¡°she will find the tower before us if she has information on the beacons immediately while we have to go fumbling around guessing, there''s no way we can track it down and get there before her.¡± ¡°Yeah, that is a problem.¡± Gavin said. ¡°We could try the local legends angle. That could turn up a location.¡± Judy said. ¡°Good, yeah, you wanna work on that one? I''ll try to think of other ways we could find it.¡± ¡°Simon said he''d like to coordinate with you more often, we can ask him if he can get some local stories.¡± ¡°Sounds good, I''ll go out and talk to him today then, anyone want to come with?¡± ¡°We could all go. It''s not like we''re doing anything else aside from training.¡± Sam said. ¡°I might stay here just in case some contracts come in, if you use Judys portal to get out there and leave it open it should be far enough to ping you if I need to find you.¡± ¡°Good call, well, I reckon they''ll be at location two by now.¡± Judy opened her portal and the three filed through, leaving Val behind in the fortress. The team had explored large sections of the jungle, leaving them able to take more direct routes to their destination. This coupled with Gavins newly level three portal power with its increased range and cooldown it took the team only minutes to track down the Storm Wardens. The Wardens were in the process of setting up the site to plant their enchanted pillar, a clearing of levelled ground had been landscaped while the team manoeuvred the stone rod into place. ¡°Greetings all.¡± Gavin said. ¡°Gods Gavin, you could give us a warning next time.¡± Simon said, having half jumped out of his skin. ¡°Sorry, bit hard to call ahead without going there first.¡± ¡°What brings you out here?¡± Simon asked stepping away from his team. ¡°Wanted to ask a favour.¡± ¡°This sounds dangerous.¡± ¡°Nah, she¡¯s all good. Just wanting to see if you guys could get us a book of some local legends. We aren''t allowed to talk with the locals, see? Only rank two in the guild.¡± ¡°That¡­ isn''t anywhere close to what I''d expected, but sure, why?¡± ¡°Well, uhh. ¡± ¡°It''s me¡± Judy said, interrupting him before he could make up an obvious lie. ¡°Gavin¡¯s been creating illusions from memory of legends from his homeworld, I want to try doing the same thing but creating the illusions myself. I figured a good way to practise would be with stories I''d never heard before.¡± ¡°And it wouldn''t hurt your chances of getting a promotion in the guild right? Your team must be about due for one.¡± Simon said, guessing at the teams motivations. ¡°Not with Gavin at the helm.¡± Sam said, a wry grin on her face, ¡°he¡¯s political poison, none of the higher-ups want him anywhere near a delicate political situation.¡± ¡°So you want to try to angle to rank up individually rather than as a group?¡± ¡°It''s pretty obvious they won''t touch me.¡± Gavin said, he was getting good at using the truth to lie for him, ¡°I even told haylee not to stick her neck out for me. I don''t much care, but that doesnt mean the rest of my team needs to suffer.¡± ¡°God¡¯s know we suffer enough already.¡± Sam said, sighing dramatically. ¡°Fuckin calm down.¡± Gavin said before turning back to Simon, ¡°so, that''s a yes?¡± ¡°That''s a yes.¡± ¡°Good, well, in the interest of furthering team relations, my portal can take level threes now. If you want I can help ferry your team around the bush when I can.¡± Simon thought for a moment, glancing back at his team obviously having a telepathic conversation with them like he was doing with his if a little less subtly. The Knights had gotten pretty good at pressing feelings of intent at each other rather than whole fully formed conversations, something that the Wardens hadn''t worked on or thought to try, apparently. ¡°That''s not a good idea.¡± Simon said after a minute. ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°We''re on a schedule. If we start completing our job faster than we should it''ll put pressure on everyone else. Your team are going to start having to push yourselves to keep up with demand, doubling the area you have to work in in a week or two might be too much too fast.¡± ¡°Yeah, that''s a good point.¡± Gavin said. ¡°I bet they''re going to bring secondary teams out here in waves as more areas come under our control.¡± Judy said, nodding in agreement, ¡°having to bring that time up is only going to cause the administrators headaches.¡± ¡°I can at least portal you back to base every night so you can have a proper bed.¡± ¡°Our field accommodations are quite a bit better than the barracks, we actually like it out here. I wouldn''t say no to a food resupply though.¡± ¡°We can arrange that, I think.¡± Gavin said, slapping him on the shoulder. ¡®Contract¡¯ Val''s message came through in the backs of their minds. ¡°Anyway mate, duty calls. I''ll come find you tonight before sundown with some kai.¡± ¡°Some what?¡± Simon said to the air in front of him, watching the portal sink into the ground. FOURTEEN. Not again. There were two contracts, both level two when they met back with Val. Gavin took the sheets of paper from her, eyeing them over. The first was just a small way away near the first of the beacons the wardens had placed on this run, the second was about half way back to base and off to the east, an area they''d explored fairly thoroughly. He handed the papers over to Sam who scanned them briefly, before passing it to Judy. There wasn''t a lot of information, not like back in Wildenesse or Edomont, where the infrastructure was more sophisticated, just a general location and level. Jumping to the first location they spotted the encounter easily. A giant violently undulating ball of energy shimmered near the top of a mountain, it''s mirrored surface warping the light chaotically as they watched. ¡°Reckon it''s got less than an hour.¡± Gavin said. ¡°More than half, less than one.¡± Sam said in agreement. ¡°Better make it quick then.¡± Val said, stepping through Judy''s portal. The team rushed into the bubble, and were greeted with something wholly unexpected. A giant nearly empty hourglass, more than twice as tall as a person stood on a round dias in the centre of a circular stone courtyard strewn with broken tiles. Beyond the courtyard lay a void not unlike the void that surrounded the Entropy themed extradimensional space they''d completed weeks ago. ¡°What in the gods-?¡± Sam said, looking around. ¡°It''s a puzzle¡± Gavin said, picking a dinner plate sized piece of tile up ¡°see, this looks like part of a face and some background¡± ¡°We have to do this in half an hour? No way, we don''t have the time.¡± Val said, looking around at the pile of rubble around her. ¡°It''s either complete it or stay here until the dimensional bubble blows up, I say we give it a shot.¡± Gavin said sardonically, ¡°Might even get the Wardens too at this range with how big the bubble was.¡± Sam said. ¡°It''d be close.¡± ¡°We''ll worry about that when the time comes.¡± Gavin said, taking control of the conversation. ¡°Judy, get in the air, I''m going to flip all these tiles up the right way, see if you notice anything about them, Sam, Val, look for the edge pieces, there should be concave edges that fit around the hourglass and convex ones that go around the outside. Go.¡± They went to work, Gavin efficiently flipped over large sections of tiles, shooting any edge pieces he noticed to the middle or outside of the area. ¡°The background parts are different colours, like a rainbow. ¡°Good.¡± Gavin said, floating up into the air next to her. He used his magical secrets power to copy Judy''s ability to copy another ability, then using that to copy her vision power. Together they looked at the problem before them. ¡°Okay team, Judy and I will separate the pieces out by colour, you two try to fit them together as best you can.¡± With an effort Judy and Gavin separated out the colours, placing them in a spectrum around the dias. They joined their team, helping rearrange the pieces. It wasn''t difficult work, the pieces were large, and their ability to hold information in their heads was improved above a baseline human, even so, the challenge of physically moving the pieces, rotating and locking them together in the correct place was time consuming. They worked feverishly, Sam and Val doing the edges while Judy and Gavin filled in the internal parts, both of them using his force of will power to quickly complete small sections of the puzzle. Sweat matted their brows as they worked, all eying the grains of sand trickling closer to death. ¡°We''re getting to the point we need to make a call.¡± Sam said, brow furrowed with sweat. They''d discussed ways to deal with a dimensional space collapse. They should have two or three seconds to get out of the space and portal away to Gavin''s maximum distance then use Judy''s portal as a backup if they didn''t get far enough, in this case it would be trying to find the storm wardens to get them to safety before they were caught in the blast. ¡°I don''t think we''re going to make it.¡± Judy said, glancing behind her. ¡°We can do it.¡± Gavin said, locking another piece in place. ¡°Not at this rate, we''re not even half way and more than half the sands gone.¡± Val estimated. She was doing the internal edge and had the most constant reminder of their time remaining. ¡°We''re speeding up. Don''t think about the time, think about the puzzle.¡± ¡°It''s a big risk.¡± Val said, not stopping her work ¡°Only if we don''t complete it in time. We can portal to safety and grab the Wardens in like twenty seconds if it comes to it.¡± ¡°I don''t like it.¡± Sam said, still working as fast as she could. Val finished her inside ring, then moved to help Sam with her part. Gavin took a moment to float up above to check on their progress and get a better view. ¡°Judy, can you get up here and make an illusion of what you think the picture is supposed to look like? It might save us time.¡± ¡°On it.¡± she said, as Gavin dropped back to the ground, working on a new area. Judy coloured the stone below them in a matte rainbow illusion, slowly filling in bits and pieces that made sense. The illusion wasn''t just a wash of abstract colours, it depicted a scene of great beings in battle with one another in an astral battlefield. In seconds they had a crude guide showing where the rough shapes should be. Soon the team had the colours mostly filled in, leaving the images of the gods incomplete. They each took a figure, piecing them together as they worked around the circle. ¡°Gavin.¡± Sam said, her tone tense, ¡°it''s getting close to that last minute.¡± ¡°We''ve got this.¡± he said, falling on the last image while the others worked to complete theirs. Soon Val, joined him, taking the feet while he worked on the face. Sam scrambled over finding a hand piece and slotting it in place. Face complete, Gavin rotated the torso into place. ¡°Got it.¡± Gavin said as the final piece slotted into its home. The whole mural flashed and fused together. The hourglass shattered, revealing a book in the remaining sand. ¡°We''ve got to go.¡± Sam said, feeling the space begin to collapse around them. Judy teleported to grab the book, then again to leave the bubble. ¡°Hold on, I want to get a look at it.¡± ¡°Leave it, we have to go.¡± Sam said, rushing out behind Val as the world around them began to twist into tendrils of ash. ¡°Fuck, Gavin swore, teleporting out moments before the space collapsed in on him. Behind him the mirrored space spun violently, shrinking rapidly to a point then vanished entirely. He pulled himself upright with his force of will to stand next to his team mates who all seemed flustered. ¡°Never didn''t have it, eh?¡± Gavin laughed. ¡°These things are always much closer to killing us than I¡¯m comfortable with.¡± Sam said. ¡°I''m coming to think that''s just part of the job.¡± Judy said, her brow sheened with sweat. ¡°We''ve practised scraping through every encounter so much I don''t know how we¡¯d handle anything easy.¡± ¡°It''s what got my last team killed.¡± Val said gravely ¡°I know we can''t do much about it now, but we really should look to taking a steadier more reliable method of advancement.¡± ¡°Don''t think that''s ever going to happen for anyone around me.¡± Gavin said handing out pies for everyone, ¡°there''s some fucked up God shit gonna go down one of these days, I don''t think we have the time to get good the normal way.¡± ¡°I think he''s right, unfortunately. We made our choices months ago knowing anything remotely connected to Gavin would always be a complete mess, now we have to sink or swim.¡± Sam said. ¡°Thanks guys.¡± Gavin said warmly ¡°now what''s our next contract?¡± ¡°Nevermind that, what was that bo-¡± Val began. ¡°Not out here.¡± Gavin said at the same time Judy also said ¡°not until we¡¯re in the fortress.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Val said, confused. ¡°I think it''s something we don''t want to talk or even think about out here.¡± Judy said, glancing at the sky. ¡°We definitely don''t want to go showing it off where anyone could see.¡± ¡°Shiiit.¡± Val said, letting out a low whistle. Gavin opened his portal back towards their second target. They arrived in a swamp lowland, where several shallow streams converged to form a river further down the valley. The ground was soft, their armoured feet sank past the ankle on each step. Gavin and Judy floated above taking the easy route. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Do you have to mock us like that?¡± Sam said to Gavin. ¡°Like what?¡± Gavin said, halting his walking motions in mid air just barely above the ground. ¡°You know what you''re doing.¡± Sam said peevishly. ¡°Gavin look out!¡± Val shouted, rushing to push him aside. In the half moment it took Val to shout, a set of teeth clamped themselves around one of his legs. The body of the six metre long half buried lizard writhed beneath him, rolled over, and dragged him down with it. He teleported up into the air, pulling the dangling monster with him, he felt his mana reserves dip as the stress of pulling another body with him strained his power. The monsters whole weight tore him back down with a yank as gravity took hold. Bones crunched and flesh tore as Gavin fought to stay airborne. Pain lanced through his body as the last scraps of flesh tore between razor sharp teeth. The beast fell back to the swamp, the severed limb disappearing down its gullet. ¡°Not again.¡± Gavin groaned, looking at his ruined stump trailing blood and gore. He activated a health potion in his inventory, instantly fusing new healthy flesh over the wound before taking out his rifle, calmly aiming it, Squeezing the trigger and disintegrating a fist sized hole in the top of its head. Sam, Judy and Val all launched into their attacks in the same moment the bullet left the barrel, carving it to pieces in moments, their weapons easily able to punch through its resistances. The monster flopped dead to the ground, twitching spasmodically. Gavin floated down to touch it with his good foot, turning the beast to ash. ¡°You think that was it?¡± Judy said. ¡°No. Aside from Gavin losing a limb again it was too easy, there should be more around.¡± Sam said. ¡°They don''t seem like the sort to just all charge in a wave though, we''re gonna have to dig them out.¡± Gavin said. ¡°I think I have an idea.¡± Judy said, casting an illusion out over the whole area to emit a low hum centred on the team. ¡°Oh good. ¡± Gavin said, Readying his rifle again. The monsters rushed them in a frenzy, smelling blood in the water. They looked closer to gigantic geckos than crocodiles, with short snouts and a row of closely packed razor teeth designed to effortlessly saw through flesh and bone. Gavin and Judy took to the air, hammering bullets and arrows down from above. Sam and Val found a small patch of soft earth to defend, Sam planting her feet in the centre while Val darted around her, covering her flanks as a flood of swamp lizards snapped at them. The team had crossed a threshold while they were out in the unclaimed lands, their power and coordination had improved past the point a straightforward fight would challenge them. This was just work, and soon the monsters piled high as they were slaughtered. As the sound of battle waned Gavin moved between each corpse, looting it in turn, turning their residual energy into a good number of coins, enough giant lizard leather to outfit a medium sized gay bar, some potions, and a dagger that dealt additional nature damage. *** ¡°Not again?¡± Klara said as Gavin hovered in through her barracks door. ¡°Yeah, again, I promise I''m not getting dismembered on purpose¡± ¡°What was it this time?¡± ¡°Giant swamp lizard. None of us spotted it until I was in its mouth.¡± ¡°They can be hard to spot, Lance has a power that deals a small amount of damage to enemies in an area, stealthy monsters hate it.¡± ¡°I could probably make a magic item that does the same thing.¡± h He said, momentarily lost in thought. ¡°Or you could come running back to me every time you chopped something off.¡± ¡°Did you just make a running joke right after I had my leg eaten off?¡± Gavin said, incredulity flashing on his face. ¡°Not intentionally. Come here, I''ll regrow that leg for you, it was just the leg right? It got pretty high up¡± Clara said, a mischievous smile crinkling the corners of her eyes. ¡°Yes it was just the leg, I checked, and don''t you dare make any dick jokes.¡± ¡°I wouldn''t, that sort of talk is unbecoming¡± Klara Said, placing a hand on his hip, flooding him with healing energy. Gavins leg reformed, good as new, the hairy limb growing out of his loose shorts in an instant. ¡°Cheers mate.¡± Gavin said, giving her a thumbs up. ¡°Don''t mention it, now, you''d better go before you cause another scene.¡± ¡°I cause? I''m not- ahh nevermind, thanks, I''ll come find you when I get my head bit off next week.¡± ¡°I don''t think you could survive that.¡± ¡°I bet I could.¡± Gavin said, stepping back through his portal. The knights were all in the dining hall, deep in discussion when Gavin returned. They fell silent when he strode into the room. They each sat at their seats around the table, deliberately not looking at the thick leather-bound tome sitting between them like a corpse. ¡°What''s up with you lot? You look like you''ve seen a ghost, is that the reward for the puzzle? What''s it about?¡± Gavin said, moving to sit casually down at the table, propping his feet up on the edge. ¡°You''d best look at it yourself.¡± Sam said gravely. ¡°And put your feet down, it''s gross¡± Judy said. Gavin''s chair clonked to the floor, throwing him forward. With a smooth lunge he reached across to snatch the book. It was plain, some very light ribbing on the spine, it carried no other embellishment or identification, though it was clearly heavily enchanted. The book practically vibrated with stored energy. [Item: Skillbook - Ethereal Travel] Rarity: Relic Description: Contains information on the fabrication, enchantment and operation of Ethereal gates Effect: Imbues the user with stored information ¡°Holy fuckin shit.¡± Gavin said, his hands trembling. ¡°This is-¡± ¡°A way home. Told you you''d find a way¡± Judy said. ¡°My home is here, with you guys.¡± Gavin said stonily, ¡°I don''t want to go back.¡± ¡°We''ve been talking. We think that you, we, might need to go to your homeworld.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Gavin said, brow furrowing. ¡°We think Soliece knows something and set that whole encounter up to give us a way to get back to your world.¡± Judy said. ¡°That''s a logical leap even I wouldn''t make.¡± Gavin said. ¡°We think she found a way to cheat, to pass you this book without having to go through the normal channels.¡± Val said. ¡°You''re gonna have to back up a bit, how do you figure this?¡± ¡°Look at the rarity Gavin, it''s a relic, like an actual relic, I''ve never heard of anyone getting a relic level item out of anything below a level ten encounter. ¡± ¡°She knows everything that''s happening on this planet, she knows we would respond to that dimensional space, she knows what skills we have, what skills you have. The book is about making and activating a gate that can send you across the ether, you just happen to be able to make and enchant items, and you have a portal power that probably ties into it somehow.¡± ¡°Okay, I can see how you got there, yeah. What does she want me to do back on earth though?¡± Gavin asked, his brow furrowing. ¡°What you''re doing here¡± Judy said, ¡°finding that sword.¡± ¡°You''re really going to need to explain this one to me.¡± ¡°How long ago did the king Arthur story happen on your world?¡± ¡°Like six hundred years ago, why?¡± ¡°Shit, that puts a dent in our theory¡± Sam said. ¡°What theory?¡± Gavin asked. ¡°I feel like I''ve definitely missed some critical discussion here.¡± ¡°We were thinking that Dragonheart¡¯s wizard took the sword back to your world and that sparked the King Arthur legend there, but if it was stolen from here two or three hundred years ago then that doesn''t work.¡± ¡°Guys, we¡¯re going to have to back this tinfoil hat theory all the way up. You''re saying that I named the team the knights of the round table after a legend from my world, then some lady who is actually the villain in that legend recognises our name and figures out I probably know the legend and that she''s definitely the baddy, then sends me to find actual Excalibur. Somewhere along the way a god gets involved and wants us to go back to my home planet where Excalibur is so I can get it and bring it back to the evil lady that''s definitely going to betray us. And this God of knowing everything anyone has ever thought wants the evil sorcerer lady to have a divine right to rule?¡± ¡°Well, when you put it like that.¡± Judy said. ¡°Yes, it does seem we¡¯ve gotten away from ourselves a bit.¡± Sam said. ¡°Obviously¡± Val agreed. ¡°Well okay then. Assuming I''m definitely absorbing this book, what do we reckon is actually going on here.¡± He said, the book vanishing into his inventory. ¡°Shall we lay out the facts and try to work out something that makes sense?¡± Sam said. ¡°Lady Morgan Dragonheart, who¡¯s name is strikingly similar to Morgana Pendragon, asked us to find a sword and sent us out here to find it.¡± Judy started. ¡°The sword is a symbol of authority in her house.¡± Sam added. ¡°A wizard stole the sword and absconded to a tower in the middle of nowhere, apparently hasn''t been spotted since.¡± Gavin said. ¡°We don''t actually know that part, but it makes sense.¡± Val said. ¡°Potentially unrelated, but the god of knows everything gave us a book on how to traverse universes.¡± Gavin said. ¡°Assuming the wizard hasn''t been seen since, him having disappeared to another universe isn''t impossible.¡± Val said. ¡°If he has the power to travel between universes, he''s definitely too strong for us to handle. If he''s even alive.¡± Gavin said. ¡°If he''s that strong he''s almost certainly still alive.¡± How do you figure that?¡± ¡°The more magical your body becomes the more your strength is based on your willpower. Once you hit level ten your body is more magic than flesh, higher than that and you''re pretty much just all willpower. It''s basically impossible to kill a high ranker, you have to make their soul want to give up in order to kill them.¡± ¡°Okay, so, some super powerful wizard is probably out there with what may as well be Excalibur. We''re level two and there''s at least one level twenty out there probably looking for the sword too.¡± ¡°We don''t actually need to find the sword, Morgan said she''d pay us for the location of the tower.¡± Sam said. ¡°That just seems like a hella lame way to end a quest.¡± Gavin said. ¡°Why do we think Soliece wants us to go to Gavins planet?¡± Judy asked, realigning the conversation. ¡°Maybe she''s sick of hearing Gavin¡¯s inner thoughts.¡± Val suggested. ¡°Pretty sure she explicitly likes my inner thoughts, thank you very much.¡± ¡°She probably just wants Gavin to find a way to bring information back, He''s said he wants to stay here, but I bet if he found a way home he would bring a load of movies and books back, right Gav?¡± Sam asked. ¡°And music. You guys don''t really have music the way we do, there''s orchestras and that''s about it.¡± ¡°Well there you go. Maybe Gavin finds a way to bring people back with him, surely he isn''t the best example from his world she wants to learn from.¡± Sam said. ¡°Hey.¡± Gavin argued ¡°I might come across as a bit self impressed, but I''ve got a top tier brain rocking round in the old skull.¡± ¡°And I think that''s the point where we''ve run out of anything productive to say.¡± Sam said. ¡°Well, in that case, let''s try out this skill book.¡± Gavin said, mentally activating the book in his inventory. ¡°Wait, not now, it''s going to be-¡± Sam said, watching as her teammate blanched then fell unconscious, his face smacking the edge of the table as he tumbled to the ground.